Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau and KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development Reverend Musa Zondi are set to brief media this week as South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition hosts its second International Special Economic Zones Infrastructure and Investment Conference in Durban. Deputy President Paul Mashatile will deliver the keynote address on Friday, a signal of the administration’s political commitment to the programme.
More than 1,000 delegates have gathered in the port city under the theme “Reigniting Industrialisation through World-class Special Economic Zones.” The conference positions the country’s SEZ Programme as a central instrument of national industrial policy, one the government intends to place squarely in the global investment spotlight.
Special Economic Zones are geographically designated areas offering world-class infrastructure, simplified administrative procedures, and a combination of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives designed to attract investment and support industrial development. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition frames them as engines of manufacturing expansion, job creation, and foreign capital attraction.
Governance sits at the heart of the agenda. Delegates are expected to examine how to strengthen the governance structures and performance metrics of SEZs, mobilise investment in industrial infrastructure, and clarify the coordination responsibilities of the government institutions overseeing these zones. The conference will also take stock of the inaugural SEZ Conference held in 2019, assessing what progress has been made and where accountability gaps remain.
Beyond oversight questions, the agenda extends to practical policy challenges. Participants will explore measures to improve the ease of doing business within SEZs, expand public-private partnerships, and improve energy security, a persistent constraint on South Africa’s competitiveness as an investment destination. Unlocking opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area is also on the table, as is increasing the participation of small, medium and micro enterprises in SEZ value chains.
The gathering brings together government leaders, business representatives, organised labour, investors, development finance institutions, academic institutions, and international experts. That breadth of participation reflects the cross-institutional coordination the government says is necessary to make the zones function effectively.
By combining infrastructure investment, regulatory streamlining, and targeted incentives, the SEZ model is designed to attract both foreign and domestic direct investment while expanding South Africa’s manufacturing base. Whether the structures and metrics governing these zones are robust enough to deliver on that ambition is the question this conference has been convened to answer.
Further details on the programme are available at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/durban-conference-puts-south-africas-special-economic-zones-global-investment.