A Round-Up of The State of The Premiers’ 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
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
