Gauteng Business 2023-24

GAUTENG
BUSINESS
THE GUIDE TO BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT
IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCE
2023/24 EDITION
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Sasol’s
Ekandustria Operations
Sasol’s Ekandustria Operations,
along with its joint venture
partners, manufactures,
markets and distributes
commercial explosives, a wide
range of specialised blasting
accessories, a diversified range
of bulk explosives used in
underground mines, opencast
mines and quarries, and
supplies value added services
to Southern Africa’s leading
mining companies.
We also market a range of
premium explosive products for
exploration, construction as well
as surface and underground
mining, supporting our purpose
to innovate for a better world.

Ekandustria Operations is
situated at the Ekandustria
Industrial Park in the
City of Tshwane’s Region 7 in
Gauteng.
More information on all
explosives products sold by
Sasol are available at https://
products.sasol.com.

CONTENTS
Gauteng Business 2023/24 Edition
Introduction
Foreword 5
A unique guide to business and investment in Gauteng.
Special features
Regional Overview of Gauteng 6
A move to Johannesburg by a De Beers’ division has strategic significance
for the Gauteng economy, not least in supporting the idea of
Special Economic Zones as sector accelerators.
Special Economic Zones are multiplying 8
Gauteng is investing in SEZs as a way of supporting specific sectors
and boosting regional economies.
Economic sectors
Agriculture 20
Agricultural innovators are solving problems.
Mining 21
Excellence in manufacturing is being rewarded.
Energy 22
Carbon capture research could transform industry.
Oil and gas 24
A shortage of engineers is being addressed.
Banking and financial services 25
Citibank is financing a major urban development.
Transport and logistics 27
Cellphone towers are solving traffic problems.
Manufacturing 28
Manufacturers are investing in new plants and offices.
Tourism 30
The Southern Sun brand has been revived.
ICT 33
Many companies choose Gauteng for their headquarters.
Construction and property 34
Green is cool.
Development finance
and SMME support 34
Maponya Mall is lending a hand.
Banking and financial
services 25
Citibank is financing a major urban
development.
Education and training 35
A Robot and Sensor School has taken off.
References
Key sector contents 18
Overviews of the main economic
sectors of Gauteng.
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
4

Gauteng Business
A unique guide to business and investment in Gauteng.
FOREWORD
Credits
Publishing director:
Chris Whales
Editor: John Young
Managing director: Clive During
Online editor: Christoff Scholtz
Designer: Tyra Martin
Production: Yonella Ngaba
Ad sales:
Gavin van der Merwe
Sam Oliver
Gabriel Venter
Vanessa Wallace
Tahlia Wyngaard
Graeme February
Shiko Diala
Administration & accounts:
Charlene Steynberg
Kathy Wootton
Sharon Angus-Leppan
Distribution and circulation
manager: Edward MacDonald
Printing: FA Print
The 2023/24 edition of Gauteng Business is the 14th issue of this
highly successful publication that has established itself as the
premier business and investment guide for the Gauteng Province.
In addition to the regular articles providing insight into each
of the key economic sectors of the province, a special feature on Special
Economic Zones is included in this edition. SEZs are a major plank of
industrial policy at national level and Gauteng is enthusiastically rolling
out sector-specific zones in every district. The Vaal SEZ, which is preparing
the way for ratification by national authorities, is the newest zone intended
to boost development.
All of the main economic sectors of the provincial economy are
reviewed, ranging from agriculture, transport and logistics, energy and
manufacturing through to education and training. Like the rest of the
world, Gauteng is adapting to and innovating in the field of energy. The
fact that mining companies and others are starting to build facilities to
generate power is significant for the country as a whole. Gold Fields’ 40MW
solar project at its South Deep mine and Sibanye-Stillwater making land
available on the West Rand for solar farms are indicators for the future.
To complement the extensive local, national and international
distribution of the print edition, the full content can also be viewed online
at www.globalafricanetwork.com under e-books. Updated information on
Gauteng is also available through our monthly e-newsletter, which you can
subscribe to online at www.gan.co.za, in addition to our complementary
business-to-business titles that cover all nine provinces as well as our
flagship South African Business title and the new addition to our list of titles,
The Journal of African Business, which was launched in 2020. ■
Chris Whales
Publisher, Global Africa Network Media | Email: chris@gan.co.za
DISTRIBUTION
Gauteng Business is distributed internationally on outgoing
and incoming trade missions, through trade and investment
agencies; to foreign offices in South Africa’s main trading
partners around the world; at top national and international
events; through the offices of foreign representatives in
South Africa; as well as nationally and regionally via chambers
of commerce, tourism offices, airport lounges, provincial
government departments, municipalities and companies.
Member of the Audit Bureau
of Circulations
COPYRIGHT | Gauteng Business is an independent publication
published by Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd. Full copyright to the
publication vests with Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd. No part
of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the written
permission of Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd.
PHOTO CREDITS | ArcelorMittal; CHIETA; BMW Group; Busmark; Ford
South Africa; GREENinc Landscape Architecture and Urbanism; Hytera;
Indlu Living; Maponya Mall; Montego Pet Nutrition; Petra Diamonds;
PUBLISHED BY
Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd
Company Registration No: 2004/004982/07
Directors: Clive During, Chris Whales
Physical address: 28 Main Road, Rondebosch 7700
Postal address: PO Box 292, Newlands 7701
Tel: +27 21 657 6200 | Fax: +27 21 674 6943
Email: info@gan.co.za | Website: www.gan.co.za
ISSN 1990-0621
Rahm Equipment; Redefine Properties; Riverfield Precinct; Sun
International; The Innovation Hub; The Love Trust; University of Pretoria.
DISCLAIMER | While the publisher, Global Africa Network Media (Pty)
Ltd, has used all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information
contained in Gauteng Business is accurate and up-to-date, the
publishers make no representations as to the accuracy, quality,
timeliness, or completeness of the information. Global Africa Network
will not accept responsibility for any loss or damage suffered as a result
of the use of or any reliance placed on such information.

A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF
GAUTENG
The Cullinan Mine is expecting its expansion project to start producing in 2024.
A move to Johannesburg by a De Beers division has strategic
significance for the Gauteng economy, not least in supporting
the idea of Special Economic Zones as sector accelerators. The
Vaal SEZ is the latest initiative to move forward, with the goal of
revitalising the Vaal regional economy.
By John Young
Gold is what made Johannesburg but
diamonds are in the news today. Gold
mining continues in Gauteng, and new
technologies are making it profitable to
work on historic tailings, but the industry is now
one of many rather than being the thing that
defines the city or the province.
Gauteng diamonds first made a big splash
when the huge Cullinan diamond was discovered
in 1905. It went on to become part of the crown
jewels of the British monarch. Petra Diamonds
recently approved another expansion project
which will cost $173-million and is expected to start
producing in 2024 and reach steady state in 2026.
As of January 2023, De Beers Group’s
Sightholder Sales business started operating out
of Sky Park Industrial in Johannesburg, having
been in Kimberely in the Northern Cape since
diamonds were first discovered. Although the
move has significance for the mining sector, De
Beers’ choice is also a reflection of a long-term
shift in the nature of the Gauteng economy
that has for decades been moving away from
resources and towards services.
The move is also in line with the policies of
national and provincial government to support
Special Economic Zones (SEZs), in this case the
Gauteng Industrial Development Zone (GIDZ).
The aim is to attract entities engaged in mineral
beneficiation to the zone, with this cluster being
conveniently located near to the OR Tambo
International Airport.
The National Department of Trade, Industry and
Competition (dtic) is the lead agent in the creation
of SEZs, which are part of the national Industrial
Policy Action Plan (IPAP). SEZs are designed to
attract investment, create jobs and boost exports.
Three district municipalities across the
south of Gauteng are to host to the Vaal Special
Economic Zone (Vaal SEZ) which will have
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
6

SPECIAL FEATURE
multiple sectors represented and be located
at multiple sites. The area already has many
industrial assets and infrastructure and is well
served by transport routes. Among the targeted
sectors are agro-processing, logistics, the lowcarbon
economy, light manufacturing and the
Blue Economy, taking advantage of the Vaal River.
Gauteng accounts for 45% of South Africa’s
manufacturing capacity, so the province is well
placed to expand an already strong and diverse
sector. Manufacturing makes up 14.5% of formal
sector output in Gauteng, making it the fourth-largest
sector. One in nine jobs in the province are created
in the sector. According to the Gauteng Growth and
Development Agency (GGDA), six out of 10 foreign
direct investment (FDI) projects in Gauteng have
flowed to the manufacturing sector and its subsectors.
The GGDA is an implementing agency which
aims to facilitate business enablement, develop
small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs)
and promote investment and job creation.
Focussed support for these specific
subsectors is intended to spur other investments:
automotive sector, mineral beneficiation, capital
equipment, agro-processing, pharmaceuticals
and tertiary services such as BPO, ITC services,
tourism and the knowledge economy.
GGDA subsidiaries include The Innovation
Hub (technology), the Automotive Industry
Development Centre (AIDC), which manages the
Automotive Supplier Park (ASP), and InvestSA
Gauteng (red tape remover for investors).
The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA)
plays a similar role as the City of Johannesburg’s
development agency. JDA’s focus is on helping
create resilient, sustainable and liveable urban
areas in identified transit nodes and corridors. In
15 years, 387 projects have been implemented.
The Provincial Government of Gauteng has
identified 10 “high-growth” sectors where it intends
concentrating its efforts to build infrastructure and
attract public and private sector investment:
• Energy: new technologies and a diverse energy mix
• Transportation and logistics
• ICT, media and digital services
• Tourism and hospitality
• Agricultural value chain
• Construction and infrastructure
• Automotive, aerospace and defence
• Financial services
• Cultural and creative industries
• Industrialisation of cannabis
Overview of the province
Gauteng is South Africa’s smallest province in
terms of landmass but in every other respect it is
a giant. The province is the nation’s key economic
growth engine.
At 18 176km², the province makes up just 1.5%
of South Africa’s territory. The 14.3-million people
living in Gauteng in 2017 generated a gross
domestic product of R1.59-trillion, about a third of
South Africa’s GDP. Gauteng recorded the highest
provincial growth rate in 2019. The 0.6% rise was
mainly driven by finance, real estate and business
services, which is the dominant industry (StatsSA).
Gauteng is a leader in a wide range of economic
sectors: finance, manufacturing, commerce, IT and
media among them. The Bureau of Market Research
(BMR) has shown that Gauteng accounts for 35% of
total household consumption in South Africa.
The leading economic sectors are finance, real
estate and business, manufacturing, government
services and wholesale, retail, motor trade and
accommodation. The creative industries (including
advertising and the film sector) contribute
significantly to the provincial economy.
In Johannesburg, financial services and
commerce predominate. The JSE, Africa’s largest
stock exchange, is in Sandton and several new
stock exchanges have recently received licences.
Tshwane (which includes Pretoria) is home to
many government services and is the base of the
automotive industry and many research institutions.
The Ekurhuleni metropole has the largest
concentration of manufacturing concerns, ranging
from heavy to light industry, in the country. The
western part of the province is concerned mainly
with mining and agriculture, while the south
has a combination of maize farming, tobacco
production and the heavy industrial work
associated with steel and iron-ore workings.
Individually, the biggest Gauteng cities
contribute to the national GDP as follows:
Johannesburg (15%), Tshwane (9%) and
Ekurhuleni (7%). ■
7
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

