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KWAZULU-NATAL
PROVINCIAL OVERVIEW

RENEWED MOMENTUM: KWAZULU-NATAL’S 60 percent of South Africa’s cargo tonnage, under-
INVESTMENT-LED REVIVAL IN 2025 lining the province’s pivotal position in trade.
A Province in Transition
By Grant Adlam KZN’s current trajectory is defined by recovery,
diversification and resilience. First-quarter 2025
KwaZulu-Natal is entering a defining chapter in its figures reflect modest but steady GDP growth,
economic journey. After years of grappling with driven by agriculture, trade, transport, and financial
national downturns, natural disasters and social services. Although structural challenges such as
unrest, the province is forging ahead with a bold high unemployment and infrastructure backlogs
investment-led revival. The results are already visible remain, the KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development
across its cities, ports, and rural landscapes, as cranes Council has sharpened its focus on inclusive growth,
rise, roads expand, and communities prepare to township revitalisation and collaborative problem-
benefit from billions of rand in new projects. solving between government, business, labour and
civil society.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Economic Standing
In 2025, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remains South Africa’s Flagship Developments Reshaping the Province
second-largest provincial economy, contributing Investment momentum is reshaping the province’s
roughly 15.9 percent to national GDP according to physical and economic landscape. In March 2025,
Statistics South Africa. With a gross regional product Durban celebrated the opening of Westown Square
exceeding R1 trillion and a population of over and The Barn, the first components of the R1 billion
12 million, KZN’s diversified base and strategic coastal Westown smart-city precinct in Shongweni. Built
position have cemented its role as both a national on 2,000 hectares of repurposed agricultural land,
growth driver and a continental logistics hub. the project has already created more than 1,200
Durban and Richards Bay ports alone handle close to construction jobs, with 8,500 permanent roles

Photo courtesy of MSC

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