Moneyweb reports that SA’s first fully-fledged smartphone factory is to open at Dube TradePort Special Economic Zone (SEZ) north of Durban. Pan-African investment conglomerate Mara Group plans to invest R1.5 billion into the project.
The group’s decision to locate the high-tech factory at Dube TradePort was revealed by Sihle Zikalala, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for economic development and tourism, who pointed out that the group pledged the investment during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s investment summit in October. Zikalala said the company had signed a lease agreement and was “proceeding with the implementation of this investment”, which is anticipated to create some 500 jobs. The ‘Maraphone’ factory will apparently be in operation later this year. Phase One of the TradeZone is virtually full, and work on a new 45 hectare site known as TradeZone 2 has commenced. Dube TradePort CEO Hamish Erskine reported: “We are targeting electronics and pharmaceutical investors for this site. It is part of our overall plan to lure R18 billion worth of investment over the next five years into Dube TradePort.”
- Read the original version of Suren Naidoo’s report on this story in full at Moneyweb
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page