SPECIAL FEATURE
Special Economic
Zones are multiplying
Ford Motor Company was an initiator of the Tshwane Automotive SEZ (TASEZ).
Gauteng is investing in SEZs as a way of supporting specific
sectors and boosting regional economies.
The Gauteng City Region is a big driver of
the South African economy, with particular
strengths in manufacturing, retail, industrial
production, real estate and finance.
Five corridors for concentrated economic
growth have been identified and within those
areas, Special Economic Zones have either been
inaugurated or are to be rolled out. At the same
time, there are plans to link these developments
with initiatives to revive or boost the economies
of townships and to focus in a more general
sense on 10 high-growth sectors.
As defined by the National Department of Trade,
Industry and Competition (dtic), Special Economic
Zones (SEZs) are geographically designated areas
of a country set aside for specifically targeted
economic activities, supported through special
arrangements (that may include laws) and systems
that are often different from those that apply in the
rest of the country.
South Africa’s Industrial Policy Action Plan,
IPAP, identifies SEZs as key contributors to
economic development. They are growth engines
towards government’s strategic objectives of
industrialisation, regional development and
employment creation. The purpose of the
SEZ programme is to: expand the strategic
industrialisation focus to cover diverse regional
development needs and context; provide a clear,
predictable and systemic planning framework
for the development of a wider array of SEZs to
support industrial policy objectives like the IPAP
and National Development Plan (NDP); clarify
and strengthen governance arrangements;
expand the range and quality of support
measure beyond provision of infrastructure; and
provide a framework for a predictable financing
framework to enable long-term planning. The
same principles apply to various Industrial Parks
which are either being built or revived.
Apart from attracting foreign direct
investment (FDI) and boosting employment, SEZs
can be instrumental in adding new sectors or
subsectors to an economy. An obvious candidate
in that category is renewable energy which
needs manufactured components such as solar
panels and towers for wind turbines.
Incentives include tax breaks from the South
African Revenue Service, subsidised interest rates
from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC),
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
8
PHOTO: Ford

SPECIAL FEATURE
of the GGT2030 economic development strategy.
The plan aims to facilitate foreign and domestic
investors to expand economic infrastructure
development throughout the greater Gauteng
community nodal zones located in the five
economic corridors of the province.
subsidies for employees earning below a certain
level, training grants from the dtic and discounts
from national electricity utility Eskom. The SEZ is also
a customs-controlled area. The SEZs are located in a
municipality and for the SEZ programme to succeed,
municipalities must be part of the planning, design
and implementation of these spatial development
catalysts. The local government sector is, therefore,
an important stakeholder in the drive to build
sustainable and successful SEZs.
The NDP is a broad-strokes plan that seeks
to coordinate development in a range of
sectors and promotes ambitious infrastructural
projects. South Africa’s most recent IPAP has a
manufacturing focus, and this is also the area on
which SEZ are concentrating.
Gauteng has enthusiastically embraced the
idea of SEZs as drivers of growth.
Growing Gauteng Together 2030, or GGT2030,
is the blueprint for the recovery of provincial
economy. The programme supporting SEZs falls
squarely within that broader framework and is
being implemented by the Gauteng Growth and
Development Agency (GGDA).
At the core of the GGT2030 is ensuring
that economic interventions are implemented
to modernise and industrialise high-growth
sectors in Gauteng. The SEZ programme is part
OPERATIONAL SEZs
Tshwane SEZ
Tshwane Automotive SEZ (TASEZ) was initiated
by the Ford Motor Company to help expand its
automotive footprint in South Africa through
the attraction of its global suppliers into the
country. This ambition was further enhanced by
the Gauteng government’s plan of developing a
new Automotive City in Tshwane, and aligns with
the SA Automotive Masterplan 2035, which sets
targets to increase localisation.
TASEZ is the outcome of partnerships between
the dtic, the Gauteng Provincial Government, the
City of Tshwane and the Ford Motor Company
of Southern Africa. The Automotive Industry
Development Centre (AIDC), a subsidiary company
of the GGDA, has been tasked to deliver TASEZ on
behalf of the Gauteng Provincial Government.
As of December 2022, 10 automotive component
manufacturing companies that have been set up
at TASEZ were in full production. More than 4 618
temporary construction jobs had been created while
Phase One will add 2 088 permanent skilled jobs.
OR Tambo SEZ
The OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) IDZ
officially opened in March 2019. It aims to develop
Busmark is an established manufacturer in
the West Rand.
9 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

SPECIAL FEATURE
The OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) IDZ
was launched in 2019.
land around the airport to stimulate economic
development. ORTIA supports the beneficiation
of precious metals and minerals sector, with a
focus on light, high-margin, export-oriented
manufacturing of South African precious and
semi-precious metals. The multi-site development
at ORTIA consists of several industry-specific
precincts and will be developed in phases.
Jewellery manufacturing companies are locating
to the ORTIA IDZ, contributing to a sustainable and
diversified mining-beneficiation value chain. OR
Tambo International is responsible for 84% of all
air-cargo traffic in ACSA’s network, giving the IDZ a
competitive boost through its proximity to the airport.
The Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct is located in
ORTIA Precinct 1. Each precinct has been designed
to foster cohesion supporting circular and sustainable
development practices. De Beers has chosen to locate
its relocated operations adjacent to the IDZ.
Other sectors being encouraged to set up at the
IDZ include diamond beneficiation, agro-processing,
pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and
capital equipment. Logistics remains a key sector
and anchor tenants are being asked to consider
expanding their portfolio of investments.
COMING ON STREAM
Vaal SEZ
The Vaal SEZ Master Plan has been completed
and the SEZ designation application to the dtic
has been finalised.
Green-energy generation is one of the most
important sectors that will be focused on within
the Vaal SEZ, which will act as a catalyst to boost
economic growth in the Vaal region. Other
sectors of interest include green hydrogen, green
steel, greenhouse farming and agro-processing,
aerospace and defence parts and component
manufacturing and gateway logistics.
All four local municipalities in Sedibeng
District Municipality have made land available
for this SEZ and local investors made several
commitments at the Sedibeng Investment
Conference for a project which is anticipated will
significantly boost the Vaal regional economy
through multi-site, multi-sector projects
throughout the region.
Excellent infrastructure, closeness to markets
and close links to several tertiary institutions give
the Vaal SEZ a competitive edge.
PLANNING PHASE
The following SEZs are in the planning process,
which includes preparation of the paperwork to
apply for designations to the dtic. The timeframe
for these projects is two to three years.
West Rand SEZ
With many of the mines that underpinned the
West Rand’s economy for so long reaching the
end of their lives, alternatives are needed. The
provincial government and mining houses are
working on various options for closed mines, but
the West Rand SEZ is being designed to promote
investment in new fields. These include urban
agriculture, green hydrogen and solar power. At
the same time, the Busmark manufacturing plant
in Randfontein remains a pillar of that sector and
it could be a central tenant of such an SEZ.
High Tech SEZ
The High Tech SEZ is part of the broader Lanseria
Smart City project. President Cyril Ramaphosa
has referred to the proposed Lanseria Smart City
project as South Africa’s first post-apartheid city.
It is envisaged as a hub for the digital technology
and services corridor, which in turn is to be
anchored by the new High Tech SEZ. ■
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
10
PHOTO: ACSA

10 REASONS
WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN SOUTH AFRICA
01.
HOT EMERGING
MARKET
Growing middle class, affluent consumer
base, excellent returns on investment.
02.
MOST DIVERSIFIED
ECONOMY IN AFRICA
South Africa (SA) has the most industrialised economy in Africa.
It is the region’s principal manufacturing hub and a leading
services destination.
LARGEST PRESENCE OF MULTINATIONALS
ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
SA is the location of choice of multinationals in Africa.
03.
Global corporates reap the benefits of doing business in
SA, which has a supportive and growing ecosystem as a
hub for innovation, technology and fintech.
05.
FAVOURABLE ACCESS TO
GLOBAL MARKETS
ADVANCED FINANCIAL SERVICES
& BANKING SECTOR
SA has a sophisticated banking sector with a major
footprint in Africa. It is the continent’s financial hub,
with the JSE being Africa’s largest stock exchange by
market capitalisation.
The African Continental Free Trade Area will boost
intra-African trade and create a market of over one
billion people and a combined gross domestic product
(GDP) of USD2.2-trillion that will unlock industrial
development. SA has several trade agreements in
place as an export platform into global markets.
YOUNG, EAGER LABOUR FORCE
09.
SA has a number of world-class universities and colleges
producing a skilled, talented and capable workforce. It
boasts a diversified skills set, emerging talent, a large pool
of prospective workers and government support for training
and skills development.
07.
04.
06.
08.
PROGRESSIVE
CONSTITUTION
& INDEPENDENT
JUDICIARY
SA has a progressive Constitution and an independent judiciary. The
country has a mature and accessible legal system, providing certainty
and respect for the rule of law. It is ranked number one in Africa for the
protection of investments and minority investors.
ABUNDANT NATURAL
RESOURCES
SA is endowed with an abundance of natural resources. It is the leading producer
of platinum-group metals (PGMs) globally. Numerous listed mining companies
operate in SA, which also has world-renowned underground mining expertise.
WORLD-CLASS
INFRASTRUCTURE
AND LOGISTICS
A massive governmental investment programme in infrastructure development
has been under way for several years. SA has the largest air, ports and logistics
networks in Africa, and is ranked number one in Africa in the World Bank’s
Logistics Performance Index.
10.
SA offers a favourable cost of living, with a diversified cultural, cuisine and
sports offering all year round and a world-renowned hospitality sector.
EXCELLENT QUALITY
OF LIFE
Page | 2
19
SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2020

FOCUS
Reigniting industrialisation
in the Vaal Region
The Vaal Special Economic Zone (Vaal SEZ) is showing excellent
progress on the path to being formally designated, bringing
closer its potential to boost growth and job creation.
The Vaal SEZ’s vision states that, “By 2030,
an industrialised, globally competitive,
export-driven, manufacturing-biased
regional economy,” will exist. The Vaal
SEZ is connected to other national and provincial
initiatives in Gauteng, including Growing Gauteng
Together (GGT2030) which aims to create linkages
and the integration of the host province’s growth
strategies with the local economic development
strategies of the host municipalities to national
economic initiatives.
Where the Vaal SEZ is unique is that various
satellite hubs will work out from a central
hub like spokes in a wheel, thus exploiting
the existing strengths of particular sites and
spreading economic benefits across the area
more widely. The Vaal SEZ is to be created
within the Sedibeng District Municipality, which
already has several attractive assets for wouldbe
investors.
Targeted investment strategy
There is a strong case for investors to join and benefit
from a green energy-fuelled reindustrialisation of the
Vaal region. This will transform this industrial basin
into the country’s preeminent hub for low-carbon
manufacturing and renewable energy production.
• High-impact investments into the food,
agriculture and agro-industries value chain
• Investment in gateway logistics (air, road, rail,
river) to exploit the locational advantages of
the Sedibeng District
• Investment in the Blue Economy and the
Tourism Sector using the advantages of the
Vaal River
• Building a Smart City along the Vaal River to
enable SEZ development and to drive urban
regeneration
• Building strong local linkages between township/rural
economies with the value chains that
the Vaal SEZ will develop and strengthen
Moving forward: Progress on the road to Vaal SEZ status
Investor presentations: the
Sedibeng Investor Conference
and the SMME Conference were
held, informing the investor
community about the plans for
the Vaal SEZ, in 2021.
Land allocations made: local
municipalities have allocated
land which will be converted
into Land Lease Agreements.
SEZ Masterplan
completed:
June 2022.
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023
12

oost economic growth and create jobs in the Vaal r
Lesedi
Masterplan adopted
The 289-page Masterplan for the SEZ includes
sections relating to energy, infrastructure, the
policy environment and socio-economic impact,
legal and governance issues, risk management,
environmental and spatial considerations,
investment approach, stakeholder management
and the financial plan.
The area
Three local municipalities make up the Sedibeng
District Municipality. Midvaal is the most rural
of the three local municipalities, with urban
development concentrated along routes R59
and R82 in the north-western parts. Midvaal
has strong regional linkages to major economic
cores. These include routes R59 and R82 and the
Vereeniging-Germiston railway line. The major
urban concentration of Lesedi Local Municipality
is located in Heidelberg/Ratanda nodes, along the
N3 freeway at its intersection with Provincial Route
R42, east of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
Heidelberg is the seat of the municipality. Emfuleni
in the west is home to the towns synonymous
with steel, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, and
the Sasol petrochemical complex to the south of
Sedibeng in the Free State Province.
The Sedibeng District, host of the proposed Vaal SEZ, comprises three
local municipalities and is strategically located both in terms of highways
and railways and in relation to three economically-powerful
metropolitan municipalities, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
INVESTOR VALUE PROPOSITION
Key outcom
Enabling framework
Strong government support, robust legal and
• The Va
infrastru
regulatory framework. Strong commercial and • It will p
significant economic and social returns, including decarbo
A
incentives and
considerable
rebates.
amount of planning has • To beco
already gone into the concept which ties • To be a
in to development goals and frameworks anchor S
Locational at benefit local, regional and national level.
• To achie
South Africa’s economic hub, sound logistics society,
networks The area and infrastructure.
jobs for
The three local municipalities which make up the
Infrastructure Sedibeng District services Municipality are predominantly rural. Process
One-stop Midvaal shop is the most services rural of and the three the local Vaal municipalities, SEZ’s Shared The Vaal S
with urban development concentrated along routes end of Jun
Services and investor access to serviced land and
R59 and R82 in the north-western parts of the municipal been com
funding options.
area. Midvaal has strong regional linkages to major A pipelin
economic cores.
establishe
Management Lesedi is also capability primarily rural, with the major urban be initiate
Independent concentration management located in Heidelberg/Ratanda body, cooperation nodes, priority inv
between along the dedicated N3 freeway at bodies, its intersection local, with regional Provincial and
national Route government.
R42, east of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve.
The SEZ
by the end
SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2023
28
MoU signed with North
West University and Vaal
University of Technology to
collaborate on revitalisation and
industrialisation of Vaal Region,
February 2023.
Appointment of
engineering consultancy:
to establish townships and
to conduct Environmental
Impact Assessment, Q1 of
FY 2023/24.
Application for official
designation as SEZ: Gauteng
MEC, approved; sent to
Ministers of Finance and Trade,
Industry and Competition, Q1
of FY 2023/24.
13
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023

FOCUS
Smart mobility solutions
Gas can boost the national
economy and start the country
operations in Gauteng.
on the path to zero emissions
The CSIR is helping find solutions for transport systems and
CSIR research group leader for transport infrastructure management,
Dr Phindile Masangane, the CEO of Petroleum Agency
Khangwelo Muronga, says his team helps enable South Africa to migrate to
South Africa, notes that recent gas discoveries could
swifter, more efficient and smarter mobility.
support the country’s economic recovery and its
transition to a clean energy future.
modes of transportation, especially the minibus
1% taxis to that global transport emissions. about This 80% is of by the no public. measure
insignificant, and as a responsible global citizen SA
must Transport take steps infrastructure
to reduce its carbon footprint.
Almost The UN everyone Framework uses Convention roads and bridges on Climate on a
Change regular was basis, established making them in 1992 the to most coordinate significant the
global transportation response to medium mitigate the in emerging threat of climate nations
change, like South and specifically Africa. Roads to get are countries crucial for to boosting commit
to economic policies and development plans that and will ensure raising that people’s the
average standards global of temperature living. Roads rise provide is kept access less than for
1.5°C people above to pre-industrial marketplaces, levels. workplaces, hospitals,
clinics, The International educational Energy facilities, Agency sports (IEA) venues, proposes and
that holiday to achieve destinations. this goal the The world’s CSIR energy has a sound sector must trackrecord
net in zero providing emissions smart-mobility by 2050. In its global solutions energy to
Smart transportation requires the reach
integration of modern technologies into net assist zero with 2050 road pathway infrastructure the IEA acknowledges management. that
Today transportation the biggest infrastructures. threat to humanity These is there Among is no these single solutions pathway to are: this goal, as developed
climate include change, cloud and computing, the biggest threat wireless to and • developing The maintenance-reporting countries face different solution socioeconomic
communication, SA’s social stability location-based is the high unemployment
vision, rate. and more. In Gauteng, the greenhouse • The traffic gas control emissions centre to date. management systems
services, challenges • The Struman and have bridge contributed and structures disproportionately solutionto
computer
CSIR As has the been global collaborating economy recovers with the from Gauteng the What a number of environmental interest
devastating Department effects of Roads of Covid-19, and Transport demand to for address oil and groups The seem Gauteng to be ignoring Department in the of IEA Roads “Net Zero and
gas road has maintenance gone up significantly. issues. The organisation If there was has ever also a by Transport’s 2050” report Road is the maintenance acknowledgment reporting that system there
need developed for proof a system that oil that and allows gas still the drive general the global public will was be created a differentiated the request approach of the to a MEC clean for energy Roads,
economy, to report recent potholes statistics and demonstrate traffic lights, the improving trend. future, Transport taking and into Infrastructure, consideration the Honourable
cost of the
overall The world’s road conditions developed and economies easy of industrialised mobility. on new Jacob clean Mamabolo. energy technologies The CSIR created and the economic a solution
the back Smart of oil and mobility gas production encompasses and use. Now, various just as consequences for reporting of on transitioning normal road for maintenance each country. The and
Africa interconnected is the cusp of technological being a significant components
gas producer IEA construction emphasises that each enables country the must maintenance
develop its
and is transportation making plans infrastructure. to use such gas This for includes power own teams pathway to provide to a net real-time zero emission updates future. on their
generation, gasoline and industrialisation electric vehicles, and economic non-motorised growth, daily South activity, Africa’s this included economy the creation has been of the
the mobility negative options effects of such greenhouse as car-sharing gas emissions and on predominantly PotholeFixGP application.
powered by coal, which is also a
the ride-sharing environment programmes, have become undeniable. and on-demand significant contributor to the country’s economy in
ridesharing The urgency services. for action It to also mitigate includes the risk other of terms PotholeFixGP of GDP as well as employment.
climate forms of change transportation is no longer like debatable. bicycles, Between scooters, The In CSIR addition created to coal, the PotholeFixGP SA imports oil, application, gas and
1990 autonomous and 2018 vehicles, the top and five trains. emitters The concept have petroleum which can products be downloaded for its energy from the needs appropriate as the
produced of smart more mobility than 50% extends of greenhouse to designing gas upstream mobile app petroleum stores to industry supplement is still this at a solution. nascent It
emissions. infrastructure During with the dedicated same period lanes SA contributed
for specific stage. was designed The two to recent function world-class on Apple offshore and Android gas
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2022 2023
26 14

