InvestSA is a division of the South African Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), providing a One-Stop-Shop service to investors. It provides investment promotion, facilitation and aftercare, which is geared at fast-tracking projects and reducing government red-tape.
Agriculture
Agriculture in KwaZulu-Natal is extremely diverse and is reflected in the patterns of its topography. Most of the world's agricultural activities can be practised here. Due to the good reliable rainfall and fertile soils, the region's agricultural sector has become very productive, and is known for its specialist capability in several types of farming.
Business Services
South Africa's financial services sector, backed by a sound regulatory and legal framework, is sophisticated, boasting dozens of domestic and foreign institutions providing a full range of services – commercial, retail and merchant banking, mortgage lending, insurance and investment.
Chemicals and Plastics
KwaZulu-Natal provides nearly a third of the country's plastics requirements. This industry, which uses 150 000 tons of polymer a year, consists of mainly small and medium size companies. The most challenging concern presently experienced by the plastics industry in South Africa is the cost of raw materials linked to the crude-oil price, which has risen dramatically and quickly in the last several years. However, plastics still remain cost-effective products, as the industry has managed to engineer its way around the escalating price. KwaZulu-Natal provides nearly a third of the country's plastics requirements. This industry, which uses 150 000 tons of polymer a year, consists of mainly small and medium size companies. The most challenging concern presently experienced by the plastics industry in South Africa is the cost of raw materials linked to the crude-oil price, which has risen dramatically and quickly in the last several years. However, plastics still remain cost-effective products, as the industry has managed to engineer its way around the escalating price.
Clothing, Textile, Leather and Footwear
The SA clothing and textile industry have suffered massive erosion due to increased importation of these items into the country, KwaZulu-Natal being one of the hardest-hit by this development. Nonetheless, the province has unsurpassed skill in this area/activity and presents massive opportunities for investments in the sector. Some pockets of the domestic activity in this industry are still doing exceptionally well with local designers increasingly invited to design and develop attire for top-end activities/persons. There are a few very large manufacturers, but the majority of clothing manufacturers fall into the medium sized category (50 to 200 employees) and there are approximately 400 SMME concerns, which fulfill the role of sub-contractors to the rest of the industry. This latter group also supplies the informal sector, which is growing rapidly.
Community, Social and Personal Services
Social development and improved economic performance depend on gains in public sector delivery, restructuring of state enterprises and more vigorous capital formation. Apart from shaking effects of the 2008/09 Global Economic slowdown, South Africa has achieved a level of macro-economic stability not seen in the country for many years. Such advances create opportunities for real increases in expenditure on social services, and reduce the costs and risks for all investors, laying the foundation for increased investment and growth. Other sub-sectors that have a potential for development include the education and training services, which has to be strategic in nature. South Africa has to focus and provide resources for training people in those areas of need, side by side with general education. The country requires skilled people - engineers, accountants, actuaries, scientists, teachers, medical staff, as well as farmers, who are all essential for growth.
Energy and Water
Globally, the case for the Green Economy has being made abundantly clear. Renewable energy is the only electricity generation technology whose price has decreased dramatically: solar PV module prices have fallen by 80% over the last five years while wind turbines have become 30% less expensive. South Africa’s wind resource is regarded as amongst the top 5 in the world and could sustain 25% of our grid’s capacity.
Health Services
South Africa’s health care spending is estimated to be around R39 billion dollars. The health care system consists of a large underfunded and understaffed public sector which supports 80% of the population and the small private sector financed by medical aid. The bulk of the health care expenditure emanates from the public sector with a spending of 50% of total spending.
Manufacturing
Logistics refers to the international flows of goods and concomitant payment wherein costs are constantly reduced through the simplification of procedures and documentation. It links demand with supply from different industries and generates a significant proportion of a country’s Gross Domestic Product. The global logistics industry comprises shipping, warehousing, courier, road, rail and air freight and its global market value of logistics $4 trillion equates to 10% of global GDP.
Mining and Beneficiation
Mining contributes around 6.5% of South Africa's GDP and is the country's largest single private employer (500 000 people), with small-scale mining operations making a significant contribution to job creation. Mintek has done a research report on Minerals in KwaZulu-Natal. Click here to download the report from the sector brochures category. Ilmenite, rutile and zircon are mined on a large scale for their titanium and zirconium contents from aeolian beach dunes in the northern areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Large ore reserves are held by Richards Bay Minerals, a leading producer of the heavy minerals, which mines the 17 km stretch of land along a 2 km strip of coastline north of Richards Bay (the City of uMhlathuze). Richards Bay Minerals meets about a quarter of the world's demands for these products, generating billions of rands in foreign currency. The region is rich in other minerals such as aluminium, anthracite and calcitic marbles. Ticor South Africa, launched in 2001, is also situated in the Richards Bay/ Empangeni area and represents an investment of R3 billion in the production of titanium slag.
