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Programme Director, President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Asheen Magjee, Chief Executive Officer of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms Palesa Phili, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Thami Ntuli, Executive Mayor of eThekwini, Cllr Cyril Xaba, Members of the Board and Council of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Sanibonani. Thank you...
Programme Director, President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Asheen Magjee, Chief Executive Officer of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms Palesa Phili, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Thami Ntuli, Executive Mayor of eThekwini, Cllr Cyril Xaba, Members of the Board and Council of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Sanibonani. Thank you to the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry for this invitation. It is a privilege to celebrate this occasion with the oldest and largest metropolitan chamber of commerce on the African continent. This milestone is a testament to resilience. For 170 years, the Chamber has weathered profound political, social and economic change. Tonight we are paying tribute to a proud legacy of enterprise. It is a legacy that has championed the interests of business in this city under colonial rule, through the rise and fall of apartheid and now under democracy. The Chamber has adapted to the demands of each new era. And it has remained a strong presence in the commercial life of this city. This tribute would not be complete without recognising the leadership of the Chamber after the unrest of July 2021. When I testified before the South African Human Rights Commission in 2022, I said that time would show that we stood as one. We refused to be divided. And we were determined to rebuild. The Chamber was at the forefront of that effort. It mobilised the business community, supported businesses that had been badly affected and worked with government to restore economic activity. Barely nine months later, this province was struck by catastrophic floods. Once more, the Chamber stepped forward. We worked together – government, business and other social partners – to repair infrastructure, support distressed businesses and restore operations at the Port of Durban. A great strength over all these years has been the Chamber’s willingness to rally in the face of uncertainty. This is evident in its commitment to partnering with government. It is evident in the results of our joint efforts to place Durban and KwaZulu-Natal on a firm path to recovery. The Presidential eThekwini Working Group has played a significant role in the work to turn the metro around. The progress made through the working group is due in large measure to strong political and administrative leadership from the municipality and the province and the active engagement of national departments and public entities. Vitally, the progress is also due to the involvement of key partners and stakeholders, and central among these is the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Through this partnership, we have seen improved metrics in areas such as municipal utility collections, non-revenue water and spending on repairs and maintenance. Operation Shanela continues to outperform targets, contributing to improved visible policing and overall safety in eThekwini. Yet service delivery problems in the metro, especially with water, continue to hold back recovery. There is still a significant infrastructure backlog that is constraining greater investment and better services for the people of the city. That is why we commend the eThekwini Metro Council on the adoption of the Development and Service Delivery Partnering Policy Framework in response to concerns about the delays and red tape associated with implementing public-private partnerships. We now need to put that framework to use to implement key infrastructure projects. We need to take forward the work to revitalise the city’s manufacturing and industrial zones and reduce the costs of doing business. As we tackle these and other challenges, we must take encouragement from what has been achieved. This includes the record R124.5 billion in investment commitments secured at the recent KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference. The eThekwini metro accounts for the bulk of that investment. These commitments span manufacturing, automotive, infrastructure, logistics and tourism. We have also seen the rebound of the tourism economy. Nationally, tourism numbers are up. Much of this growth is being led by KwaZulu-Natal and Durban. Last festive season, around 1.2 million visitors came to the city. This year Durban was ranked 14th in Time Out’s Best Places to Travel in 2026. The city has become a sought-after host for major events, including Africa’s Travel Indaba and the 46th SADC Summit this year. It is significant that more jobs are being created here. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that eThekwini has the lowest unemployment rate of the country’s eight metros. It was also the only metro to record a decrease in unemployment both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. Employment in the metro now stands at 1.29 million, around 90,000 more than a year ago. While we still have much work to do, our efforts to improve efficiency at Transnet and at our ports are delivering results. Durban remains the busiest container port in sub-Saharan Africa. The Durban Gateway Terminal handles nearly half of the country’s containerised freight. The port has faced very real challenges – the unrest of 2021, the floods of 2022, load shedding and insecurity on the freight rail network. Yet we are seeing steady progress. Rail volumes continue to recover. Security incidents and cable theft on the network have declined. Transnet is procuring additional security to protect the central corridor that feeds the Port of Durban. The latest World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index has named the Port of Durban the most improved port in the world. Out of around 400 container ports, Durban recorded the greatest gains in efficiency. We are aware of the serious disruptions at the Durban Gateway Terminal following the migration of its terminal operating system. The Minister of Transport visited the terminal earlier this month to meet its management, and government will continue to monitor the situation closely until operations are fully restored. We thank the Chamber for working with government and other stakeholders to support the recovery of the port and of freight rail. As expansion plans for the Port of Durban move ahead, Transnet and the municipality need coordinated plans and solutions. The Chamber can help forge practical solutions that serve both development and the communities of Durban. The signs of Durban’s recovery are clear. They paint a picture of a city regaining its momentum. That is owed in no small part to the hard work, perseverance and commitment of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This progress must be sustained and built upon as we work together to resolve outstanding challenges. The latest Durban Business Confidence Index showed a slight decline in the second quarter of this year. It reflects concerns about both domestic and external pressures. Even as the economy of the city and province mends, many businesses are still struggling. They face high electricity costs, rising fuel prices and supply chain disruptions. We are taking decisive steps to protect Durban’s manufacturing base and safeguard local jobs. Businesses that have invested in this city must be able to compete on a fair and level playing field. We have sought to balance consumer choice with the protection of local manufacturers, including clamping down on imports of poor-quality and unsafe goods. The revenue service and the South African Police Service continue to conduct major anti-counterfeit operations, including at the Port of Durban. The Chamber has raised concern about the growing number of business closures in the metro, particularly among small and medium enterprises. We look forward to the results of the survey the Chamber has commissioned with the Human Sciences Research Council. It is critical that we understand exactly what is driving these closures and to refine the support we provide to businesses accordingly. We are just days away from an election and the political climate is charged. There are those who are exploiting public sentiment around illegal migration to stir up communities and to provide cover for criminality. In recent weeks, a number of small businesses in the metro have been hit by looting and vandalism. An investigation is underway into the killing of a man in the Durban CBD last week. We understand that this has created uncertainty for business, for whom the memories of 2021 are still fresh. While these incidents have been isolated, we are taking no chances. I have authorised the deployment of the South African National Defence Force in the province until the end of November. This demands vigilance from all of us, including the business community. Just as we refused to be turned against each other before, we will refuse to be divided now. On 4 November, we go to the polls. This metro is the economic heart of KwaZulu-Natal. It needs capable, visionary leadership to build on the progress achieved after an extremely difficult period. I call on all of you to go out and vote. Let it be a vote for progress. Let it be a vote for recovery. Let it be a vote for shared prosperity for the people of eThekwini. Building confidence is a collective effort. The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry has shown leadership when it mattered most. May you continue to grow from strength to strength. And may you always count on government as your committed partner. I thank you.
Speech Brief