KZN showing proud potential
Always an important base, King Shaka has elevated its status
AS THE national buy local advocacy campaign, Proudly South African is constantly on the road, creating a growing database of member companies that represent all industry sectors in all 9 provinces.
Kwazulu-natal (KZN) has always been an important base for membership and while Durban’s port meant the province was always a strategic one for businesses large and small, the relocation of the King Shaka International Airport and establishment of the Dube Trade Port special economic zone have elevated the province’s industrial profile even further and it’s now richer than ever in Proudly South African potential.
In September we brought a media delegation to KZN in partnership with Brand SA and Tourism SA, showcasing just a few of the province’s success stories.
We started with a tour of the impressive Dube Tradeport development, 3 000 hectares of agriculture and agri-processing excellence, commercial and retail space, manufacturing and industrial units, and a dedicated customcontrolled cargo terminal.
We also took our guests to Cappeny Estates, a one of a kind Proudly South African strawberry farm in Ballito. Owners Yoliswa and Xolani Gumede have grown the 17 hectare farm into one of the most successful – and popular – strawberry farms in the country.
SBS Tanks has been flying the Proudly South African flag in the water storage sector for more than 20 years. Based in Pinetown, this member company has made a meaningful difference to many communities in our water-scarce country.
Another technical innovator and proud KZN member of the Buy Local movement is geo-synthetics company Kaytech Engineered
Fabrics. Its core product, bidim, is an innovative geotextile, manufactured entirely from recycled polyester from discarded cool-drink bottles.
Still with manufacturing, one of Proudly South African’s members of longest standing is
GUD Filters, the leading producer of automotive filters for oil, fuel and air. It first manufactured in Durban as far back as 1949 and now has manufacturing facilities in Durban and Pietermaritzburg,
KZN is as rich in industry diversity as it is in history and culture and we celebrate our Proudly South African members who contribute so much
a distribution centre in Pinetown and is headquartered in Prospecton, employing over 1 500 people. Job creation in motion!
One of our newest members in the province is Hulamin, the largest semi-fabricator of aluminium in sub-saharan Africa. From Pietermaritzburg to Richards Bay, Hulamin produces a metal that is recognised as a key driver of re-industrialisation, and that is both sustainable and recyclable. Among its singular innovations is the manufacture of a piece that sits in the nose of Boeing aircraft and houses the on-board wi-fi!
In addition to these members who are already representing us so well in the province, KZN is also the home of the sugar industry in South Africa. In the same way as we have recruited key stakeholders in the poultry industry, working together to lobby for fair trade conditions for domestically produced chicken, we are in discussions with a number of sugar producers, including Illovo, as well as the SA Sugar Association and we hope to have a successful future collaboration with them.
The highlight of the fact-finding tour which we took in September was surely our stay at Tsogo Sun’s Beverly Hills Hotel. Tsogo Sun is a great ambassador for the buy local movement.
Two other must-mention KZN companies that will soon be part, officially, of the buy local movement but who have been demonstrating their commitment to localisation for many years are Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, manufacturers of Dunlop Tyres in Ladysmith, and Unilever, whose Durban Indonsa facility is among its largest savoury products factories worldwide.
KZN is as rich in industry diversity as it is in history and culture and we celebrate our Proudly South African members who contribute so much.
Eustace Mashimbye is the chief executive of Proudly South African.