The eThekwini Municipality has been driving the development of the manufacturing sector and now, many of the initiatives are ready to scale and are delivering positive results.
According to Takalani Rathiyaya, Head of the Economic Development Programmes Department at the eThekwini Municipality, supporting the growth of manufacturing is a strategic priority for the city. He says the link between manufacturing and economic growth is critical as manufacturing investments create jobs and inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
“For these reasons, manufacturing has been acknowledged as a powerful employment creator by national, provincial and local government and following this agenda, eThekwini has prioritised the development of the sector and we are seeing the first green shoots in harnessing the industry’s potential to create high-income jobs, boost upstream development of local businesses as well as benefit from the multiplier effect for both formal and informal workers.”
The eThekwini manufacturing sector is well established and KwaZulu Natal is in fact the second largest manufacturing presence in South Africa, contributing 21% to the national manufacturing GDP. The industry is also a force within the eThekwini Municipality GDP and contributed to the City’s 4.9% growth in 2021 - 73% of which came from manufacturing, finance, business and trade.
Manufacturing is responsible for 20% of the employment opportunities in eThekwini which translates to 176 000 jobs of which 83% are semi-skilled.
Through the Durban Chemicals Cluster, Durban Automotive Cluster, KZN Clothing and Textiles Cluster and the eThekwini Furniture Cluster, the Municipality is supporting a variety of initiatives that are proving to be powerful levers to unlock manufacturing growth. “By creating interventions that directly impact skills and SME development, the sharing of international best practices and promoting transformation through leadership development, we have had some major wins that have supported manufacturing growth and job creation”, he said.