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FOCUS
smartphones. The approach makes it possible
for the general public to report on traffic lights
and potholes on the road system. After reviewing
the complaints from the public, the appropriate
maintenance teams will then attend to the reported
issues and rectify any anomalies either as filling of
any reported potholes or traffic lights malfunction.
Smart Mobility Solutions System – Struman
Renergen The is CSIR currently created the only the onshore structure petroleum management
production
rights holder in South Africa. The company’s Virginia Gas
Project in the Free State is ramping up to phase two, based on
one of the richest helium concentrations in the world.
discoveries in the Outeniqua basin are the biggest
petroleum discoveries made in South Africa.
The development of these discoveries has the
potential to replace more than 2 300MW of dieselfired
electricity generation, thereby reducing the
carbon emissions by more than 50% while eliminating
sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. Gas is
therefore an obvious bridge to a lower carbon future.
The Petroleum Agency SA awaits the licensee
of these gas discoveries submitting its production
right and environmental authorisation applications
when the exploration right expires, or earlier. The
agency expects the licensee to use world-class
technologies and standards to minimise the effects
of the gas and gas condensate production on the
environment, while maximising the in-country
benefit or local content from this development to
support SA’s economic recovery.
These discoveries could indeed support both
the country’s economic recovery and its transition
to a clean energy future.
Shale and biogenic gas prospects
Onshore exploration opportunities are represented
by unconventional resources such as shale gas in
the south-central Karoo, coalbed methane in the
coalfields of the east and northern sectors of the
country and biogenic gas in the Virginia and Evander
regions. However, geological analysis is showing
that there may well be significant potential for
conventional oil and gas resources onshore.
South Africa has a history of political stability
and the new UPRD bill [Upstream Petroleum
Resources Development Bill] will assist the
Agency system, in expediting namely Struman exploration and/or through Bridge close
management Management system of acreage as a tool allocation to help and authorities work
programmes. analyse the information These positive gathered factors during create the a
conducive inspections environment of road infrastructure. for PASA to A certified pursue
its structures mandate inspector of attracting who investment visits the places into the of
upstream interest can petroleum conduct industry. the inspections physically,
or The it can draft be bill done provides by sending greater policy a drone certainty to the
and locations a stable to record environment video and for take investment pictures in of
the South structure. African The oil skilled and gas inspector sector. It can provides utilise
security these subsequently of tenure by to combining examining the the rights state for of the
exploration, structures and development then advising and on production remedial actions. phase
under The method one permit. allows government agencies to cut
expenditures As far as the on issuing time-consuming of exploration and rights specialised over
the services last 18 and months also allows is concerned, for prioritisation a total of 21 of
exploration structures that rights need for both immediate onshore attention and offshore and
were those issued that require during this routine period, maintenance. including renewals ■
and new exploration rights.
As of December 2020, there is no longer a
moratorium on applications for rights onshore,
other than those for shale gas in a specified
area covering the central Karoo. Other onshore
applications continue to be received and processed
in terms of the MPRDA. The moratorium for shale
gas rights and new offshore applications remains
in place and is expected to be lifted with the
enactment of the hydraulic fracturing regulations
(for environmental management and water use)
for the shale gas extraction technologies. ■
Locality
Coal Field
SOUTH
Gas discovery
Provincial boundary
Karoo Basins
AFRICA
LEPHALALE
BASIN
Waterberg
About the CSIR
Pretoria
Lesotho
TULI BASIN
Mopane
Limpopo
SPRINGBOK FLATS BASIN
Tshipise
Springbok Flats
Mpumalanga
Johannesburg
Witbank
Gauteng
The Council for Scientific and Industrial The
North West
Swaziland
Highveld
Ermelo
and development organisation established
Utrecht
Vryheid
undertakes directed, Free State multidisciplinary Klip Rivier Nongoma research
MAIN KAROO BASIN
Somkele
and technological innovation that contributes
Free State
Bloemfontein
to the improved quality of life of South
KwaZulu-Natal
Africans.
Tuli
TSHIPISE BASIN
Pafuri
Kangwane
The CSIR is a world-class African research
through an Act of Parliament in 1945. The CSIR
Durban
15
Northern Cape
Eastern Cape
Molteno
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023
Figure 32. Distribution of coal fields in the Karoo-aged basins in South Africa (digital geological data sourced from Council for Geoscience)
34

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A new Body Shop forms part of Ford South Africa’s R15.8-million investment in its Silverton Assembly Plant
in Pretoria. The production line is designed around 493 robots that help to produce Ford Rangers for the
domestic market and export markets. PHOTO: Ford South Africa

KEY SECTORS
Overviews of the main economic
sectors of Gauteng
Agriculture 20
Mining 21
Energy 22
Oil and gas 24
Banking and financial services 25
Transport and logistics 26
Manufacturing 28
Tourism 30
Information and communications technology 31
Construction and property 33
Development finance and SMME support 34
Education and training 35

OVERVIEW
Agriculture
Agricultural innovators are solving problems.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Agricultural concerns were
winners at the annual
Gauteng Accelerator
Programme (GAP)
innovation competition.
The GAP awards, pictured, are run by The Innovation Hub,
the innovation agency of the Gauteng Province, a wholly
owned subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development
Agency (GGDA).
In the GAP Biosciences category Igagasi Biotech was awarded
second place for its Cannconverter, which aims to use sustainable
green chemistry to carry out a cost-effective enzymatic conversion
of cannabis. Agang Bokamoso Farms achieved second place in
GAP Green for a pipe system that keeps feeding plants even when
irrigation systems fail due to power outages or pump failures.
Category winners receive a share of R3-million in seed
funding to further incubate their innovation at The Innovation
Hub’s Business Incubations programmes. Since 2011, the GAP has
attracted more than 1 600 entries across five categories.
The photographs that appeared in the national media of the
destruction caused by sinkholes in March 2023 in the Khutsong
area focussed on homes and schools. However, experts from the
African Centre for Disaster Studies also raised the issue of food
security being affected by such natural disasters. Khutsong is in
the Merafong City Local Municipality and close to the town of
Carltonville, where many mines have closed down in recent years.
The Gauteng Industrial Development Zone (GIDZ) located
at OR Tambo International Airport has an agro-processing plant
which is intended to encourage the export of high-value goods.
The Provincial Government of Gauteng has set up Action Labs
to focus on agriculture and agro-processing with a focus on land
tenure issues and improving food security. Linking producers to
the value chain will benefit township economies.
Gauteng’s agricultural sector is focussed on producing
ONLINE RESOURCES
Agricultural Research Council: www.arc.agric.za
South African Poultry Association: www.sapoultry.co.za
The Innovation Hub: www.theinnovationhub.com
vegetables. There is
commercial farming in
the southern sector of the
province (part of South
Africa’s maize triangle) and the
farming of cotton, groundnuts
and sorghum is undertaken
in areas near Bronkhorstspruit
(east) and Heidelberg (in the
south).
The province is home to
some of South Africa’s biggest
agricultural companies,
including AFGRI. Africa’s largest
feedlot for cattle is located in
Heidelberg: Karan Beef ’s facility
can accommodate 120 000
cattle. The feedmill processes
1 400 tons per day and the
associated abattoir in Balfour
in neighbouring Mpumalanga
sometimes deals with 1 800
head of cattle per day.
The Kanhym Agrimill in
Vereeniging is one of three
in the company’s portfolio,
which collectively processes
250 000 tons of animal feed
annually. Kanhym Estates
is the largest producer of
pigs in the country. There
are many poultry farm and
production facilities in
Gauteng. Companies include
Astral Foods, RCL Foods and
Daybreak Farms. ■
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
20

Mining
Excellence in manufacturing is being rewarded.
The first MEMSA Manufacturing Excellence Awards unearthed
some innovative and ambitious projects.
Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa
(MEMSA) is an industry cluster established in 2016 with the
support of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic).
The 2022 awards evening was held together with SEIFSA Awards for
Excellence. SEIFSA is the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation
of Southern Africa.
The MEMSA awards are supported by the South African Mining
Extraction Research, Development and Innovation (SAMERDI)
programme, which in turn is backed by the Department of Science
and Innovation (DSI) and the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA).
Awards were given in four categories: Customised Customer
Service, Localised Supply Chain, Manufacturing Solutions and
MEMSA Member Manufacturer of the Year 2022.
The Localised Supply Chain award was shared by Buraaq Mining
Services and Rham Equipment, a South Africa OEM manufacturing
hard and soft-rock mining machinery.
NTGR Engineering Projects won the Manufacturing Solutions
award for implementing GIS-based and advanced precision
manufacturing technology. The award for Customised Customer
Service went to ProProcess Engineering, and the MEMSA Member
Manufacturer of the Year was Bell Equipment.
MEMSA’s headquarters are located in the Mandela Mining
Precinct in Melville, Johannesburg. The Precinct is a public-private
partnership between the DSI and the MCSA and is managed by the
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Gauteng is home to most of the research and training bodies
associated with mining. Sibanye-Stillwater supports the Wits Mining
Institute’s Digital Mining Laboratory (Digimine). AECI, the explosives
and chemicals company, sponsors the Virtual Reality Mine Design
Centre at the University of Pretoria. Mintek is an autonomous body
based in Randburg which receives about 30% of its budget from the
Department of Mineral Resources.
The University of Witwatersrand started life as the South African
School of Mines. The School of Mining Engineering at Wits is the
highest-ranked school at the university in terms of the QS World
University Rankings. Pretoria University has a Department of Mining
ONLINE RESOURCES
Council for Geoscience: www.geoscience.org.za
MEMSA: www.memsa.org.za
Minerals Council South Africa: www.mineralscouncil.org.za
SECTOR INSIGHT
Gauteng is the home of
mining research.
OVERVIEW
A MEMSA award winner. Rahm
Equipment makes roofbolters for the
mining industry.
Engineering, the University of
South Africa offers three national
diplomas in mine-related fields,
the University of Johannesburg
has mine-surveying courses and
the Vaal and Tshwane Universities
of Technology have engineering
faculties. Harmony Gold’s
acquisition strategy, including
the purchase from AngloGold of
Moab Khotsong, will result in it
being the country’s biggest gold
producer. It could produce an
annual total of 1.7-million ounces.
A new company, Shallow
Reefs Gold, has been created to
pursue projects in the shallow
reefs of the Witwatersrand
Gold Basin. The company
believes that the grade of the
deposits makes for a good
economic proposition. Cullinan
diamond mine is engaged in an
expansion programme called
the C-Cut Phase 1 project.
Cullinan is famous for its rare
blue diamonds. ■
21
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Energy
Carbon capture research could transform industry.
SECTOR INSIGHT
BMW will make hybrids
from 2024.
If carbon captured from the steel-making process could be
repurposed, the energy transition could happen more quickly.
One way of cleaning up the energy landscape is to switch
fuel sources from fossil fuels to renewables such as solar
and wind. And the world is doing a lot of that.
Another way is to use renewable energy to clean up
or repurpose the emissions coming from fossil fuels. That’s what
Sasol and ArcelorMittal South Africa are looking into in Gauteng.
Two of South Africa’s biggest and most successful companies are
joining forces to try to convert captured carbon from ArcelorMittal
South Africa’s Vanderbijlpark’s steel plant into sustainable fuels
and chemicals using renewable energy. The carbon capture and
utilisation (CCU) study supplements work being done by the
Council for Geoscience in Mpumalanga.
Both industrial operators have a stated ambition to achieve
net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Sasol is also working with the
steel producer in the Western Cape on a green steel and green
hydrogen and derivatives study.
“We are very excited to be leading the pre-feasibility and
feasibility studies on these two potential projects that hold
promise to unlock South Africa’s potential to be a global green
hydrogen and derivatives player. These studies are anchored by
the local need for green hydrogen and sustainable products,
cementing Sasol as the leading contributor to the development
of Southern Africa’s green hydrogen economy,” says Priscillah
Mabelane, Executive Vice President for Sasol’s Energy Business.
The Vaal CCU study will explore transporting up to 1.5-million tons
a year of industrial CO2 captured
from the Vanderbijlpark
Works to the Sasolburg and
Ekandustria operating facilities
in Sasolburg which will then,
together with green hydrogen,
eventually replace natural
gas as a feedstock to produce
sustainable chemicals products.
The Vaal Triangle has been
home to fossil fuel-based
industrial operations that have
been vital to the country’s
economic development over
many decades. It is believed
that many of the assets in these
operations can be repurposed
in such a way as they become
more sustainable, leading to a
revitalisation of the region.
The Industrial Development
Corporation (IDC), as the
driver of the state’s hydrogen
economy and commercialisation
programmes, came out strongly
in support of the Sasol and
ArcelorMittal partnership. “The
IDC supports sector linkages like
this that are critical to realising
South Africa’s ambition to
develop the green hydrogen
economy,” said Joanne Bate, Chief
Operating Officer for the IDC.
Sasol is simultaneously
exploring export markets for
the hydrogen and ammonia
that it expects to produce in
large quantities. With both
products being an important
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
22
PHOTO: ArcelorMittal

OVERVIEW
The BMW X3 will be produced as a hybrid from 2024.
of Japan’s Green Growth Strategy, it was logical that Sasol should
look to that country. Sasol and ITOCHU Corporation have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly study and develop
the market and supply chain for green ammonia with a focus on
its possible use as bunkering fuel and for power generation. This
could include product offtake agreements and Japanese support
for academic and research efforts into green ammonia.
Change is coming
During the celebrations around the 50th anniversary of making
vehicles at its Rosslyn Plant in Tshwane, BMW Group announced that
from 2024 the BMW X3 will be made as a plug-in hybrid for export.
This will entail an investment of R4.2-billion in adapting the
factory to electrical specifications. More than 300 employees will
receive specialised training at the plant, which was BMW’s firstever
foreign facility. Since inception, Plant Rosslyn has produced
more than 1.6-million vehicles and exported them to more than
40 countries worldwide, including 14 African nations. It has
produced many models over the years and began working on
the best-selling BMW X3 in 2018.
A new research chair has been created to study climate
change. The Sappi Chair in Climate Change and Plantation
Sustainability was launched by Sappi Southern Africa and the
University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 2023.
Professor Mary Scholes of the Wits School of Animal, Plants
and Environmental Science, an internationally recognised
authority on tree physiology and climate change, will act as the
Research Chair.
Developing additional capacity in manipulating and
interpreting climate-modelling data will be a priority. Funding
is available for one post-doctoral fellow and bursaries for one
Master’s and one Honours student.
ONLINE RESOURCES
National Energy Regulator of South Africa: www.nersa.org.za
South African National Energy Development Institute: www.sanedi.org.za
South African Photovoltaic Industry Association: www.sapvia.co.za
In Johannesburg, the
Northern Wastewater Treatment
Works has its own electricity
source in a 1.1MW biogas
plant. It produces electricity
using cogeneration, which is
combined heat and power. A
landfill site at Robinson Deep
in Johannesburg has started
generating 3MW of gas. This is
the first of five renewable energy
projects that Energy Systems
SA has in Johannesburg. At the
Cavalier abattoir in Cullinan,
biowaste conversion company
ibert provides about a quarter
of the power that the abattoir
needs to function.
Areas in the Gauteng
province that can no longer
rely on the mining industry
to drive their economies may
become focus zones for solar
PV projects. Renewable Energy
Development Zones (REDZs)
have been allocated in other
provinces but the potential
for REDZs in Gauteng is huge,
because vast amounts of
energy are needed to drive the
country’s biggest economy.
These zones would
be developed in line with
the national Integrated
Resource Plan (IRP 2019)
which the Gauteng Provincial
Government is hoping will
enable it to unlock several
renewable energy projects.
The Gauteng Provincial
Government has announced
plans to appoint developers
to construct an 800MW solar
farm in Merafong. Government
also intends installing rooftop
solar panels on governments
buildings such as schools,
clinics and hospitals. ■
PHOTO: BMW Group 23
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Oil and gas
A shortage of engineers is being addressed.
SECTOR INSIGHT
PASA has awarded
exploration rights.
World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development
2023 was an occasion to reflect that South Africa is
short of qualified engineers to work in the oil and
gas industries.
The day was 4 March, but happily there are programmes being
run throughout the school year by organisations such as the Love
Trust to bring Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
classes to areas with few resources. One such initiative is run at
Nokuphila School in Thembisa, Midrand.
According to Matshoene Tladi, subject head of the STEM
programme at the school, “We equip students with essential skills
in the form of hands-on experiments and challenges that integrate
principles and knowledge from natural science, technology,
mathematics and robotics, which includes engineering and coding.”
The Love Trust raises funds from sponsors for its STEM programme.
The regulator and promoter of oil and gas exploration in South
Africa, Petroleum Agency South Africa, has awarded coalbed
methane gas and natural gas rights in the provinces on Gauteng’s
border, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
Delta Natural Gas (DNG) Energy announced in 2019 the rollout of
400 natural gas refuelling sites across South Africa with a focus on the taxi
and logistics sectors. The first sites will be Johannesburg and Tshwane.
The Provincial Government of Gauteng has announced that it wants to
take “decisive steps” to increase the availability and use of gas.
NGV Gas, a subsidiary of CNG Holdings, is promoting compressed
natural gas (CNG) as a versatile alternative across all sectors. Another
subsidiary, CNG Technology, supplies equipment for filling stations
ONLINE RESOURCES
Love Trust: www.lovetrust.co.za
National Energy Regulator of South Africa: www.nersa.org.za
South African Oil & Gas Alliance: www.saoga.org.za
South African Petroleum Industry Association: www.sapia.co.za
and distributors, converts petrol
and diesel-powered vehicles
and advises companies on
conversions.
The major economic sectors
using gas are the metals sector
and the chemical, pulp and
paper sector. Brick and glass
manufacturers are also big
consumers. National policy is
driving a switch to the use of gas.
A national Gas Utilisation Master
Plan (GUMP) is being developed.
The country’s biggest
supplier of industrial heating
fluids, FFS Refiners, supplies
this product out of a plant
at Chloorkop while the
company’s Evander site is
responsible for heavy fuel oils.
Evander also has a tank with
installed capacity of 8 500m³.
Egoli Gas has a pipeline
network that extends over
1 200km in and around
Johannesburg and the
company has 7 500 domestic,
industrial and commercial
customers. The company that
owns Egoli Gas, Reatile, has a
30% stake in Vopak and a stake
in CNG Holdings.
Ardagh Glass Packaging
(formerly Consol) has
contracted to buy liquid natural
gas (LNG) from Renergen, which
is developing a large project in
the Free State. ■
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023
PHOTO: The Love Trust

OVERVIEW
Banking and financial services
Citibank is financing a major urban development.
The Sharpeville Memorial Garden falls within the area earmarked
for a major development.
A
grant of R200-million made available by Citibank for a
large infrastructure project in southern Gauteng has been
classified as an equity-equivalent investment, earning the
bank significant BEE credits.
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) has
approved the amount, which forms part of a larger R1.3-billion
amount that the bank is providing in seed capital, as a type of
investment that exempts the bank from compliance with other
elements of BEE legislation.
The area between Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark is being
developed as a major development node and plans for housing, an
airport, industry and logistics all form part of the intended project.
The Competition Tribunal has unconditionally approved
TymeBank’s purchase of Retail Capital, a fintech SMME funder,
Retail Capital.
TymeBank, which is majority owned by Patrice Motsepe’s
African Rainbow Capital, has been moving beyond its basic
banking model recently and this purchase indicates another
ONLINE RESOURCES
Association for Savings and Investment South Africa: www.asisa.org.za
Chartered Institute of Government Finance, Audit and Risk Officers:
www.cigfaro.co.za
Financial Sector Conduct Authority: www.fsca.co.za
SECTOR INSIGHT
Tyme is expanding.
broadening of the scope of the
bank’s ambitions. TymeBank
has also signed a deal with
TFG, a group that has a big
presence in Gauteng, to help it
expand its retail operations.
What used to be known
as the Foschini Group has 34
brands, including Markhams,
Totalsports, Jet and Dial a Bed,
and 30-million customers. In
the short term, TymeBank will
have access to 600 TFG kiosks,
taking the bank’s total in South
Africa to 1 450.
The flurry of new activity
in the financial sector has
slowed. Several new banks
and exchanges have been
launched in South Africa
since 2017, most of them in
Johannesburg. One of the
stock exchanges, 4AX, has
rebranded as the Cape Town
Stock Exchange and moved to
that city.
The launch by Sanlam
Investments of a Sustainable
Infrastructure Fund is a sign
of the times. In the context
of climate change caused
by the use of fossil fuels, the
investment community is
increasingly putting emphasis
on sustainability. Sanlam
Group will invest R6-billion in
the fund and aims to attract
a further R5-billion from
institutional investors. ■
PHOTO: GREENinc Landscape Architecture and Urbanism
25 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Transport and logistics
Cellphone masts are solving traffic problems.
SECTOR INSIGHT
OR Tambo International
Airport handles more than
80% of South Africa’s cargo.
New tenants are having custom-built warehousing facilities
constructed for them at Riverfields Precinct, the logistics hub
near OR Tambo International Airport in Ekurhuleni.
Busy intersections in Soweto are getting power from an
unusual source to prevent dangerous traffic overload.
MTN and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA)
have signed a Service Level Agreement whereby MTN
base stations will provide power to traffic lights at key points
during loadshedding.
“We’re excited about the future of this project and aim to
expand further afield to partner with municipalities across the
country to create corridors of free-flowing traffic in loadshedding,
by using existing base stations to power traffic lights where we can,”
says MTN South Africa’s Chief Executive Officer, Charles Molapisi.
MTN is also creating a “traffic corridor” from the Flora Clinic, along
14th Avenue, towards the N1 highway, leading to outside the MTN
head office, to ensure smooth movement onto and off the N1 highway
at the 14th Avenue intersection. Those traffic lights will be backed up
by power supplied by electricity generated from the MTN campus.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has a pipeline
of 67 projects with a combined value of R23-billion.
Of these projects, 13 – valued at R6.6-billion – are privatesector
initiatives and the various road, construction and design
projects are expected to be implemented over the decade to 2031.
Among the private companies that will be involved in projects are
property companies Attacq Waterfall Investment, Steyn City and
Century Properties and mining
company Cullinan.
Transnet Rail Engineering
(TRE) has a major presence in
Gauteng and the metropolitan
lines that ferry commuters
are run by the Passenger
Rail Agency (PRASA). The
Wits Metrorail system serves
Johannesburg and its surrounds.
Park Station, in the north of the
central business district, is the
largest station in Africa and acts
as the metropolitan hub.
Riverfields Precinct in
Ekurhuleni is a logistics hub
serving OR Tambo International
Airport and the major highways
that link Gauteng with other
provinces.
Several established brands
such as DSV, John Deere, DB
Schenker, Sanvick Mining and
DHL are tenants and new
facilities for Shoprite and The
Foschini Group are being
built. A new section, Equites
Park 3, covering 16 hectares,
is currently in the planning
phase. The existing facilities
include Equites Park Riverfields
1 (also 16ha) and Equites Park
Riverfields 2, which hosts two
major retailers on 43ha.
A total of 82% of South
Africa’s air cargo is transported
through OR Tambo International
Airport and Gauteng has several
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
26
PHOTO: Riverfields Precinct

