On 16 July 2026 at the Durban Exhibition Centre, KwaZulu-Natal, Minister Parks Tau of the Department of Trade Industry and Competition alongside the Kwazulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism And Environmental Affairs, Rev. Musa Zondi officially declared the Conference open with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and walk about of the Exhibition Center.
Below is a verbatim reproduction of the Ministers Speech and below that of the MEC’s opening remarks.
Remarks by Minister Parks Tau at the 2nd Second International Special Economic Zones Conference
This exhibition is the working floor of South Africa’s Second International Special Economic Zones Conference. Our plenary sessions set the policy direction. This floor shows the policy in practice.
Thirteen Special Economic Zones are designated across eight of South Africa’s nine provinces. Two hundred and twenty-four companies operate within them. They have invested a combined R31.7 billion, a net increase of R17.2 billion over the past eight years. They have created 28,821 direct jobs. The dtic has supported this performance with R12 billion in top structure and bulk infrastructure since inception.
The stands in this hall represent that investment in concrete form. I ask delegates to move beyond the podium conversation this week and into the detail available on this floor: the incentive packages, the site readiness, and the investor case studies that sit behind our headline numbers.
Three results deserve specific mention as I open this exhibition:
- Ford’s expansion at the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone has unlocked R16 billion in private investment, alongside R5.9 billion from other TASEZ-based investors, delivering 3,333 direct jobs to date.
- Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone has moved from slow early traction to a pipeline of 24 potential investors worth an estimated R247 billion.
- The second phase of the Nyanza Light Metals titanium dioxide project has reached financial close on a R14.5 billion investment. It will create more than 800 direct jobs once fully operational.
These are the results, produced by companies represented in this hall today.
Let me also tell you what else this conference has in store, because this exhibition floor is only the beginning.
Through the course of today, delegates can join export masterclasses and fireside chats hosted with DHL Express, SAFLEC and TIKZN, built for manufacturers and SMEs who are ready to export or already exporting. Tonight, we gather for the Gala Dinner and the SEZ Achievement Awards, where we recognise the zones, investors and leaders who have turned this Programme’s targets into results, which will be addressed by His Excellency President
Ramaphosa.
Tomorrow, Deputy President Paul Mashatile delivers our keynote address. He will be followed by five panels bringing together voices you do not often hear on the same stage: Ford Africa, Aspen Pharmacare, AfreximBank, DP World and Transnet on why investors should treat SEZs as destinations of choice; premiers, executive mayors and the Development Bank of Southern Africa on SEZs as engines of spatial industrial development; the AfCFTA Secretariat alongside counterparts from Eswatini and Mozambique on cross-border collaboration; our development finance institutions on financing SEZ infrastructure; and, to close, a panel, on what it means to re-imagine SEZs for this country’s industrialisation.
I say this because I want every exhibitor and investor in this hall to understand what these two days are meant to produce.
We expect to progress the designation of two further zones: Fetakgomo Tubatse and Vaal.
We expect new investment commitments and partnership agreements. We are tabling an independent World Bank review of our SEZ Programme, and we will use it to finalise a revised SEZ Implementation Model, one that brings in more private-sector-developed industrial parks, stronger non-financial incentives, and a formal process for turning around zones that are underperforming. We are using this conference to strengthen the export pathways that our zones can access through the African Continental Free Trade Area.
I declare this Exhibition Area officially open.
I thank you.
Remarks by Kwazulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism And Environmental Affairs, Rev. Musa Zondi:
It is my honour to welcome you to KwaZulu-Natal for the Second International Special Economic Zones Infrastructure and Investment Conference.
As the host province, we are privileged to partner with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in convening this important gathering under the theme: “Reigniting Industrialisation through World-Class Special Economic Zones.”
This conference comes at a critical time for South Africa’s economy. Our country continues to pursue inclusive economic growth, industrial expansion, investment attraction and sustainable job creation.
Special Economic Zones remain one of government’s most important instruments to realise these objectives by creating globally competitive industrial hubs that attract investment, support manufacturing and increase exports.
KwaZulu-Natal is proud to play a leading role in this agenda.
With strategic infrastructure that includes the Ports of Durban and Richards Bay, King Shaka International Airport, Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone and the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone, our province serves as a gateway for trade and investment into South Africa, the African continent and global markets.
Over the next two days, Durban will welcome more than 1 000 delegates, including government leaders, investors, industry experts, development finance institutions, business leaders and international partners who will collectively explore practical solutions to accelerate industrialisation and strengthen Africa’s competitiveness.
The conference will focus on key issues including:
- strengthening Special Economic Zones through investment and infrastructure;
- unlocking opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area;
- expanding regional value chains;
- financing industrial development; and
- ensuring that SMMEs and local communities participate meaningfully in the growth of our economy.
Importantly, this conference is not simply about discussion.
It is about building partnerships, attracting new investment, sharing international best practice and identifying practical interventions that will help South Africa’s Special Economic Zones become globally competitive and deliver tangible economic benefits for our people.
This evening, we will also celebrate excellence through the inaugural Special Economic Zones Achievement Awards, recognising outstanding performance by our SEZs and investors who continue to make significant contributions towards industrial development, innovation and job creation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
KwaZulu-Natal remains committed to working with national government, our Special Economic Zones, the private sector and international partners to build an economy that is competitive, resilient and inclusive.
We are confident that the outcomes of this conference will contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s industrialisation agenda and create new opportunities for investment, enterprise development and employment.
It is now my pleasure to invite the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Honourable Parks Tau, to provide further details on the conference programme and expected outcomes.
Thank you.
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Alan Straton
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