Tourism and Property Development
For the last few years the Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) property market has enjoyed almost unparalleled growth repeatedly outperforming other provinces as an investment destination. The reasons are clear, the Province for some time had lacked a variety of factors necessary to maximize growth. For one there was a lack of national and international marketing focus on the Province, reasons given are varied.
Ship and Building Repairs
The ship repair, ship building and boat building industries have a long and proud history in Durban, having added immeasurably to its value and appeal as Africa's leading port by providing ship owners and operators as well as the recreational and commercial boat fraternity with the knowledge and assurance that skills, expertise and availability are readily to hand. All three industry sectors have made great strides and significant investments in the local economy. They remain in the forefront of technical knowhow and skills development equal to the best available worldwide in their respective fields. . KwaZulu-Natal is already regarded as the second most prolific boat-building centre in South Africa so it’s no surprise that this sector is rapidly emerging as a significant growth industry with 25% of all South African boat-building companies based in this province. Currently the local ship and boat-building industry boasts good basic infrastructure, while tremendous possibilities exist around the Durban shoreline for the construction of ships, boats and maritime parts.
Tourism
The Tourism industry is a key contributor to the KwaZulu-Natal economy. The province's tourism attractions, perhaps less well known internationally, surpass the national norm in many respects and are structured around four components, the coastal holiday areas with their magnificent beaches, sunshine, boating, surfing and fishing; the wildlife game parks in the north; the Drakensberg Mountains and the historical battlefields. Two World heritage sites have been declared recently: the Greater Lucia Wetlands Park, and Ukhahlamba/Drakensberg Mountain Reserve. Both offer interesting opportunities for investors and especially for small businesses. The attractiveness lies in the unique combination of bio-diversity, impressive scenery, all-year climate and its rich mosaic of exciting cultures and history. Its competitive advantage is that it has a monarchy that can be used to support tourism development. Zulu cultural village activity and the African township experience have emerged strongly as new areas of interest that needs to be marketed.
Transport, Storage and Communication
Logistics and supply chain management is growing in importance and it is fast becoming the central function in companies. Boasting Southern Africa's busiest sea port (Durban) and Africa's biggest bulk sea port (Richards Bay), combined with excellent road and rail infrastructure and global logistics service providers, it is easy to see why KwaZulu-Natal lays claim to being southern Africa's Trade Gateway. With the increase in activity at the Durban and Richards Bay harbours it is possible that the industry will continue to experience high growth rates. The number of vessel moves and the gross tonnage of these vessels, at the Durban harbour for example, have increased by 4.2% and 4.6% per month from January 2003 to June 2005, respectively. During the economically challenging 2008, the number of vessels experienced a slight decline of -4.3%, while the GT had an increase of 4.4% respectively. However the port held the fort in handling not less than 21 million TEUs in 2009/2010. The transport, storage and communication industry's contribution to the economy of KwaZulu-Natal has stayed fairly constant at around 12% per annum from 1995 to 2007. The industry has achieved consistently high growth rates of around 5.6% per annum from 1995 to 2007. Even after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ heydays,the sector is still going strong.
Wholesale, Retail Trade, Household Goods, Hotels and Restaurants
KwaZulu-Natal offers a range of shopping experiences from mega-malls such as Gateway to rural micro markets. The ongoing construction of new shopping malls and the expansion of existing ones across the Province, gives evidence to the fact that the retail trade is booming. The malls are home to major shopping chains such as Woolworths and Edgars, to shops selling a range of goods from household necessities to electronics, clothing, jewellery, and more specialized items. The increasing middle class is also contributing to the surge in consumerism. Even in many of the smaller towns there are taverns, clothing stores, car-repair shops, cafes, stores selling household goods, and many cell phone kiosks from which people can place calls. Brands are growing and access to new markets is occurring on an incremental basis. Branded chains such as Engen, Standard Bank, FNB, KFC, Woolworths, Shoprite are found across the main economic centres of the province, such as Durban, Richards Bay, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith. Small towns and communities are benefiting from projects which allow them to produce and sell arts and crafts. This is of particular relevance to the upliftment of women who often have few skills and little opportunity to find employment.
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The National One Stop Shop was launched by President Zuma on the 17th March 2017, where he announced the establishment of the provincial One Stop Shop offices for KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Western Cape. The national One Stop Shop has the core national departments with an interest in investments such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), Home Affairs and Visa Facilitation Services (VFS), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC). The national One-Stop Shop feeds information and the relevant approvals to all other provincial One-Stop Shops through an integrated system.
The Official Launch of the KwaZulu-Natal One Stop Shop was on the 18 November 2017 at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Complex (Durban ICC), 45 Bram Fisher Road, Durban.
