Business Insider / 10 December 2020
This week, fifty companies pledged almost R110 billion in new investments at government’s annual South Africa Investment Conference.
The investment conference was launched three years ago by president Cyril Ramaphosa, to help kick-start the moribund South African economy.
At previous investment conferences, more than R660 billion were pledged. Past pledges included a plan by Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build its first cloud data centre in Africa, in Cape Town, as well as Anglo American’s promised investment of R87 billion in local mining (R57 billion has already been invested). Procter and Gamble has invested R300 million in producing Always sanitary pads, while Naspers invested R1.5 billion in Foundry, a South Africa-focused start-up funding initiative.
Here are all the planned investments pledged this week:
- New Development Bank – formerly known as the Brics Bank – promised to provide financing of R32 billion for projects in South Africa.
- Pepsico, which bought Pioneer Foods earlier this year, said it will invest R5.5 billion to further expand manufacturing capacity across its operations in the country.
- Telkom says it will invest R8 billion to expand infrastructure across the country.
- Google confirmed that it will spend R2.2 billion on a fibre optics submarine cable in the Western Cape that will provide high-speed internet connectivity across South Africa.
This will presumably link to its new undersea cable from Portugal to South Africa. Business Insider SA previously reported that the cable will have 20 times more network capacity than the latest undersea cable that links Europe with South Africa. The project was due to be completed by 2021.
(Google)
- PG Bison will spend R1.98 billion to expand their board manufacturing plant in Piet Retief in Mpumalanga, and is investing in a medium-density fibre board plant in Boksburg.
- SA Steel Mills pledged R1.5 billion to establish a steel manufacturing plant in Gauteng.
- Divercity Urban Property Fund wants to invest R1.2 billion in a mixed-use property development in Gauteng.
- Mnambithi Group pledged R1.3 billion in a multipurpose bulk liquid storage terminal in the port of Durban.
- In the data sector, Teraco Data Environments committed R4.4 billion, while NTT and Dimension Data pledged R875 million to expand their respective data centre infrastructure in Gauteng.
- Old Mutual pledged R3.6 billion in funds towards infrastructure projects across South Africa.
- Sanlam will provide R7.25 billion in funding for small and medium enterprises and infrastructure projects across South Africa.
- Industrial Development Corporation has pledged R8 billion towards funding projects in South Africa.
- Belgian Chamber of Commerce also said it will provide R1.5 billion in investments.
- Dangold Packaging is investing R830 million in a beverage canning plant in Gauteng.
- The property group Amdec will invest R2 billion in the new Harbour Arch development in the centre of Cape Town.
An artist’s impression of the new Harbour Arch project.
- Capita, the UK’s biggest outsourcing group, has pledged R530 million to establish a global delivery centre in the Western Cape.
- Metair plans to invest R1.1 billion in the automotive components manufacturing industry in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng.
- The German multinational Dr Oetker will invest R200 million to expand the production of pizza and ready meals.
- Sasol will invest R5.4 billion towards clean fuels in their Secunda plant.
- Frimax pledged R380 million to expand the production of its snacks and potato chips.
- Akani Properties – R1.2 billion for a number of property developments in the North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
- Sola will invest R400 million in the renewable sector across the country, while Sola Africa pledged R170 million in solar energy for large industrial consumers.
- Anglo African Metal committed to invest R280 million in the beneficiation of titanium.
- Fuchs committed R260 million to expand its lubricants operations in Gauteng.
- Procter and Gamble pledged R260 million towards the expansion of their diaper plant in Kempton Park.
- Bradley Aviation pledged R244 million in the aeronautical sector in Gauteng.
- Unica committed R250 million towards expanding its manufacturing capacity of steel blitz in Gauteng.
- Scaw will be investing a further R250 million to upgrade their hot rolling mill and steel-making capacity in Gauteng.
- Supavut pledged to invest R150 million to support to the automotive components sector in the Tshwane Special Economic Zone.
- Sew Eurodrive pledged R200 million in the automation sector in Gauteng.
- In the Northern Cape, Afrimat committed R300 million worth of investment in the iron ore sector.
- In Limpopo, Ivanhoe mines is investing a further R730 million in the Platreef project.
The Platreef project. (Ivanhoe)
- The French diary group Lactalis committed to invest R100 million in a milk powder production plant in the Eastern Cape
- Sundale pledged R101 million towards cheese and dairy production in the Eastern Cape.
- Sinayo and Homesek formed a partnership to invest R500 million in the dairy sector in the Eastern Cape.
- Israeli company Clariter pledged R222 million to invest in waste plastic to oil facility in East London.
- Giant Flag Consortium pledged R184 million in an eco-tourism development.
- Mapochs Resources committed R100 million towards the re-establishment of a vanadium mine in Mpumalanga.
- Sail pledged R562 million for the beneficiation of ferrochrome in Mpumalanga.
- Sonae Arauco pledged R200 million for expansion of their paper manufacturing line in White River, Mpumalanga
- United Heavy Industries committed R350 million to the establishment of a steel bar manufacturing plant.
- A lifestyle resort investment is also in the pipeline, with a pledge from Thukela of R1.4 billion.
- Provenance committed R100 million towards the development of a film studio and innovation hub in KwaZulu-Natal.
- Robert Jurgens Construction Management has pledged R8.4 billion towards property development, including a hospital in KwaZulu-Natal
- Blythedale Coastal Estate pledged R800 million towards a lifestyle property development.
- Really Epic Dog is investing R200 million in the Home Stead luxury game lodge in KwaZulu-Natal.
- Port Shepstone committed to R550 million in an intermodal transport facility and a shopping mall in KwaZulu-Natal.
- The property fund Equites and the Swedish engineering group Sandvik have committed R287 million for expanding their facilities.