The Provincial Government of Gauteng has decided that each of the province’s five development corridors should have an SEZ that draws on the specific strengths of that region and promotes growth that will deliver employment opportunities and access to markets for previously excluded citizens.
The GGDA is introducing SEZs to boost manufacturing, increase exports and employment and add momentum towards turning the Gauteng City Region (GCR) into a single, multi-tier integrated SEZ. A related initiative seeks to promote the growth of agro-parks and industrial parks as a way of boosting township economies and integrating their economies in the GCR.
Automotive Supplier Park
The Automotive Supplier Park (ASP) is an industrial park based in Rosslyn in the northern corridor of the GCR and although it is not classified as an SEZ, it shares all the good qualities that attract tenants. It is run by the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC).
The ASP is modelled on leading international supplier parks, spans 160ha and houses a tenant pool of automotive component manufacturers and suppliers to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).
OR Tambo Special Economic Zone (OR Tambo SEZ)
The OR Tambo SEZ was established to support industrial development in Gauteng with a specific focus on export-oriented, value-added industry, concentrated around OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) and situated in Ekurhuleni. The SEZ is administered by the Gauteng Industrial Development Zone (GIDZ).
The value proposition of the OR Tambo SEZ is centred around ORTIA, Africa’s largest airport with the capacity to handle 650 000 tons of cargo and many regional and international flights on a daily basis. With easy access to various transport modes and in the heart of South Africa’s industrial and manufacturing engine which is the City of Ekurhuleni, OR Tambo SEZ is the perfect value proposition for advanced manufacturing and beneficiation.
Africa’s first Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct is running efficiently and one of the largest food factories in the world has been operating in the zone since 2019, providing a platform for the increased export of fresh food products.
Medical and pharmaceutical clusters are in the process of being established and sectors such as metal components and avionics are being planned.
Find out more about opportunities at OR Tambo SEZ here.
West Rand
In the context of declining mining output, a multi-sectoral and multi-site potential West Rand SEZ is planned to diversify the West Rand’s economy.
New investment will promote an eco-industrial cluster, develop industrial infrastructure, promote coordinated planning among key government agencies and the private sector and guide the deployment of development tools to enhance industrial acceleration.
The sector focus includes bus manufacturing, solar farms, agro-processing, hemp and cannabis processing, green hydrogen, biogas (agri-processing waste), large-scale agricultural and dairy farming and light-bulb manufacturing.
The Lanseria node is one of Gauteng’s most significant regional development opportunities. The Lanseria Smart City is envisioned as a high-impact, compact, complex, mixed-use urban development. An important aspect is the potential of an expanded Gautrain bus and rail system. Apart from promoting a Gautrain Station at Lanseria Airport (which would link it to Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport), an additional station at the core of the Smart City would drive mixed-use activity. Discussions with the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) is ongoing.
A hi-tech SEZ is envisaged in the Greater Lanseria Area to promote industrial agglomeration and mixed-use development. The Lanseria Smart City, at the core of the Greater Lanseria Master Plan, responds to the need to absorb the rapid growth of the Gauteng City Region. In doing so, it seeks to grow a mixed-use activity node around Lanseria Airport, using infrastructural investment and policy support to drive sustainable urban consolidation in the N14 and Malibongwe Drive development corridors.
Vaal Special Economic Zone (Vaal SEZ)
The Vaal SEZ will be a multi-sector, multi-site SEZ in the Vaal Region (Sedibeng District). The goal for the planned SEZ, which has already attracted R2-billion in investments, is to regenerate the area, support new economic activity and build on the historic competitive strengths and skills base of the area. In 2025, bulk infrastructure work on the 35ha Heidelberg X24 site was initiated.
Targeted sectors include end-to-end hydrogen value chain; localisation of manufacturing of renewable energy components; agrivoltaics; new energy vehicles; battery energy storage systems; blue economy; agro-processing (including medical cannabis); aviation; defence; and logistics.
