Investors operating within the Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone (SEZ) generated approximately R531 million in exports during the 2025/26 financial year, supplying markets across the Southern African Development Community and beyond, Dube TradePort said.
The organisation said the export performance came as it continued expanding its industrial and logistics infrastructure to support growing investor demand.
During the financial year, the SEZ invested R109.7 million in fixed capital projects, including work on Dube TradeZone 2 and Dube AgriZone 2, while advancing the construction of large-scale industrial warehousing facilities, according to Dube TradePort.
Planned projects for the current financial year include a 4.4 MW solar farm, two new industrial warehouses and a new water reservoir to support future industrial expansion, it said.
Since its inception, the SEZ has attracted R4.2 billion in private-sector investment and sustained 36 872 permanent jobs across KwaZulu-Natal, according to Dube TradePort. During the past financial year, it attracted a further R480 million in private investment, creating 631 permanent and 102 temporary jobs.
Dube TradePort said its integrated model, linking industrial facilities with King Shaka International Airport, the Port of Durban and the provincial road network, had continued to underpin export growth.
It also highlighted recent improvements in air connectivity, including increased flight frequencies by Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Eswatini Air, which it said would strengthen links between KwaZulu-Natal and international markets.
