Drive is on to present KZN as a world-class investment

TRADE and Investment Kwazulunatal (TIKZN) was on a drive to showcase the province as a world-class and viable trade and investment destination to high net worth individuals and business organisations.

Chief Executive Neville Matjie said it was marketing its investment projects, opportunities and products to targeted groups.

“If they invest in the province they would bring increased private capital inflow, technology which may increase productivity, jobs, purchasing of new assets and partnerships with local companies if a company buys a stake in an existing business,” said Matjie.

TIKZN, through its Gauteng office, held a gala dinner earlier this month at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria, hosting the diplomatic corps and international stakeholders based in Gauteng.

This annual meeting was aimed at strengthening Kwazulu-natal’s image and presence in the respective countries as well as to present trade and investment opportunities in the province to an audience of high commissioners, ambassadors and members of the corps.

Matjie said the International Organisations Event primarily targeted embassies and their trade offices and economic sections and bilateral chambers.

“There are 134 embassies in South Africa, making Pretoria the second-largest diplomatic city in the world, apart from Washington. The embassies and bilateral chambers are often the first point of contact for high-net-worth individuals or businesses keen to invest or trade with South Africa.

“They refer many incoming delegations, businesses and high net worth individuals to Trade and Investment KZN for assistance with enquiry handling, visit handling and overview of the business and regulatory environment,” he said.

TIKZN said the province boasted specific opportunities in Agribusiness – pre-processing, animal husbandry, primary agriculture (high-value crops), chemicals due to two refineries and various original equipment manufacturers such as BASF; automotive opportunities such as Toyota, Sumitomo Rubber and the Automotive Supplier Park; maritime with the Ports of Durban (64 percent of SA containers) and Port Of Richards Bay (80 percent break bulk by volume) ship and boat building and repair; as well as ICT opportunities such as call centre and business process outsourcing, electronics, research and development (R&D) testing facilities.

Other opportunities were in renewable energy; solar, wind and hydro as well as the manufacturing of renewable energy components and R&D in the renewable energy space.

Tourism in KZN was also touted as a good investment opportunity with its beach and hotel resort development, theme park development, new and branded hotels as well as cruise liner tourism (terminal development concession, cruise liner Home Port development).

There were also new opportunities in aviation (trade port development, repair maintenance and overhaul facilities) and gas (Mozambique linkages, skills capabilities and technology transfer, as well as exploration along the coast of KZN).

Matjie said that since putting together this focused drive, it had received referrals of many delegations, more enquiries and referrals of investors.