The Gauteng Provincial Government says its approach to economic growth is firmly grounded in the reindustrialisation of Gauteng and the deliberate inclusion of township and local enterprises in the mainstream economy.
“Towards the end of 2025, South Africa’s labour market showed modest improvement, with national employment rising by almost a quarter million due to growth in the infrastructure and services sectors.
“Our province outperformed the national trend, reaching a record 5.24 million employed and accounting for nearly 70% of national job gains over the past year, with growth strongest in construction, finance, community and social services,” said Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi.
He said Gauteng has managed to attract R27 billion in Foreign Direct Investment from a diverse set of countries, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Australia, Cyprus, the USA and the UAE, underscoring international confidence in this province as South Africa’s primary investment and industrial hub.
“In our SOPA last year, we committed to attracting new investments to create sustainable jobs. We did as promised…We attracted R312 billion investments in our Inaugural Gauteng Investment Conference. Today, R73 billion is now moving from commitment to implementation, creating 114 000 jobs across multiple sectors.
“Last year, Gauteng secured the largest share of the Presidential Investment Conference amounting to over R180 billion, and we expect nothing less of our performance in this year’s Presidential Investment Summit.
“The City of Johannesburg, with its Netherlands partners, secured a R7 billion waste-to-energy project.
“Through the assistance of our dynamic Minister [of Electricity Kgosientsho] Ramokgopa, all major electrical appliances and equipment will now be made in Ekurhuleni with an initial investment of R2.2 billion, creating 3000 new jobs.
“We brought Chery International Car Manufactures to our shores to build their cars here rather than bringing them to our province as finished products. This intervention will also bring new jobs and also protect 700 jobs affected by Nissan’s repositioning.
“Heineken Global has started construction of a R1.9 billion investment in Midvaal. This is not about malt but about farmers and job seekers. Microsoft invested a R5.4 billion data centre expansion in the Midrand–Centurion corridor, positioning Gauteng as Africa’s digital gateway.
“We successfully brought in Chung Fung Metal, a R2.5 billion investment that opened its factory doors last month and created more than 1000 jobs. This new steel factory has brought the latest technology in steel manufacturing to our shores.
“The proposed DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) steel plant located in Lesedi Local Municipality represents a major industrial investment with the potential to create more than 1 000 permanent employment opportunities once fully operational.
“The Gauteng Dry Port is moving towards reality, representing a projected investment of approximately R50 billion. Once fully operational, it will create approximately 50 000 permanent jobs.
“The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has secured R1.61 billion in confirmed new investments and remains on track to achieve the 4 000 construction jobs committed for Phase 2.
“The Vaal SEZ, which has recently been gazetted for comments by Minister Parks Tau, is expected to contribute over R10 billion to the Gauteng economy.
“Lanseria Smart City has secured R4 billion for Cradle Film Studios, which is set to become the largest film production facility on the continent. The project is expected to create 15 000 jobs, including 10 000 in film production.
“The Tambo Springs SEZ is projected to deliver significant and long-term economic benefits to Gauteng, underpinned by an estimated R23.6 billion capital investment. During the construction phase, the project is expected to contribute to and support about 50 000 jobs and enable over 1000 new MSMEs.
“Haier–Kwikot is investing approximately R2.4 billion in Benoni as part of one of the most significant industrial investments in our province in recent years. This investment secures more than 700 existing jobs.”
The Premier said all these investments are ready and capable of assisting in defeating unemployment, totalling just 250 000 jobs, especially for the youth.
The Gauteng Economic Growth and Development Plan is the roadmap for economic development. The Premier announced the resumption of the action labs for the 12 high-growth sectors, such as manufacturing, green economy, transport and logistics.
“We will formally launch the action labs on 19 March 2026, which brings together government, the private sector and critical stakeholders to convert sector plans into bankable projects, attract foreign direct investment, and drive job creation in our high-
growth industries.”
Lesufi said in support of international tourism growth, Gauteng set a target of opening four new air routes during this financial year.
To date, three routes have been secured, namely FlyGabon, Qantas Airlines, and United Airlines. These routes provide access to three strategic markets, including Central Africa, North America, and Australasia.
He said with the potential gas cliff due to Sasol’s possible reduction in this space, Transnet has entered into a partnership to construct and operate South Africa's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal at the Port of Richards Bay, which will transport gas from Richards Bay to Gauteng for the first time.
The converted pipeline will make imported gas available to industrial users across Gauteng, thus wetting Gauteng to ignite the economy.
“Those who came before us in 2012 saw the need to go to the private market to secure funding for R27 billion to build the Gautrain. By the end of March this year, the private sector will handover to us the R52 billion infrastructure fully owned by the people of Gauteng.
“To maximise this investment later this year, we will resume the process to expand Gautrain to Soweto, Mamelodi, Springs, Atteridgeville, Fourways, etc. We are finalising the concessionaire for the Gautrain expansion for the next 15 years,” said Lesufi.
He said the Gauteng- Limpopo Provincial Rail Link speed train has taken an impressive turn.
“Over 30 investors have raised their hands willing to bankroll this project. With the undivided support of our President and the Minister of Transport, this dream is about to be realised in our lifetime.”
He said the province must deal with the illicit trade that continues to cripple the economy. Recently the British American Tobacco (BAT) announced its intention to completely close its manufacturing plant in Heidelberg, placing livelihoods at risk.
The company attributes its decision largely to the persistent growth of the illicit cigarette trade in the country, which has significantly eroded its market share and revenues.
“Together with the police, we are intensifying the protection of our manufacturing and retail sectors. Already, we have confiscated counterfeit goods valued at R250.2 million last year.” - SAnews.gov.za
