Page 16 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2025 V1-EBOOK
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anticipated once fully operational. Anchored by These investments span property, manufacturing,
mixed-use spaces, green design and integrated tourism, and agro-processing, signalling renewed
services, Westown is setting new standards for investor confidence and significant job-creation
inclusive urban development. potential.
Meanwhile, Cornubia City continues its transformation Strategic Infrastructure and Innovation
into a R25 billion integrated hub, combining industrial KZN’s infrastructure backbone is being modernised in
zones, commercial districts, and more than 15,000 parallel with private investments. In June 2025, the King
homes – many of them subsidised. The Sibaya Coastal Dinuzulu Innovation Valley at Dube TradePort opens as
Precinct, led by Tongaat Hulett, is maturing into a a hub for tech and entrepreneurship. Major upgrades
high-end residential and conservation-led estate to the N3 and N2 highways, combined with Dube
where 60 percent of land is reserved for green space. TradePort and Richards Bay Industrial Development
Oceans Umhlanga and Durban Film City Zone expansions, are reinforcing logistics capacity.
Long-term planning also includes freight rail
The luxury Oceans Umhlanga development is ad-
vancing rapidly. Its R1.2 billion South Tower entered revitalisation and exploratory work on a high-speed
construction in late 2024, generating over 2,400 jobs. Durban–Johannesburg bullet train.
In July 2025, the R1.4 billion North Residential Tower In Richards Bay, catalytic projects include the R116
was officially launched, while Southern Sun confirmed million Nyanza Light Metals facility, Wilmar Processing’s
a R1.5 billion investment in a new hotel and serviced R2 billion Phase 2 expansion, and Transnet’s R7 billion
residences slated to open in 2027. Collectively, the LNG initiative expected to create over 1,200 jobs.
Oceans precinct now represents more than R5 billion Sectoral Growth: Manufacturing, Agriculture
in investment, anchoring Umhlanga’s emergence as a
premier commercial and residential district. and the Oceans Economy
Manufacturing continues to underpin KZN’s econ-
Further south, Durban Film City remains an omy, accounting for 17 percent of provincial GDP
ambitious yet delayed vision. Filmmaker Anant – well above the national average – and 19 percent
Singh’s R7.5 billion project is intended to trans- of South Africa’s manufactured exports. In 2025,
form North Beach into a global film hub. While major momentum comes from automotive and agro-
the 21-hectare site was acquired in 2022, infra- processing, with Toyota Tsusho–Ogihara’s R1.2 billion
structure costs, municipal hurdles and soaring facility at Dube TradeZone 2 on track for mid-year
property valuations have slowed progress. Singh completion, and multinationals like PepsiCo and Kerry
estimates the project could generate 20,000 Foods expanding their local value chains.
jobs over its 10–12-year development cycle, under-
scoring the potential rewards if current challenges Agriculture, though contributing about five percent
can be overcome. of GDP, remains crucial. KZN produces nearly one-
third of South Africa’s agricultural output thanks
R70.8 Billion in New Investment Commitments to fertile soils, a favourable climate, and advanced
At the 2024 KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference, agro-logistics infrastructure. The sector is also a
16 firms pledged over R70.8 billion in new projects, major rural employer.
many of which break ground in 2025/26. Notable
commitments include: The oceans economy is surging, with MSC’s R350
million cold storage facility in Durban improving
R10.8 billion: Sappi pulp and paper upgrades perishable exports, while Richards Bay anchors LNG,
R10 billion: Collins Residential’s Seaton coastal petrochemicals and port-related investments worth
development more than R9 billion.
R10 billion: Sortor mixed-use project
R5.9 billion: Salta Sibaya Phase 2 Digital Transformation and Public–Private
Partnerships
R4.2 billion: Edison’s Oceans South Tower
R3.6 billion: Umdoni Point development on the Connectivity and digital infrastructure are being
South Coast expanded under the Provincial Digital Transformation
R2.7 billion: Toyota South Durban plant Strategy (2025–2030). Vodacom is rolling out 130 new
modernisation cellular sites across 11 districts, including Zululand,
R2.3 billion: Club Med resort at Tinley Manor King Cetshwayo and uMgungundlovu, significantly
improving access to 5G and mobile data. This PPP-
R1.2 billion: Natal Portland Cement expansion
backed initiative is expected to benefit schools,
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