cargo and freight handling facilities well-equipped to deal with rail
and road deliveries and despatches.
The Provincial Government of Gauteng is stressing the
importance of digital competence (“smart mobility”) in the
transport sector as ever-more complex transactions take place
across international borders. This will only grow as the effect of the
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), signed in 2019, comes
into effect, allowing for greater and freer trade across the continent.
A specific goal of the Provincial Government of Gauteng is to
make the Transnet Tambo-Springs Logistics Gateway the biggest
inland logistics hub and dry port in Africa by 2030.
The health of the transport and logistics networks of the province
is key to any economic growth plans. The provincial government
has identified logistics hubs, the road network, intermodal facilities,
rolling stock, and buses and taxis as key components of the drive to
transform, modernise and reindustrialise the regional economy.
A feasibility study is underway to examine extending the
Gauteng Rapid Rail Integrated Network. The current network has
10 stations spread over 80km and the extension would add 146km
and 19 new stations.
The estimated R2-billion that was due to be spent on adding to
the Gautrain’s rolling stock was put on hold because of Covid-19. The
long-term plans to expand the Gautrain network are still on course.
Road infrastructure projects are intended to bring in other major
investments and connect new economic nodes such as the Tambo
Springs Logistics Gateway, the planned new megacities (Vaal River
City and Lanseria), and the new Special Economic Zones with
current economic nodes and existing townships. In the short term,
18 major roads will be rehabilitated, upgraded and constructed,
especially in Sedibeng and the West Rand.
The OR Tambo International Airport Special Economic Zone (ORTIA
SEZ) has diversified beyond the existing Jewellery Manufacturing
Precinct in the shape of a R400-million agriprocessing plant.
The concept of an aerotropolis is for the airport to become a
hub of economic activity in the same way that cities anchor various
economic sectors that grow up around the centre.
Airports
OR Tambo International Airport caters for more than 20-million
passengers every year.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Airports Company South Africa: www.acsa.co.za
CAMASA: www.camasa.co.za
MTN Traffic Light Project: TrafficLightsMTN@mtn.com
South African Association of Freight Forwarders: saaff.org.za
South African National Roads Agency: www.sanral.co.za
MTN base stations are providing
power for traffic lights.
Lanseria Airport to the
north of Johannesburg has
grown in importance as a
secondary airport for the
country’s busiest business and
commercial hub.
It is a convenient landing
point for travellers bound
for regional centres like
Rustenburg in the North West.
Gauteng has several smaller
airports that host mostly
commercial aircraft:
• Rand Airport in Germiston.
• Grand Central Airport in
Midrand
• Wonderboom Airport in
Pretoria North
• Waterkloof Air Force base,
south of Pretoria.
The Commercial Aviation
Manufacturing Association
South Africa (CAMASA) reports
that 50 companies are active in
the sector, employing more than
3 000 people in highly skilled
jobs. Almost all the activity is
around Johannesburg and Cape
Town and the sector (which
encompasses aero-structures
and systems, manufacturing,
design and engineering) is
responsible for R3-billion in
exports every year. ■
PHOTO: MTN
27 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Manufacturing
Manufacturers are investing in new plants and offices.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Ardagh Glass Packaging is a
new name in glass.
Three has become one in Centurion, where Montego Pet
Nutrition has consolidated its Gauteng operations.
With its main plant located in the Eastern Cape town of
Graaff-Reinet, Montego has become one of South Africa’s
most successful brands and expects that its R30-million facility at
Knoppieslaagte in Centurion will allow it to double production and
there is room for the current staffing complement of 147 to grow.
The company’s new 21 600m² complex includes a dry-food factory,
a warehouse, a testing laboratory and an administration block. The
production focus will be on Montego’s Monty & Me Essential range,
as well as manufacturing for contract clients.
Ford South Africa’s goal of reaching production capacity of
200 000 vehicles per year is a step closer, thanks to an investment
in automation at its Silverton Assembly Plant in Tshwane.
An amount of R15.8-billion has been invested in a range of new
facilities, including a 44 000m2 Body Shop, a supporting warehouse
and a Stamping Plant. The Ford Ranger is produced at the plant in
a wide variety of configurations including single cab, supercab and
double cab, as well as left-hand drive and right-hand drive models.
Welding is done by robots, as are many of the other functions on
the production line that features 493 robots.
In response to Ford’s investment, auto component and
battery manufacturer Metair will establish a new logistics facility
at Silverton. Several Metair
subsidiaries, including
Hesto Harnesses, Unitrade,
Automould and Lumotech,
have signed agreements to
supply Ford with a wide range
of products.
All of Gauteng’s large
automobile manufacturers
are investing in new model
production. Nissan is spending
R3-billion on production of the
Navara pick-up vehicle. Other
major investments include
R6.1-billion by BMW at Rosslyn
and R260-million by BMW
on an expanded campus at
Midrand. UD Trucks, a part of
the Volvo group, will assemble
the Croner heavy commercial
vehicle at Rosslyn.
Gauteng is also home
to a strong automotive
components industry, together
with several bus and truck
assembly plants. These include
Scania, TFM Industries and MAN
Truck and Bus South Africa,
as well as the Chinese truck
manufacturer FAW, which owns
an assembly plant in Isando.
Beijing Automotive Works
(BAW) assembles taxis at
Springs. Armoured cars are
produced by the Paramount
Group. DCD Protected Mobility
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
28
PHOTO: Montego Pet Nutrition

OVERVIEW
manufactures armoured cars in Boksburg, which are branded as
Vehicle Mounted Mine Detectors. In nearby Benoni, BAE Systems
OMC designs and manufactures protected vehicles.
Manufacturing contributes 14% to Gauteng’s real economy
output and provides 40% of South Africa’s manufacturing overall.
Manufacturing related to the historically important mining industry
still plays a key role in the Gauteng economy.
Employer organisations like the Manufacturing Circle and
government at national and provincial levels are engaging in
initiatives to grow the sector, including incentives such as the
Manufacturing and Competitiveness Enhancement Programme
(MCEP) of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic).
Sectors that have received support include plastics,
pharmaceuticals, chemicals, metal fabrication, transport equipment
and agri-processing. The Support Programme for Industrial
Innovation (SPII), run by the Industrial Development Corporation
(IDC) on behalf of the dtic, promotes technology development.
More than half of the companies operating in the food
and beverage sector in South Africa are in Gauteng, including
Nestlé, Tiger Brands, Pioneer Foods, RCL, AVI and Astral. There are
approximately 4 000 food processing companies in the province,
employing more than 100 000 people.
Although there are more than 200 pharmaceutical firms in
the country, large companies dominate the field, with Aspen
Pharmacare (34%) and Adcock Ingram (25%) the two key players,
followed by Sanofi, Pharmaplan and Cipla Medpro. Among the
other big international brands active in Gauteng are Merck, which
has a 55 000m² plant at Modderfontein, and Pfizer SA, which runs a
laboratory in Sandton among its facilities in South Africa.
The Eastern Corridor of Gauteng, centred on the metropole
of Ekurhuleni, is consolidating its position in manufacturing by
leveraging the advantages of hosting the OR Tambo International
Airport and related Special Economic Zones and industrial parks.
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has the greatest
concentration of manufacturing enterprises, especially
between Wadeville and Alrode, south-west of Alberton.
Germiston is the country’s biggest rail junction and Transnet
Engineering has invested hundreds of millions of rands in
new equipment at its facility there. Aeroton is the site of SEW-
EURODRIVE’s new head office and factory which will bring
under one roof several of the
company’s activities which
were previously in different
parts of the country.
Packaging company
Nampak has metals, plastic,
paper and glass operations
at various locations. It is the
market leader in beverage cans.
In 2022 Ardagh Group
bought Consol Glass, South
Africa’s biggest glass producer
and now controls that
company through Ardagh
Glass Packaging. Production
facilities are located in Clayville,
Wadeville and Nigel.
Household products
manufacturer Unilever
represents an example of the
lighter industrial capacity of the
East Rand.
The southern portion of
Gauteng around Vanderbijlpark
and Vereeniging is synonymous
with steel production. Flat iron
is made at the ArcelorMittal
plant. Scaw Metals has a chainmaking
factory in Vereeniging.
There are 35 aluminium
processing firms in Gauteng,
involved in both secondary
processing to produce foils,
cans, bars, rods and sheets,
with final fabrication in the
form of die-casting and sheet
metal work. Within Gauteng,
the automotive and packaging
industries are the chief
consumers of these products. ■
ONLINE RESOURCES
Centre for Advanced Manufacturing: www.cfam.co.za
Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association: www.caia.co.za
Gauteng Department of Economic Development:
www.ecodev.gpg.gov.za
Manufacturing Circle: www.manufacturingcircle.co.za
29 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Tourism
The Southern Sun brand has been revived.
The Southern Sun brand lives again. The announcement was
made in 2022 that Tsogo Sun Hotels would be no more. The
Southern Sun group is focussed on hotels, with no casinos in
its 31-property Gauteng portfolio. These range from several
SUN1 facilities for budget travellers to the luxury of the 75-room 54 on
Bath in Rosebank. Nearby Sandton has seven Southern Sun properties,
including the Sandton Sun and Sandton Towers.
The Maslow Times Square, Pretoria, which also has conference
facilities, is one of two Sun International hotels linked to casinos.
The other one, Carnival City in Brakpan, has recently added five new
rides to its Pocket Park, pictured. The group’s third Gauteng hotel, The
Maslow Sandton, which is aimed at business travellers, is located in
the centre of the financial district and close to the Gautrain station.
Tsogo Sun, as distinct from the deactivated Tsogo Sun Hotels,
has interests in casinos and gaming and runs seven hotels paired
with casinos in Gauteng. These include the Silverstar Hotel inside
the Silverstar Casino and Entertainment Complex in Mogale City,
West Rand, and there are four hotels at Montecasino.
Despite the Covid-related slump, tourism remains a sector that
can grow quickly. Growing Gauteng Together (GGT2030) is a plan
of action formulated by the Gauteng Provincial Government which
intends to transform, modernise and industrialise the provincial
economy. The expansion of the tourism sector is seen as one of the
key methods of achieving those goals.
Airlink, which ended its franchise agreement after SAA went into
business rescue, has signed deals with Qatar Airways, Emirates and
United Airlines, giving travellers easy access to a range of Southern
African destinations and St Helena.
Single-ticket arrangements and one-stop baggage check-ins
will facilitate easier travel in a difficult time. Airlink also has a service
that connects travellers with certain game lodges. Airlink boasts an
on-time performance consistently better than 95%.
Culture and history
Heritage tourism is a strong component of the tourism offering in
Gauteng. The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage
ONLINE RESOURCES
Cradle of Humankind: www.maropeng.co.za
Gauteng Tourism Authority: www.gauteng.net
Johannesburg Tourism Company: www.joburgtourism.com
SECTOR INSIGHT
Airlink has signed
important partnerships.
Site and attracts thousands
of visitors every year to the
interactive visitor’s centre at
Maropeng. The Sterkfontein
Caves have recently revealed
astonishing finds, showing
the origins of humanity
through artefacts such as
the 2.1-million-year-old skull
known as Mrs Ples.
The Origins Centre at the
University of Witwatersrand
provides more fascinating
insights into the origins of
mankind through art and
science. The Centre hosts
superb representations of Khoi
and San rock art.
History relating to the
struggle against apartheid
centres on attractions such as
the moving exhibitions housed
at the Apartheid Museum and
the history of the battle for
human rights and democracy
embodied in Constitution Hill. ■
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
30
PHOTO: Sun International

