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Reigniting industrialisation in the Vaal Region The Vaal Special Economic Zone (Vaal SEZ) is showing excellent progress on the path to being formally designated, bringing closer its potential to boost growth and job creation.
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Targeted investment strategy There is a strong case for investors to join and benefit from a green energy-fuelled reindustrialisation of the Vaal region. This will transform this industrial basin into the country’s preeminent hub for low-carbon manufacturing and renewable energy production. • High-impact investments into the food, agriculture and agro-industries value chain • Investment in gateway logistics (air, road, rail, river) to exploit the locational advantages of the Sedibeng District • Investment in the Blue Economy and the Tourism Sector using the advantages of the Vaal River • Building a Smart City along the Vaal River to enable SEZ development and to drive urban regeneration • Building strong local linkages between township/rural economies with the value chains that the Vaal SEZ will develop and strengthen
he Vaal SEZ’s vision states that, “By 2030, an industrialised, globally competitive, export-driven, manufacturing-biased regional economy,” will exist. The Vaal SEZ is connected to other national and provincial initiatives in Gauteng, including Growing Gauteng Together (GGT2030) which aims to create linkages and the integration of the host province’s growth strategies with the local economic development strategies of the host municipalities to national economic initiatives. Where the Vaal SEZ is unique is that various satellite hubs will work out from a central hub like spokes in a wheel, thus exploiting the existing strengths of particular sites and spreading economic benefits across the area more widely. The Vaal SEZ is to be created within the Sedibeng District Municipality, which already has several attractive assets for wouldbe investors.
Moving forward: Progress on the road to Vaal SEZ status
Investor presentations: the Sedibeng Investor Conference and the SMME Conference were held, informing the investor community about the plans for the Vaal SEZ, in 2021.
GAUTENG BUSINESS 2023
Land allocations made: local municipalities have allocated land which will be converted into Land Lease Agreements.
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SEZ Masterplan completed: June 2022.
