State Of The Province Addresses

A Round-Up of The State of The Province Addresses

By Koketso Mamabolo

Gauteng

Premier: Honourable Panyaza Lesufi

Population: 15 099 422 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R1.5-trillion (StatsSA, 2022)

• The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone has already attracted R26-billion worth of investment which has already created 3 300 permanent jobs and 229 SMMEs have already benefitted from R1.7-billion in procurement spending

• In the past year 150 000 new people have joined the Medicine Dispense and Distribution programme taking the total to 1.5 million people registered

• Gauteng attracted almost half of the investment pledges made at the President’s investment conference held in the province, amounting to R180-billion

• Public and private employment initiatives will create 271 150 new permanent and 561 000 employment opportunities

• Expansion of the Lanseria International Airport will attract R3-billion in investments

• R28-billion is set to be invested the Vaal Aetropolis as part of the Vaal SEZ

• Gautrain expansion set to create 125 000 new jobs Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal

Premier: Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli

Population: 12 423 907 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R761-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• R75.8-billion pledged by 16 companies for projects at KZN Investment Conference in November 2024

• R4.6-billion in private sector investment for Dube Tradeport, creating 5 000 permanent jobs and 51 000 indirect jobs

• 70 out of 100 capital projects completed with 5000 jobs created

• Green economy interventions set to create 7 725 job opportunities

• KwaZulu-Natal Digital Fund to be launched in June 2025 in partnership with the private sector

• R30-million in aid for sugar farmers in partnership with the South African Farmers Development Association and SA Canegrowers

• R200-million committed by Ithala for SMMEs and cooperatives in rural and township economies

Western Cape

Premier: Honourable Alan Winde

Population: 7 433 020 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R653-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• The province has attracted 296 foreign direct investment projects worth more than R171-billion

• R39.5-billion infrastructure budget over the next three years

• R18.5-billion over the next 10 years for metro healthcare infrastructure

• SMME Booster Fund has supported 1 185 small businesses, creating over 1 000 jobs

• In 2024 Cape Town International Airport saw the most of number of visitors its had since 12 years

• Western Cape matric class of 2024 had its best ever pass rate, up 5.1% from 2023

• Cruise industry contributed R1.2-billion to Western Cape’s economy in 2023/24

• Experiential Learning Programme has assisted over 12 000 young people with skills programmes in a range of industries

Eastern Cape

Premier: Honourable Oscar Mabunyane

Population: 7 230 204 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R365-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• R200-billion in investment over the last five years

• R50-billion over next five years in partnership with SANRAL for road infrastructure

• In the last five years the province government has done R43.8-billion worth of business with suppliers based in the Eastern Cape

• R4.3-billion will be spent on building 26 400 houses

• The province has set a target of creating 1 million jobs by 2030

Mpumalanga

Premier: Honourable Mandla Padney Ndlovu

Population: 5 143 324 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R340-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• 238 youth-owned enterprises have received R257.9-million through the Premier’s Youth Development Fund

• R585-million allocated for the Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) for 2025/26

• 150 000 subsistence and small-scale farmers to be given access markets

• Over 100 000 households to benefit from the refurbishment and upgrading of the Phase 2 Waste Water Treatment Works in Delmas

• 80% of the country’s coal mined in the province

• 11 out of 14 of the country’s coal-fired power stations are in the province

• Almost 1 million learners benefitting from the national school nutrition programme

Limpopo

Premier: Honourable Phophi Ramathuba

Population: 6 572 721 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R326-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• Provinces 4th investment conference raised R120-billion in pledges, exceeding the initial R50-billion investment

• 60% of investment pledges made are for renewable energy projects

• R10-billion in investment commitments made for Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zone

• 14 939 farmers assisted in the province’s Integrated Emerging Farmers Support Programme

• 2 100 registered ECD centres funded and 720 practitioners trained on the National Curriculum Framework

• Matric pass rate up to 85.1% from 79.5% in 2023

North West

Premier: Honourable Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi

Population: 3 804 548 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R284-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• R4.5-billion has been spent on land restitution in the province

• R1.4-billion has been spent on school infrastructure

• R430-million has been paid in development grants in the land programme

• R429-million was spent in the current financial year to link rural and farming communities to economic hubs

• The Province has partnered with the SANDF and Phila Jordan Academic to give artisanal and tooling training to 3 000 young people

Free State

Premier: Honourable MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae

Population: 2 964 412 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R219-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• R3.26-billion worth of investment in the pipeline for Maluti-a-Phofung SEZ expected to create 1 243 employment opportunities

• R1.9-billion invested in road infrastructure

• R335-million budget for Early Learning programmes in 2025/26 benefitting 75 705 children

• 41 605 people reached through the province’s substance abuse prevention programme

• 11 out of 17 community-reported crimes declined in 2024/25

Northern Cape

Premier: Honourable Dr Zamani Saul

Population: 1 355 945 (StatsSA, 2022)

GDP: R98-billion (StatsSA, 2022)

• R1.2-billion spent in the last 5 years on supporting emerging black farmers

• Provincial government’s partnerships with merSETA, servicesSETA and UIF worth R800-million, benefiting 26 000 unemployed youth

• Provincial target of 60 000 jobs which could bring the unofficial unemployment rate below 20%

• The tertiary sector, mainly trade, finance and government services make up more than half of the provinces GDP

• Mining contributed to 17.3% of the provinces GDP in 2023

Sources: GCIS | StatsSA | SABC | Algoa FM | Daily Dispatch