Ramaphosa Praises Durban Business Community for Supporting Economic Recovery

Durban, The Gulf Observer: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the business community in KwaZulu-Natal for its continued partnership with the government in overcoming major crises, including the July 2021 civil unrest and the devastating floods of April 2022.

The President made these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 170th Annual Gala Dinner of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry in eThekwini on Wednesday evening.

President Ramaphosa praised the Chamber for mobilising businesses, supporting enterprises affected by the unrest and working alongside the government to restore economic activity in the province.

He noted that the business community once again demonstrated its commitment following the catastrophic floods in April 2022, collaborating with the government and other social partners to repair infrastructure, assist distressed businesses and restore operations at the Port of Durban.

The President said the Chamber’s willingness to unite stakeholders during periods of uncertainty had been a major strength, highlighting its sustained commitment to public-private partnerships.

He also acknowledged the Chamber’s role in the Presidential eThekwini Working Group (PeWG), which was established to address key challenges facing the metropolitan area, including water supply disruptions, deteriorating infrastructure, declining tourism, port efficiency and crime.

According to President Ramaphosa, progress achieved through the working group reflects effective political and administrative leadership at municipal and provincial levels, alongside the active participation of national government departments, public entities and business stakeholders.

He highlighted improvements in municipal utility revenue collection, the management of non-revenue water and expenditure on repairs and maintenance as positive outcomes of the partnership.

However, the President cautioned that persistent service delivery problems, particularly those relating to water supply, continued to constrain economic recovery and investment.

He stressed that significant infrastructure backlogs remained a major obstacle to improving public services and attracting further investment.

In this regard, Ramaphosa welcomed the eThekwini Metropolitan Council’s adoption of the Development and Service Delivery Partnering Policy Framework, aimed at addressing delays and bureaucratic hurdles associated with public-private partnerships.

He called for the framework to be translated into concrete action through the implementation of major infrastructure projects, the revitalisation of manufacturing and industrial zones, and measures to reduce the cost of doing business.

Economic Recovery and Investment Momentum

Turning to the province’s economic prospects, President Ramaphosa said eThekwini had secured the largest share of investment commitments announced at the recent KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference, which attracted commitments totalling R124.5 billion.

The investments cover several key sectors, including manufacturing, automotive production, infrastructure, logistics and tourism.

He also highlighted signs of recovery in the city’s tourism industry, noting that national tourism figures were increasing, with KwaZulu-Natal and Durban contributing significantly to the growth.

Around 1.2 million visitors travelled to Durban during the previous festive season. The city was also ranked 14th in Time Out’s Best Places to Travel in 2026 and continued to strengthen its position as a destination for major international and regional events, including Africa’s Travel Indaba and the 46th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit.

The President further cited the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey published by Statistics South Africa, which showed that eThekwini had recorded the lowest unemployment rate among the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities.

He said the metro was also the only one to register a decline in unemployment both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year.

Employment in eThekwini had reached 1.29 million, representing an increase of approximately 90,000 jobs compared with the previous year, he added.

Progress at the Port of Durban

President Ramaphosa also pointed to improvements in operations at the Durban Gateway Terminal, one of the busiest port facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

He said security incidents and cable theft along the rail network had declined, while Transnet was procuring additional security resources to protect the central corridor serving the Port of Durban.

The President further noted that the latest World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index had identified the Port of Durban as the world’s most improved port.

He added that disruptions following the migration to a new terminal operating system were being addressed after a meeting between the Minister of Transport and terminal management.

Concluding his address, President Ramaphosa said the signs of Durban’s economic recovery were becoming increasingly evident, reflecting the city’s renewed momentum and the collective efforts of government and the private sector.

He emphasised that the progress achieved must be sustained through continued collaboration, investment in infrastructure and decisive action to resolve the remaining challenges facing the city.