The roadshow will be in the form of workshops where the South African delegation will make presentations to Chinese investors, finance institutions and government representatives on South African SEZs opportunities and incentives offered

PRETORIA, South Africa, May 24, 2018/ -- The Chief Executive Officer of the Free State Development Corporation, Mr Ikhraam Osman will leave for China on Friday to search for investments for the Maluti-A-Phofung Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Osman will be part of a South African delegation that will be participating in a five-day Special Economic Zones Investment Roadshow that has been organised by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti).  The roadshow will be led by the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Bulelani Magwanishe and is aimed at attracting investors to the South African SEZs which are located in various parts of the country.

The roadshow is intended to give representatives of the South African government, implementers of the SEZ Programme and SEZs to present the value-proposition of the SEZs to potential investors and finance institutions.   The roadshow will be in the form of workshops where the South African delegation will make presentations to Chinese investors, finance institutions and government representatives on South African SEZs opportunities and incentives offered.

Osman says the roadshow will provide him with an opportunity to attract new investors from China into the Maluti-A-Phofung SEZ that is located in the Eastern Free State town of Harrismith.

“the dti and the Free State Development Corporation have spent a significant amount of money on upgrading the infrastructure of the Maluti-A-Phofung SEZ to make it more attractive to the investors. Now is the time for us to focus our attention on bringing more investors to the SEZ in order for it to effectively serve its purpose of contributing in growing the economy and creating jobs in the province,” says Osman.

He adds that he is confident that the SEZ has numerous positive attributes that will make it appealing to potential Chinese investors. These include the fact that the SEZ is situated between the largest port in Africa, Durban and the largest market in Africa, which is Gauteng.

“From the location point of view, the Maluti-A-Phofung SEZ is the right place to be as it is the natural choice for investors seeking a cost-effective location to service domestic and export markets. The SEZ offers manufacturers and exporters a logistics base that facilitates access to the Port of Durban, and intermodal logistics solutions for the transfer of freight between road and rail,” says Osman.

Osman says from Shanghai he will be proceeding to the Chinese capital, Beijing to meet with potential investors that he started negotiating with about five months ago.

“The trip will also provide me with an opportunity to possibly complete discussions with this Chinese company with the aim of getting them to invest in the SEZ or anywhere in the Free State. The company has interests in mining, cable manufacturing, hospitality industry and financial services amongst others,” says Osman.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa