KwaZulu-Natal

Renamed KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in 1994 following the merging of Natal province with KwaZulu, KZN is South Africa’s second largest provincial economy, serving as a strategically important base for manufacturing and exports. Though it occupies only 8% of the country’s land, KZN is responsible for 26.9% of its agricultural output, 21.6% of its manufacturing and 22.3% of its transport, storage and communications facilities. As home to Africa’s largest and busiest container port and bulk terminals, and sharing borders with Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho, the province plays a lead role in facilitating the country’s flow of trade. Developments now under way to convert greenfield sites near Durban’s King Shaka International Airport into a designated free zone and air freight hub are set to deepen the province’s integration and further unlock its potential for multi-modal logistics.

This chapter contains a viewpoint with Senzo Mchunu, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal; and an interview with Zamo Gwala, CEO, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal.