Programme Director,
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Parks Tau,
Deputy Minister, Mr Zuko Godlimpi,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Mzwandile Masina,
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Thamsanqa Ntuli,
Mayor of eThekwini, Councillor Cyril Xaba,
Premiers and MECs,
Executive Mayors and Councillors,
Distinguished International Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Evening.

Tonight we gather not only to celebrate excellence, but to celebrate possibility.
We celebrate the possibility of a South Africa that manufactures more, exports more, innovates more and creates far greater opportunities for its people.

We celebrate the men and women who are transforming ideas into industries, investments into factories, and factories into jobs.

Above all, we celebrate our shared determination to build an economy that is competitive, inclusive, resilient and capable of delivering prosperity for all.

This evening’s awards therefore represent far more than recognition for outstanding performance.

They affirm our belief that industrialisation remains one of the most powerful instruments available to us to overcome poverty, unemployment and inequality.

Special Economic Zones are not simply designated industrial sites.

They are engines of economic transformation.

They are places where policy is translated into production, where investment becomes enterprise, where innovation becomes competitiveness, and where hope becomes opportunity.

Investment remains the lifeblood of every growing economy.

It finances new factories, expands productive capacity, opens access to international markets and creates sustainable employment.

Investment strengthens domestic industries, deepens value addition, expands exports and generates the resources that enable governments to improve the lives of their citizens.

This is why South Africa continues to place investment promotion at the centre of our economic programme.

Just over three months ago, at the Sixth South Africa Investment Conference, we secured a record R890 billion in investment commitments.

These commitments span strategic sectors including mining and mineral beneficiation,
automotive manufacturing, agro processing, tourism, renewable energy, digital technologies and the green economy.

Much of this investment will find its home within our Special Economic Zones.

In the automotive sector alone, approximately R12 billion of planned investment is destined for our SEZ programme.

The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone stands as compelling evidence of what can be achieved when government and business work together.

The investment by Ford and its component manufacturers has already created more than 3,000 permanent jobs while strengthening South Africa’s position as a globally competitive automotive manufacturing hub.

Our Special Economic Zones programme has become one of the cornerstones of our national investment strategy.

Through modern infrastructure, secure industrial sites, reliable utilities, efficient logistics and integrated one-stop investor support, our SEZs reduce the cost of doing business and improve investor confidence.

They help transform investment commitments into productive enterprises that create lasting economic value.

This Second International Special Economic Zones Conference takes place at a defining moment in our country’s economic journey.

South Africa has recently completed a comprehensive recalibration of its industrial policy through the adoption of our new Industrial Development Strategy.

This strategy responds directly to the structural challenges of low growth, de-industrialisation and unemployment.

It is built upon three strategic pillars:
Decarbonising our industries, diversifying our export markets, and accelerating digital industrialisation. Complementing this is our new Spatial Industrial Development Strategy, which introduces a strengthened SEZ model designed to ensure that industrial development generates greater benefits for surrounding communities, supports local enterprise development and advances inclusive regional growth.

Independent evidence confirms that this approach is delivering results.

A recent World Bank assessment found that South Africa’s Special Economic Zones have attracted more than R34 billion in investment, created over 30,000 direct jobs, and generated more than R14 billion in revenue for the fiscus.

These achievements are encouraging.

Yet they also remind us that our greatest opportunities still lie ahead.

The World Bank has proposed several important reforms, including enhanced investment incentives and the introduction of privately owned Special Economic Zones.

Government will carefully consider these recommendations as we continue strengthening the programme and ensuring that it remains globally competitive.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Industrial development today is no longer defined only by the production of goods.

It is increasingly about technological capability, innovation, sustainability and resilience.

Around the world, nations are reshaping their industrial policies to strengthen supply chains, improve competitiveness and secure strategic industries.

South Africa must do the same.

Our Special Economic Zones are central to this effort. They will play an increasingly important role in advanced manufacturing, electric mobility, renewable energy technologies, green hydrogen, battery manufacturing, digital industries, pharmaceuticals, agro-processing and the beneficiation of our abundant mineral resources.

They will enable us not merely to export raw materials, but increasingly to export higher-value manufactured products.

They will help position South Africa as a leading industrial economy on the African continent.

We are equally determined to ensure that our investment climate continues to improve.

We are reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

We are accelerating approvals for permits, licences and environmental authorisations. We are strengthening customs systems and expanding one-stop investor services.

We have made significant progress in restoring energy security.

We continue to improve freight logistics, modernise our ports and rail infrastructure, and strengthen transport corridors that connect our industries to regional and global markets.

These reforms are making South Africa an increasingly attractive destination for productive investment.

Our Special Economic Zones should not be islands of prosperity.

Their success must benefit the broader economy. They must create opportunities for small businesses. They must support localisation. They must develop new generations of skilled workers.

They must empower women and young entrepreneurs.

They must stimulate surrounding towns and communities. And they must become centres from which innovation and prosperity radiate throughout our country.

I am especially pleased to welcome the many representatives from across our African continent.

Your presence reflects our shared commitment to building an integrated African economy.

Through the African Continental Free Trade Area, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build regional value chains, strengthen intra-African trade and position Africa as a globally competitive manufacturing destination.

South Africa’s Special Economic Zones will continue working closely with our continental partners to realise this vision.

Tonight we recognise excellence.

We honour institutions that have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation, governance and performance.

We celebrate those who have successfully attracted investment, created employment, developed industrial capability and managed their zones to the highest international standards.

Whether receiving an award this evening or not, every Special Economic Zone, every official, every investor, every engineer, every planner, every entrepreneur and every worker has contributed to the remarkable progress of this programme.

You have helped build industries. You have strengthened investor confidence. You have created opportunities for thousands of South Africans.

You have demonstrated what is possible when vision is matched by commitment and hard work. For that, our nation thanks you.

To all our award recipients, congratulations.
Your achievements set new benchmarks for excellence.

May your success inspire every Special Economic Zone to innovate further, perform better and reach even greater heights.

As we look to the future, let us remember that excellence is never a destination. It is a continuous pursuit.

Let us therefore continue building Special Economic Zones that compete with the very best in the world.

Let us continue attracting investment that changes lives.

Let us continue building industries that create lasting prosperity.

And let us continue working together to build a South Africa that is more industrialised, more competitive, more inclusive and more prosperous for generations to come.

I thank you.

#GovZAUpdates