ICT
Many companies choose Gauteng for their headquarters.
OVERVIEW
Hytera has created a new regional headquarters in
Johannesburg, the company’s biggest facility in Africa.
Listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and with
its global headquarters in that Chinese city, Hytera
is a communications technologies company that has been in
Southern Africa for two decades.
The new Midrand headquarters include a demonstration area,
pictured, and indicate the company’s intention of expanding the
range of voice, video and data capabilities on offer to its African
clients. New products are expected to be launched at the Africa Tech
Festival in November.
With several other global companies choosing to station their
South African headquarters in Gauteng, the province is well connected.
The biggest data centre on African soil is under construction in
Ekurhuleni. Teraco Data Environments secured a R2.5-billion loan in
2021 to build the 50 000m² JB4 data centre on 6ha and Phase 1 has
been completed. The centre will have 38MW of critical power load.
The company has five other centres, two of which are in Gauteng.
Johannesburg is also one of two South African cities to host a
Microsoft Azure data centre.
A Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) subsidiary,
The Innovation Hub, has a programme called eKasiLabs which
supports entrepreneurs and young people with good business ideas.
One of the provincial government’s stated goals is to get several
ICT initiatives to work together. If the work of The Innovation Hub,
several eKasi laboratories, the Tshimologong precinct, universities
and research institutes could be integrated, a more powerful
ecosystem would be the result.
A High-Tech Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is another idea that
is being pursued. Making broadband connectivity and free WiFi
available to poor households in the province is another task.
A Digital Transformation Advisory Panel is driving these initiatives.
Various large spatial plans for the province include an element
whereby these new cities or settlements will be built as “smart cities”.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria
hosts a new body aimed at preparing South Africa for the Fourth
Industrial Revolution (4IR), the South African Affiliate Centre of the
World Economic Forum.
ONLINE RESOURCES
eKasiLabs: www.theinnovationhub.com
Independent Communications Authority: www.icasa.org.za
Technology Innovation Agency: www.tia.org.za
SECTOR INSIGHT
Tshwane has hundreds of
free WiFi zones.
The “Tshepo 1 Million”
campaign links the provincial
government with the successful
Harambee Youth Employment
Accelerator and more than 40
large companies.
Both Johannesburg and
Tshwane have free WiFi networks
with Tshwane providing 1GB
of data every day to its citizens
at various TshWi-Fi locations, at
speeds up to 15Mbps.
The Small Enterprise
Development Agency (Seda) runs
the SoftstartBTI ICT incubator in
Midrand and Tuksnovation, a
high-tech incubator, at Pretoria
University. Several incentives
relevant to companies and
educational bodies in the ICT
sector are available from the
Department of Trade, Industry
and Competition (dtic). ■
PHOTO: Hytera
31
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Construction and property
Green is cool.
SECTOR INSIGHT
SECTOR INSIGHT
Serviced land is being released
for housing.
90 Rivonia Road has a four-star rating from the Green Building
Council South Africa.
Redefine Properties’ third green bond was oversubscribed
when it went to market in August 2023. An amount of R1-
billion has been allocated across three, five and seven years.
Green buildings are now considered mainstream in
the construction industry, and star ratings from Green Building
Council South Africa (GBCSA) are expected in commercial,
industrial and residential projects. The bond was listed on the JSE
in the Sustainability Segment, a further sign that every sector is
responding to the climate crisis.
Redefine will use the bond financing to work towards
decarbonisation of its portfolio through the reduction of energy
consumption by making systems more efficient, collaboration with
tenants and solar photovoltaic installations.
The North Wing of 90 Rivonia Road is an example of Redefine
property that is four-star rated by the GBCSA. Features include a climateresponsive
facade, efficient air-conditioning and intelligent lighting,
multi-level planting beds along with some passive design elements.
Township landlords are to be integrated into the real estate
sector by means of loans from provincial government that will allow
them to invest in their properties and comply with regulations. The
aboMastandi scheme has seen 40 loans (from 2 000 applications)
approved so far.
On the occasion of the State of the Province Address in
February 2023 the provincial government released 482 serviced
stands. The South African
Housing Infrastructure Fund
(SAHIF) has been active in
the market of preparing land
for development. Noting
that some municipalities had
been returning their housing
budgets unspent, SAHIF
focussed on the first stages of
development that are often
ignored: zoning, approvals and
basic infrastructure. SAHIF does
that work and then sells it on to
developers. It is estimated that
early investments into 1 476ha
of land will yield approximately
73 800 housing units. SAHIF’s
goal is to speed up the delivery
of affordable housing.
The R300-million SA SMME
Crisis Partnership Fund was
launched in the Gauteng
township of Tembisa in 2022.
A collaboration between
the Provincial Government
of Gauteng, the Industrial
Development Corporation (IDC)
and the SA SME Fund intends
to make financing available up
to R1.5-million to SMMEs and
to home owners wanting to
upgrade their backyard rental
accommodation.
Six intermediaries have
been identified to find and
fund entrepreneurs and rental
properties that need working
capital or asset finance. Indlu
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
32
PHOTO: Redefine Properties

OVERVIEW
Financial products are available to allow owners to fund upgrades
of backyard rooms for rental.
Living, one of the six companies, is already funding rental property
upgrades, with the expectation that rental income will pay off the loan.
An innovative scheme to build a new township in Gauteng
is backed by a retirement fund. The Transport Sector Retirement
Fund is building an integrated settlement in the Sedibeng District
Municipality south of Johannesburg. The R2.7-billion development
includes a shopping centre and will include a mix of housing types.
A large housing project south-east of Tshwane has been
designated a Strategic Integrated Project (SIP) which means that all
of the external bulk services will be supplied by the Department of
Public Works and Infrastructure.
Balwin Properties will develop the residential component of
Mooikloof Mega City and the educational, commercial and filling
station erven will be sold to a third party. The intention is to build
about 16 000 apartments, with the potential to increase to 50 000.
The property is on Garsfontein Drive.
Another SIP is Malibongwe Ridge, a mixed-use development that
is a joint venture between the City of Johannesburg and the Gauteng
Department of Human Settlements. Located next to Cosmos City,
housing for 5 500 families is expected to cost R2.55-billion to develop.
By 2030 Gauteng will have two huge new cities, socially diverse,
digitally connected and ecologically responsible and sustainable.
That’s if the Provincial Government of Gauteng brings to fruition
its plans for the west (Lanseria to Hartbeespoort Dam) and in
the south, where Vaal River City will stretch from Vereeniging to
Sasolburg in the Free State.
In the 25 years since South Africa has been a democracy, more
than 1.2-million subsidised houses have been built by government
entities in Gauteng. Provincial government has pledged to release
10 000 serviced stands as part of its Rapid Land Release programme
ONLINE RESOURCES
Construction Industry Development Board: www.cidb.org.za
Gauteng Partnership Fund: www.gpf.co.za
Green Building Council SA: www.gbcsa.org.za
Johannesburg Development Agency: www.jda.org.za
Johannesburg Social Housing Company: www.joshco.co.za
SA Reit Association: www.sareit.co.za
and it intends finishing
incomplete housing projects
in Alexandra, Evaton, Kliptown,
Bekkersdal and Winterveldt.
Bodies such as the National
Housing Finance Corporation,
Indlu and Umastandi (social
capital entrepreneurs) are
working together with
provincial authorities to find
ways to formalise and monetise
the township market so that
sustainable incomes can be
generated and affordable
housing and rental stock
become more readily available.
The Gauteng Partnership
Fund (GPF) has attracted more
than R3.5-billion in private
sector funding for affordable
housing in the province since
2012. The Brickfields housing
and rental development in
Newton was funded by the
GPF and implemented by
the Johannesburg Housing
Company (JHC) as one of the
first inner-city rejuvenation
projects. JHC is a leader in
converting bad buildings to
usable rental space.
The Johannesburg
Development Agency (JDA)
projects range from the upgrading
of Constitution Hill, the Faraday
Station precinct, work on the
Fashion District and pavements of
the inner city, renovation of the Drill
Hall and the Newtown upgrade.
Private developer Indluplace
Properties has purchased nine
large apartment blocks, taking
its total buildings in central
Johannesburg CBD, Berea and
Hillbrow to 23: 33% of the units
are bachelor pads and 22% are
two-bedroomed flats. ■
PHOTO: Indlu Living
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24

OVERVIEW
Development finance
and SMME support
Maponya Mall is lending a hand.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Provincial government
spent R1.6-billion with
youth-owned companies.
Made in Soweto. The Maponya Mall Community Hub aims to
support SMMEs and provide training for young people.
Skills development for business owners and young people is at
the centre of the Maponya Mall Community Hub, which was
launched in 2023.
Facilities have been created at the mall where
information and courses will be available. SMMEs will be helped
in preparing their products for market and classes will be offered
in branding and compliance.
The Afrika Tikkun Foundation will run four-month Youth
Accelerator Programmes focussed on sense of self and goalsetting,
community and skills. Additional courses on the retail
sector and ICT will be held. Other partners in the Hub initiative
are Redefine Properties, the Dr Richard Maponya Institute and FNB
Philanthropy.
With youth unemployment high, a Gauteng Integrated Youth
Development Strategy 2030 has been approved. The Gauteng
Provincial Government procured goods and services to the value
of R1.6-billion from youth-owned companies in 2022.
The national Youth Employment Stimulus (YES) programme has
provided more than 100 000 young people with workplace experiences
in Gauteng. Other avenues for job creation include the Expanded
ONLINE RESOURCES
Gauteng Growth and Development Agency: www.ggda.co.za
Maponya Mall Community Hub: www.maponyamall.co.za
Small Enterprise Development Agency: www.seda.co.za
Public Works Programme (EPWP),
placement as educational and
general teacher assistants and the
newly created Crime Prevention
Wardens. A Township Economic
Development Bill aims to do away
with restrictive bylaws and rezone
taxi ranks to allow for the growth
of retail outlets and services such
as mechanics and panel-beaters.
Gauteng has 14 registered
co-operative banking
institutions serving more than
16 000 member-owners, with
over R100-million in savings
and R150-million in assets.
The township market of about
250 000 township households
holds enormous potential for
collective buying.
The Gauteng Growth and
Development Agency (GGDA)
is linking large companies with
small businesses at Special
Economic Zones (SEZs). The aim
is to create a pipeline for SMMEs.
About half of South
Africa’s formal SMMEs operate
in Gauteng and more than
half are in the wholesale
and retail sector and the
accommodation sector. The
next most popular sectors
are community, social and
personal services. ■
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
34
PHOTO: Maponya Mall

