Page 17 - KZN Top Business Portfolio 2025 V1-EBOOK

clinics, SMMEs and township entrepreneurs. The
Ithala Development Finance Corporation is also
repositioning itself, with R200 million earmarked for
township and rural businesses, targeting 2,000 jobs.
Property Growth and Tourism
The province is experiencing a surge in lifestyle and
coastal estate developments. On the North Coast,
Club Med’s R2.3 billion resort at Tinley Manor, due
in 2026, will feature 400 villas, a surf school, and a
Big Five bush lodge, creating more than 1,000 jobs.
On the South Coast, projects such as Renishaw
Coastal Precinct, Umdoni Point Estate, Serenity
Hills and Bahari Bay are reshaping communities,
with combined investments exceeding R1.3 billion.
The KwaXolo Caves adventure tourism expansion,
launched in March 2025, highlights growing
demand for heritage and eco-tourism.
Tourism’s catalytic role was underscored at Africa’s
Travel Indaba, where KwaZulu-Natal unveiled R9.4
billion worth of projects ranging from conservation
areas to luxury estates, with the potential to
generate 3,000 permanent jobs. uMhlathuze has
also been named host of the Tourism Investment
Forum Africa in August 2025, spotlighting the
province’s role as both a port-city trade hub and a
global tourism destination.
Local Governance and Rural Development
Provincial and municipal authorities are supporting
these investments with catalytic infrastructure
projects. The Department of Cooperative Gover-
nance and Traditional Affairs has allocated R1.9
billion in its 2025/26 budget, funding rural
electrification in Ulundi and Nkandla, solar lighting
and boreholes in Endumeni, and household-level
infrastructure in AbaQulusi. These projects enhance
service delivery and anchor inclusive growth in
communities often left behind.
The Road Ahead
KwaZulu-Natal’s economy in 2025 is not simply
a patchwork of new projects but a living mosaic
of industrial resurgence, digital inclusion and
community-level development. From cranes at
Westown to high-speed internet towers in rural
Zululand, the evidence of progress is tangible. The
challenge now is ensuring that momentum translates
into sustained prosperity and meaningful inclusion.
KwaZulu-Natal has entered a new era of renewed
confidence. The province is not only rising to
meet immediate challenges but also laying the
foundations for a resilient, competitive and inclusive
future. In a country hungry for success stories,
KZN demonstrates what is possible when vision,
investment and action align.

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