The Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI’s) national roadshow on special economic zones (SEZs) will make a scheduled stop in Cape Town, on August 17.
The roadshow is aimed at unpacking key aspects of the SEZ Act, which was passed into law in February.
The Western Cape leg is the second of the provincial roadshows, which were kick-started in Limpopo in July.
Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies says the roadshow will be an information-sharing platform that will be used to educate stakeholders on key provisions of the Act, its strategic objectives relating to South Africa’s economic development and its aims in support of a broad-based industrialisation growth path.
“The SEZ programme has been identified as one of the critical tools for giving effect to the industrial agenda. The general agreement is that this programme can go a long way in helping the country attain its industrialisation objectives,” he notes.
The Minister adds that, for South Africa to attain its industrial objectives, the SEZ programme must advocate for the promotion of industrial accumulation, the building of required infrastructure, the promotion of coordinated planning among key government agencies and the private sector, as well as fostering of efficient deployment of necessary development tools.
The DTI, in partnership with all nine provinces, has already identified and worked on the feasibility studies for ten proposed SEZs.
The town of Atlantis has been earmarked as the hub for the Western Cape SEZ.