Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau says he is encouraged by the findings of a comprehensive study by multilateral public development institution the World Bank on South Africa’s Special Economic Zones (SEZ) programme.
Tau says the study has found that the country has the infrastructure, legal framework and institutional capacity to build a leading SEZ programme.
Further, the study also draws on surveys from all 12 SEZs nationwide, interviews with provincial government representatives and SEZ businesses, administrative data from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic), South African Revenue Service (SARS), National Treasury and international case studies from India, China, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
“As government, we are encouraged by the outcomes of this study. It has confirmed the impressive progress that we have achieved in the roll-out of the programme, as well as the hugely positive impact it has made on the economy of the country in general, and the provinces where they are located, in particular.
“The fact that revenue of R14.8-billion has been generated by the SEZs that are operational, and more than 30 000 jobs have been created, speaks volumes of the capacity and potential of the programme to contribute immensely to the country’s economic growth, transformation and industrialisation,” Tau says.
