KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape 2023 Highlights
- December 21, 2023
Both the respective regions in the portfolio have performed very well in terms of sector job growth. In Quarter 2 - April to June 2023 - KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape continued registering significant jobs in the sector. There were 1952 new jobs created in KwaZulu-Natal accounting for 51% of new hires and the Western Cape registered 1292 new positions or 34% of new hires for the quarter. The data for Quarters 3 and 4 of 2023 are expected to be just as upbeat.
Both regions have as well seen a significant number of new investments, both from new international operators entering KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape as well as existing and well-established operators now expanding their operations into these respective regions. With regard to our partnerships at regional level, BPESA KZN renewed its corresponding Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs) with Trade and Investment KwaZulu Natal(TIKZN) and, the eThekwini Municipality Economic Development Unit (EDU). The BPESA KZN team also recently hosted the CEO of Enterprise Ilembe and his team at a workshop tasked with the expansion of GBS Sector activity into the Ilembe District Municipality and, we look to finalising both our MOA and first steps of implementation early in 2024.
In conjunction with TIKZN and EDU, BPESA KZN has conceptualised the potential development of an Inner City GBS Precinct. We have had successful engagements with eThekwini Municipality’s Urban Renewal Department and local stakeholders and, will now conduct a feasibility study as to which areas of the Durban Inner City are most suitable for the development. We have surveyed operator interest to expand their operations into the inner city and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
BPESA National also has in place a working draft of an MOA with Cape BPO; currently being reviewed by the Cape BPO CEO Clayton Williams and the Cape BPO Board. We expect to finalise signatures on the BPESA – Cape BPO MOA early in the new year.
We go into 2024 with a core intent to deliver absolute value to our existing members and, our new incoming members. We look to constantly innovate and create industry specific interventions and programmes across the value chain of the sector to assist our members with their business development aspirations and growth. Across the national and regional landscape BPESA has launched numerous subsidised GBS – BPO Skills Development Programmes for now and for the years ahead which will not only add greatly to our “Impact Sourcing” objectives but assist significantly in alleviating financial pressure on our operators and vendors in terms of their recruitment and training spend.
Coming off the back of our successful visa workshop held in early October 2023, together with our stakeholders and partners namely the Dtic, Harambee, Invest SA and, the Department of Home Affairs, we now plan to host quarterly engagements in the year of 2024 and beyond. The core intent is to have our members, stakeholders, and partners be constantly informed on how to better engage with the various departments and to have government collaborate with the sector so that our resolution of visa applications is better served and fast-tracked.
