Invest Durban, established by the Durban City Council in collaboration with the private sector, serves as the city’s premier “First Stop Shop” for promoting and facilitating new investment in the Durban metropolis.

As a dynamic partnership between the Metro City Council and the private sector, Invest Durban offers
a comprehensive range of investor services including advisory support, promotion, facilitation, and
aftercare, all free of charge to stakeholders involved in investment activities.

As a world-class metropolitan-based investor support service, Invest Durban operates under a
fourfold business mandate. This includes investment promotion and marketing, identifying, attracting,
and facilitating foreign investments, providing aftercare and expansion support for foreign direct
investment (FDI), and advocating for policies that foster a favourable investment climate.

Invest Durban collaborates with various organisations to further its mission, including the Department of Trade and Industry (through Invest SA), Trade and Investment KZN (TIKZN), the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the KZN Growth Coalition, and State-Owned Enterprises such as Dube TradePort, DBSA, IDC, Eskom, and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA).

The broader mission of the organisation is to source, unlock, and leverage accelerated investment growth for the benefit of all, in a globally connected, sustainable, and flawless manner.

Invest Durban’s efforts to attract investors can be grouped into three main categories:
1. Premium Destination: Durban offers a business and lifestyle environment conducive to profitable, sustainable ventures, with ample land available for development.
2. Catalytic Projects: These are large-scale projects with the potential to transform the socio-economic landscape, triggering a series of investments across several sectors.
3. Priority Sectors: Key sectors receive strategic focus, such as the creation of industry clusters
and the development of value chains to promote new ventures and investment opportunities.
Renewed Optimism and Future Growth The city is on the verge of a new era of growth and prosperity, driven by a shift in business confidence and a robust pipeline of private sector investments.
This new confidence is fuelled by a substantial pipeline of flagship investments, estimated at
approximately R250 billion in private sector commitments.

International investors have already established a significant presence in Durban, particularly in the manufacturing, transport, logistics, and distribution sectors. Companies like PepsiCo and Kerry Foods have expanded into Durban, along with new FDI from top shipping and logistics groups, such as CMA-CGM. Additionally, South Africa has been rated as the best place on the planet for contact centres for the last five years with Durban leading in several aspects, including opportunities in legal process outsourcing, digital animation and film processing, digital health diagnostics, and consumer protection technology.

Catalytic Projects Driving Regional Impact
Several large-scale projects are underway in Durban, poised to make a regional impact by stimulating the economy and creating employment opportunities. These developments are strategically positioned on national trade routes or designed to help break down old apartheid-era living and working dynamics.

Among these projects are:
ƒ The Whetstone development in the north
Aerotropolis has attracted R2.5 billion in privatesector investment, in addition to the approximately R500 million already invested by the industrial park developer.

ƒ The R1.9 billion Giba Business Estate is being developed by Sultex Holdings, a black-owned company with a level one BBBEE score. The project aims to rejuvenate Giba Business Park, support the eco-tourism appeal of Giba Gorge, and impact the local informal community, creating jobs and business opportunities in light commercial, logistics, and warehousing sectors.

ƒ Dube TradeZone 2 has attracted R1.8 billion in private-sector investment, with expectations of creating 600 jobs within the next five years. Targeting investors in manufacturing, assembly, logistics, and the automotive sectors.

ƒ Westown, led by the Fundamentum Property Group, is one of Durban’s most significant infrastructural investments. With support from all three spheres of government, Westown is set to generate around R15 billion in investment over the next 10-15 years. The first phase opened in 2025 with construction on the
residential component underway.

ƒ On the KZN North coast, Club Med South Africa is proudly being developed by KZN company Collins Residential, with the French headquartered Club Med taking the helm as hotel operators. Club Med South Africa is expected to generate over 800 direct jobs and an additional 1 500 indirect jobs, stimulating
the local economy and empowering individuals and families with new opportunities.

Building the Future Together
While Durban has faced challenges, particularly in energy, industrial logistics, and water, these issues are now receiving the fullest attention they deserve at both national and local levels. Initiatives like the Business for South Africa (B4SA) programme, led by national business bodies such as Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), as well as provincial private-public partnership facilitation through the KZN Growth Coalition and the Presidential eThekwini Working Groups at the Metro level, are showing progress.

By fostering these partnerships and addressing key challenges, Durban is poised to become a leading
destination for investment, offering opportunities for all and serving as a model for sustainable development in Africa.