As Gauteng Premier David Makhura delivered his last State of the Province Address, on Monday, he envisaged a future wherein Gauteng would grow into a single, multitier, mega-special economic zone (SEZ).

Addressing the province, he said South Africa’s most populous province should be raised one area, corridor or hub at a time during its next phase of development into a super economy.

“Going forward, we must be more aggressive and decisive in pushing a vision of turning the entire province into a single, multitier, mega-SEZ,” he urged, citing as inspiration Hainan, an island province in China.

Hainan province was declared an SEZ in itself when China started the policy of reform and opening up and transforming the economy into the second-largest economy in the world.

Last year, China further declared Hainan a new pilot free-trade zone.

“Our dream is to grow Gauteng, step by step, into a single SEZ. As a city region, we are already a compact and highly integrated single economy,” Makhura commented.

“This year, we will complete and officially open the OR Tambo Industrial Development Zone. Other SEZs will follow in Tshwane, Sedibeng and West Rand as part of the reindustrialisation agenda,” he added.

Over the past five years, the province had implemented the Gauteng Economic Development Plan, with 11 key sectors located in five corridors, namely Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central.

“We have made huge investments in the transformation, modernisation and expansion of educational infrastructure and human resources to cater for the growing population and meet the needs of the new economy and society in the digital age, or Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he noted.

The province has also been leading South Africa in promoting intra-African trade, with Gauteng-based businesses having more than 300 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, worth R356-billion, across the major regions of Africa.

These FDI projects have created and sustained more than 45 000 jobs in the province, while contributing to Africa’s industrialisation.

Further, Gauteng has attracted R199-billion of FDI in five years, creating 30 000 jobs.