Major Interventions During the first five years of operationalisation
The number of normal applications processed by the various entities located at the KZN One Stop Shop has grown over the last five years from 325 to 2 313 per annum.
The above growth means that our clients are finding value in the KZN One Stop Shop service offerings.
Due to extraordinary circumstances in the country, during the financial year 2020/2021 the KZN One Stop Shop established a Business Support Desk that assisted businesses that were negatively affected by Covid 19. A total number of 3 609 companies were assisted with Covid 19 relief measures.
In 20212022 TIKZN partnered with IDC in providing a R30 million grant funding to businesses that experienced political unrest and looting in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. The KZN One Stop Shop processed approximately 450 applications for the IDC grant funding.
In 2022/2023 again TIKZN partnered with IDC in providing a R10 million grant funding to businesses that were negatively affected by the floods in April and May 2023. KZN One Stop Shop processed about 1 260 applications.
“A dynamic industrial, globally competitive South African economy, characterised by inclusive growth and development, decent employment and equity, built on the full potential of all citizens”
A One Stop Shop is an investment facilitation centre or a “single-window” mechanism where relevant government agencies are brought to a single cohesive structure that co-ordinates and streamlines processes to provide prompt, efficient and transparent services to investors
It shortens and simplifies administrative procedures and guidelines for issuance of business approvals, permits and licenses, thereby removing bottlenecks faced by investors in establishing and running businesses.
The mandate of the KZN One Stop Shop is derived from the DTIC’s mandate of providing support to investors but at provincial level in terms of:
The following Investor support services will be offered by the One Stop Shop through TIKZN.
Investment Information
We offer specialist advisory services in the following areas:
Investment Facilitation
Aftercare Services
CIPC Self Services available at OSS Trade & Investment KZN
Requirements for transacting:
SARS shall provide the following to the National and Provincial OSS:-
E-mail: InvestSAKZN@sars.gov.za
NRCS will offer the following services:
DHA through the VFS faciity will offer the following services:
One Stop Shop confirmed departments and agencies:
DHA through the VFS faciity will offer the Premier Investors lounge where investors will be assisted with the following services, Business Visa, General work visa and Critical skills visa.
The Department of Labour will offer assistance to companies on employee unemployment insurance fund registration, compensation fund applications, certificates of compliance, critical skills verification for work permits, etc.
NRCS will offer the following services and advise on South African national standards related to technical regulations, advisory services on compulsory specification to the Electro-technical, Automotive, Chemical devices, mechanical devices and materials(CMM), Food and Associated Industries (FAI), Legal Metrology and National Building regulations; assistance with NRCS pre-market approval requirements and processes, etc.
The CIPC will second one/two full time officials at the KwaZulu-Natal One Stop Shop to assist clients with, Private company (Pty) Ltd registration, B-BBEE certification when registering a new entity or when filing annual returns, Micro Enterprise when registering or filing annual returns, Company and Close Corporation address changes, CO and CC financial year end changes, Electronic disclosure certificates, etc.
SARS shall provide assistance to companies on the following key services; income tax, VAT, PAYE and Customs and Excise registration, licensing and accreditation services for investors; tax compliance support (returns, compliance status, etc.); education and conduct awareness regarding business compliance requirements; and support to other departments.
The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) shall provide assistance with the environmental affairs section (in particular EIA section) and Black Industrialist Programme and other incentives.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (edtea) shall provide assistance with the environmental affairs section (in particular EIA section) and Black Industrialist Programme and other incentives.
During the financial year 2020/2021 we assisted an investor manufacturing edible oils who is located at the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) with the application for a Water Use Licence. This application was approved after our intervention within six months. Another investor, who is also located at the Richards Bay IDZ was assisted and approved for an application for a bonded warehouse status.
During the financial year 2022/2023 we assisted an investor in the application for the release of land in terms of the Act 70 of the Agriculture’s Act 70 of 1970 in respect of land parcels earmarked for the Cato Ridge South Industrial Park. The application was approved on the 1stJune 2022. We also assisted the Dube Tradeport in facilitating meetings relating to the EIA applications for the Old Airport site which is earmarked for the Auto Supplier Park.
As indicated above, during Quarter 3 of the year 2022/2023, we hosted an Investor Workshop on 27th October 2022 which was attended by 53 delegates. Later, on the 2nd November 2022 we launched the District One Stop Shop, which was officially unveiled by the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, the Honourable Siboniso Duma.
During Quarter 1 of the financial year 2023/2024 KZN One Stop Shop launched the Harry Gwala District One Stop Shop Office. The event was held on the 6th June 2023 and the facility was officially unveiled by the Honourable MEC Mr. Siboniso Duma and was attended by approximately 100 guests.
The facility has been established at Ixopo with Ithala, Tourism Grading Council and Agency for Food Safety as the initial entities operating within the District One Stop Shop.