KwaZulu-Natal
From The Report: South Africa 2014
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Renamed KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in 1994 following the merging of Natal province with KwaZulu, KZN is South Africa’s second largest provincial economy, serving as a strategically important base for manufacturing and exports. Though it occupies only 8% of the country’s land, KZN is responsible for 26.9% of its agricultural output, 21.6% of its manufacturing and 22.3% of its transport, storage and communications facilities. As home to Africa’s largest and busiest container port and bulk terminals, and sharing borders with Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho, the province plays a lead role in facilitating the country’s flow of trade. Developments now under way to convert greenfield sites near Durban’s King Shaka International Airport into a designated free zone and air freight hub are set to deepen the province’s integration and further unlock its potential for multi-modal logistics.

This chapter contains a viewpoint with Senzo Mchunu, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal; and an interview with Zamo Gwala, CEO, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

The province builds on its industrial base from a variety of angles
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Renamed KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in 1994 following the merging of Natal province with KwaZulu, KZN is South Africa’s second largest provincial economy, serving as a strategically important base for manufacturing and exports. Also known by its nickname “the garden province”, KZN is a popular domestic tourism destination throughout the year, offering subtropical coastline in the south, mountainous landscapes in the interior and a stretch of savannah hosting wildlife in the north. Its heft in the service…

Analysis

Durban’s development plans seek to incorporate private investment
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As one of South Africa’s three main urban centres, Durban plays a central economic and social role in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). For FY2013, the city posted a GDP growth rate of 2.6%, behind only Johannesburg (2.75%), and well ahead of the national rate of 1.89%. The main sectors contributing to Durban’s economic growth were manufacturing (22%), finance (22%), community services (17%), trade (17%) and transport (16%). Tourism Tourism also continues to be a major economic contributor. In 2013 the…

Viewpoint

Senzo Mchunu, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, on the province’s contribution to national development
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As one of the most sophisticated African emerging markets, South Africa’s unique combination of highly developed, first-world economic infrastructure and a large emergent market economy has led to a dynamic investment environment. Situated on South Africa’s eastern seaboard is the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is home to Durban and a strategic port that enjoys direct access to both the Indian and Pacific Ocean rims. KZN is one of the key provinces in the national economy in terms of GDP contribution,…

Interview

OBG talks to Zamo Gwala, CEO, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal
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Interview:Zamo Gwala What do you see as the single biggest challenge facing new investors in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN)? ZAMO GWALA: The single biggest challenge facing new investors in KZN would have to be the limited availability of serviced land. Industry trends are showing that investors have a preference for serviced land, as this allows for shorter lead times in establishing projects. KZN is primarily a rural province, and as such faces challenges in any type of bulk infrastructure roll-out.…