Christabell

By Mandla Mpangase The next test for South Africa’s automotive sector is not only how much investment it can attract, but how widely that investment can strengthen local industry. That question was at the heart of South African Auto Week’s fifth-anniversary panel, “Setting the Scene: Commemorating 5 Years of SA Auto Week,” which included TASEZ Business Development Executive Msokoli Ntombana. TASEZ has begun Phase 2 development, with a focus on bringing black industrialists into the automotive value chain. Ntombana says the approach reflects a wider economic imperative. “When more local businesses can supply, manufacture, and build expertise in the sector, investment has a greater chance of deepening industrial capacity and spreading its benefits,” he says.  Inclusive growth is therefore central to the sector’s long-term competitiveness. Broadening participation can expand the supplier base, strengthen local capability, and give more businesses a stake in the value created by automotive investment. “South Africa’s automotive ambitions will be stronger when more black industrialists can participate across the value chain. Through Phase 2, TASEZ is working to open that space and connect investment with local enterprise development.”

By Mandla Mpangase The question facing South Africa’s automotive industry is no longer whether the global transition is coming. It is whether the country can attract the investment needed to remain part of it.That question is a central focus at SA Auto Week 2026, being held at the Durban International Convention Centre, from 13 to 16 October. The fifth annual gathering brings government, industry and investors together to discuss policy, manufacturing, new-energy vehicles and the conditions needed to drive investment and inclusive growth. For automotive investment destinations such as TASEZ, the NEV transition presents opportunities to localise components, attract new production technologies and develop suppliers across the value chain.   For the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ), the debate goes to the heart of its mandate: making South Africa a competitive destination for automotive investment, while strengthening the industrial base around it. “South Africa’s automotive future will be shaped by where the next wave of production, technology and supplier investment is built. TASEZ is working to make Tshwane a compelling place for that investment, with world-class, fit-for-purpose facilities, access to an established automotive base and support to help investors move from interest to operation,” said Msokoli Ntombana, TASEZ Business Development Executive. The timing is significant. South Africa’s automotive exports reached a record R291bn in 2025, according to naamsa, underscoring the sector’s value to the economy, and the scale of the opportunity to deepen local production and supply chains. The industry accounts for 5.2% of GDP and 23.8% of manufacturing output, while vehicle and component exports reach 154 international markets. But the latest figures also reveal the pressures on the industry. Domestic new-vehicle sales rose 12.7% year on year to 61,645 units in September, according to naamsa’s October media statement, while vehicle exports fell 18.8% to 31,473 units.    The contrast underscores the need to turn demand at home into stronger local production and sustainable export growth.   The shift to new-energy vehicles adds urgency. Sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and batteryelectric vehicles reached 18,945 units in the first eight months of 2026, already exceeding the 16,703 sold throughout 2025. For automotive investment destinations such as TASEZ, that transition presents opportunities to localise components, attract new production technologies and develop suppliers across the value chain.With automotive manufacturing employing about 113,000 people, investment decisions carry  consequences well beyond vehicle assembly. The challenge for SA Auto Week is to turn discussions on competitiveness, localisation and the energy transition into projects that expand industrial capacity and create jobs

The launch of the Vul’Amathuba Campaign at Constitution Hill in Braamfontein has brought renewed focus to one of Gauteng’s most pressing economic priorities: connecting people not merely to information about opportunities, but to tangible pathways into the economy. The initiative brings job seekers, young people, artisans, graduates and entrepreneurs closer to opportunities in employment, skills development and enterprise support. Against this backdrop, TASEZ is engaging directly with participants seeking to understand how they can access opportunities generated through strategic industrial development. Conversations at the TASEZ exhibition stand span skills development and employment opportunities, SMME development, enterprise and supplier development and procurement opportunities , reflecting the growing expectation that industrialisation must translate into meaningful economic inclusion.