OVERVIEW
Education and training
A Robot and Sensor School has taken off.
SECTOR INSIGHT
Township achievers are
being rewarded.
The Gauteng Provincial Government announced in 2023 that
it would reward excellence in schools by offering a threeyear
tertiary bursary to the three pupils who finished in the
top three positions in every township school.
The amount allocated for this project is R360-million. The same
amount was spent in the 2023 year on tertiary bursaries through
the existing bursary programme.
The provincial government has also committed R6-billon
to build new schools in areas where there is the greatest need.
National Treasury has released R1.5-billion to allow for the
demolition of mobile and asbestos schools.
The Schools of Specialisation programme is accelerating. In
the course of the 2023/24 year the number of these schools is
expected to grow from 21 to 35. An example of such as school is
the Soshanguve Engineering School of Specialisation which has a
focus on automotive skills.
The popular annual TUKS Robot Race Day has earned the
University of Pretoria a reputation for making technology
accessible. In 2022 the university went a step further with the
launch of the Robot and Sensor School.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Gauteng Department of Education: www.education.gpg.gov.za
National Research Foundation: www.nrf.ac.za
TUT Enterprise Holdings: www.tutenterprise.co.za
While the Race Day is
limited to third-year students,
the new school aims to
expose schoolchildren to
concepts that go into creating
a robot such as CAD design,
programming and 3D printing.
Several university departments
are involved in the project
in which students from the
Engineering, Built Environment
and IT faculty give up their
time to create the hardware
and present modules to course
participants. The programme is
supported by RS South Africa,
a supplier of industrial and
electronic products.
Three of South Africa’s top
five business schools are in
Gauteng: the Wits Business
School, the University of South
Africa’s (Unisa’s ) Graduate School
of Business Leadership and the
Gordon Institute of Business
Science, on the Sandton campus
of the University of Pretoria.
Eighty percent of the 1 230
lecturers and researchers at the
University of the Witwatersrand
(Wits) have post-graduate
degrees, and 27 A-rated scientists
work there. The university offers
studies in more than 40 schools
in five faculties. ■
PHOTO: University of Pretoria
35
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023

oppo
being
INTERVIEW
Randburg Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
Promoting The voice of and business. representing businesses in the economic powerhouse.
INTERVIEW
Randburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Does
RCCI
Cham
issues
provin
Trade
depar
Linda Blackbeard, CEO of
the Randburg Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, looks
forward Linda Blackbeard to more businesses
signing up so that the Chamber
can be even more effective
in promoting business,
facilitating deals in new
markets and standing up for
business in multiple forums.
BIOGRAPHY
Linda Blackbeard ran her own
interior design and hospitality
BIOGRAPHY
company before taking up the
Linda
reins as
Blackbeard
CEO of the RCCI.
ran
She
her
is
own
Vice
interior Chair of the design SACCI and Chamber hospitality Forum
company and a member before of the taking South up African the
reigns Chamber as of CEO Commerce of the and RCCI. Industry She
is board the of SACCI directors. Chamber She was awarded Forum
Chairlady the Pan African and Award a member in 2018 of in
the recognition South African of her Chamber achievement of
Commerce as the Continental and Industry Life-time board
of Achiever directors. sector, She CEO was Global awarded Most
the Influential Pan African Woman Award in Business 2018 and in
recognition Government 2016 of her Awards. achievements
in the Continental Lifetime
Achiever sector, CEO Global Most
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023/24
Influential Women in Business &
Government 2018 Awards.
What is the geographic footprint of the Chamber?
The What areas is we the cover geographic are: Randburg, footprint of Sandton, the Chamber? Fourways, Midrand
BIOGRAPHY
and We Lanseria. cover Region B, which includes Westcliff, Northcliff, Melville, Parkhurst,
Greenside, Emmarentia, Linden, Franklin Roosevelt Park, Coronationville,
Linda Blackbeard ran her own
What Westbury, are the key Riverlea functions and Langlaagte, of the Chamber? Rosebank, Randburg, Richmond,
Primarily Parktown promote (west of Jan business, Smuts Avenue), to facilitate interior Cresta, introductions, Maraisburg design and to be hospitality
Industria. the
voice of business at municipal, provincial company and government before taking levels, in up the
defending What are business the key in functions areas of poor of the decision-making Chamber? reigns as CEO or of unintended the RCCI. She
consequences To promote business, of various to facilitate acts that introductions, are is passed. the SACCI to be We the also Chamber voice facilitate of business Forum
opportunities at municipal, into provincial the SADC and regions government and Chairlady work levels very in closely defending and a with member business many in of
embassies areas of regarding poor decision-making trade and tourism. or unintended
the South
consequences
African Chamber
of various
of
acts that are passed.
Commerce and Industry board
What does We also the Chamber facilitate opportunities do to support into
of SMMEs? the SADC regions, business
directors. She was awarded
One introductions of the Chamber’s to other primary African countries focus the areas and
Pan is work the very
African development closely with
Award in of many
2018 in
SMMEs, embassies finding regarding opportunities trade and for tourism. them,
recognition
business enhancement
of her achievements
in
training, helping with business plans, company registrations, giving
in the Continental Lifetime
direction What does to ideas the that Chamber entrepreneurs do to support might SMMEs? have. Teaching them
Achiever sector, CEO Global Most
to form One of joint the ventures Chamber’s with primary other focus small areas businesses is the development and have of SMMEs, an
opportunity finding opportunities then to tender for for work. them, We business Influential
promote enhancement our
Women
local businesses
in Business training, &
being helping awarded with work business our plans, areas. company Government registrations, 2018 giving Awards. direction to
ideas and building them up so that they can run sustainable businesses
Does of the their RCCI own. interact with government?
RCCI is Also affiliated teaching to the them only to form national joint ventures chamber with body, other South small African businesses
Chamber to grow of and Commerce have an & opportunity Industry (SACCI). then to Through tender for SACCI works important that may be
issues available are dealt through with directly the City at government of Johannesburg level. (CoJ). We are We also promote heard at local
provincial businesses level being and the awarded Chamber the works with that needs the City to of be Johannesburg,
done in our areas
Trade instead and Investment of using outsiders. SA as well as various national government
departments responsible for economic development.
Does the RCCI interact with the government on issues relevant to
Are there business? particular challenges?
Randburg RCCI is Chamber one of the would chambers love to which embrace is affiliated more businesses. to the only There national is
so much chamber opportunity body, the around South and African we could Chamber facilitate of Commerce more if businesses and Industry
joined. (SACCI). The more Through businesses SACCI stand important together issues with are their dealt local with chamber directly of at
commerce, government the stronger level. Any our chambers voice will affiliated be at municipal, and who are provincial represented and on
government the SACCI level. National Chamber Forum are able to bring important issues
affecting business to the attention of the SACCI Board.
What does RCCI the has future two directors hold? on the SACCI Board. We are also heard at
Our provincial Electronic level Certificate and endeavour of Origin to programme work with the for export CoJ and saves their time relevant
and business is designed sector for South committees African as markets. the local Businesses voice of business. and members can
look forward We are to renewed able to engage focus, positive with NEDLAC, opportunities, DIRCO and and facilitation provincial in and
the SADC government region departments, for business growth based on and the opportunity. requirements of members.
The Chamber works with Trade and Investment SA as well as
Contact various details national and provincial departments responsible for economic
Physical address: Unit G8 Atrium Terraces, 272 Oak Avenue,
Randburg, Gauteng
36
2194. Tel: 086 101 9218 | Fax: 086 212 4407
Email: admin@rcci.co.za | Website: www.rcci.co.za
49
Are th
Randb
so mu
joined
comm
gover
What
Our E
and is
look fo
the SA
Con
Phy
Ran
Ema

INTERVIEW
development, including the Gauteng Growth and
Development Agency (GGDA).
We also liaise with the City of Johannesburg and
the City’s Economic Development Department. Our
goals are to support the city with its vision.
We sit on the Community Policing Forum
Committees and we are active partners on the
committees of LDAC (Local Drug Action Committee),
which is the local organisation driving crime
prevention, so we look at all areas of safety and
security for the people within our area.
Are your members drawn from different sectors?
If you’re a registered business you need to be a
member of the Chamber. All legitimate industry
sectors are entitled to be members of our chamber.
We will support you and try to help you wherever
we can. Our members are from all business and
industry sectors.
Would it be correct to say that the area covered
by the RCCI has some of the country’s most
dynamic businesses?
The areas we cover form the economic powerhouse
of South Africa. I cannot stress strongly enough that
the business hub of Sandton alone is responsible for
decision-making (on signing powers and approval)
of a large number of business transactions taking
place across the country. We are also the media hub
of the country.
Are there particular challenges?
Randburg Chamber, which was founded in 1959,
would love to embrace more businesses in our
area. There is so much opportunity and we could
facilitate so much more if businesses joined our
chamber movement.
We are delighted with the way our current
directors and their teams are covering the web,
social media, Facebook, LinkedIn and events.
Things are very positive in our neck of the woods
and we need all businesses to participate, so we
can work more together in these tough times.
The more businesses stand together with
their local chamber of commerce, the stronger
our voice will be. The way of doing business
has changed and the Chamber is moving with
the times.
We are represented on the right committees,
we are connected to the right people at the City
of Johannesburg and we are dealing at the right
levels of government through SACCI.
Do we have the correct connectivity to be able
to assist local businesses in their areas of need?
We continually ask this question to improve our
offering. The businesses out there need to tell us
what their needs are. This way we can provide a
better service for them.
What does the future hold?
Our Electronic Certificate of Origin programme for
export is available. This saves the member so much
time and is designed in South Africa especially for
our markets. Businesses and members can look
forward to renewed focus, positive opportunities,
and facilitation in the SADC region for business
growth and opportunity. ■

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