The Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) is emerging as one of South Africa’s strongest industrial success stories.
By creating jobs, attracting billions in investment, and opening manufacturing opportunities for township communities, it serves as a rare, functioning model of what bold, accountable, and transformative industrial leadership looks like.
Under Chief Executive Officer Dr Bheka Zulu, the automotive zone—which houses Ford South Africa’s manufacturing plant in Tshwane—has evolved beyond a traditional industrial park.
It is now a major economic development hub focused on industrial growth, skills development, and supplier inclusion.
Since its launch, TASEZ has secured more than R5.6 billion in private sector investment commitments, exceeding its original Phase 1 target of R3.4 billion.
Earlier investment rounds also attracted approximately R4.9 billion in foreign direct investment alongside R4.12 billion in government funding.
Zulu said the vision behind TASEZ was to build a long-term industrial ecosystem capable of strengthening South Africa’s manufacturing future.
“TASEZ is more than infrastructure. It is a platform for growth, development, and innovation,” he said.
The zone has become an increasingly important part of South Africa’s automotive value chain by supporting supplier development, export competitiveness, localisation, and advanced manufacturing capacity.
Employment creation has emerged as one of the project’s most significant achievements.
According to TASEZ, 3,244 investor-linked jobs have already been created inside the zone, while 5,071 construction jobs have been generated since inception.
The overall employment impact during Phase 1 stands at approximately 7,887 jobs.
In South Africa’s economic context, where a single income often supports an extended household network, the ripple effect of these 7,887 jobs reaches far beyond the individuals employed directly.
It extends into thousands of families and dependants whose daily stability is tied to formal economic participation.
Furthermore, more than 65% of investor-related employment opportunities have gone to residents from surrounding townships, including Mamelodi and nearby communities.
Zulu said industrialisation must create sustainable employment opportunities capable of supporting households and enabling long-term economic participation.
“Meaningful jobs are permanent jobs that bring innovation and future development,” he said.
Beyond employment creation, TASEZ has focused heavily on small business participation and broader economic inclusion.
The zone has introduced supplier development programmes, business mentorship, entrepreneurial support, and integration into automotive supply chains.
These initiatives are driven through partnerships with organisations including the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), and the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC).
TASEZ is targeting up to 45% participation by small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Current procurement figures show a 6.2% allocation to women-owned businesses, 18% to youth-owned companies, and 2% to businesses owned by persons with disabilities.
Zulu said transformation must move beyond policy discussions into measurable economic participation.
The zone has also invested significantly in future workforce development through the TASEZ Academy.
The academy provides technical training, workplace readiness programmes, artisan development, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education linked directly to manufacturing needs.
This institution is preparing young people for an evolving automotive industry increasingly shaped by automation, smart manufacturing, and electric vehicle (EV) technology.
Governance has become another one of the zone’s strongest selling points. Remarkably, within the context of South Africa’s public sector, TASEZ has achieved four consecutive clean audits under Zulu’s stewardship.
This record speaks directly to institutional discipline, financial accountability, and operational consistency.
During the 2023/24 financial year, infrastructure spending reached R223 million, while operational expenditure totalled R354 million against a R369 million budget.
The project is now entering its second expansion phase, which includes additional industrial infrastructure, supplier incubation facilities, and localisation support systems.
One major development includes the construction of a 15-megalitre reservoir by MES Major, a black-owned contractor that previously participated in a TASEZ mentorship programme.
Zulu noted that while industrialisation remains central to tackling unemployment, poverty, and inequality, the next phase of TASEZ’s growth will depend on stronger alignment with key shareholders and public-sector leaders.
This includes the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, and the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Dr Nasiphi Moya.
Zulu argues that support from these offices is increasingly visible through programmes focused on infrastructure, investment facilitation, localisation, township enterprise development, and industrial expansion.
He said if coordinated effectively, this backing could significantly strengthen TASEZ’s growth and increase its impact on jobs, supplier development, and broader Gauteng City Region economic growth. Future aspirations for TASEZ are centred on building a deeper, more competitive industrial ecosystem—one in which SMMEs move from the margins to the core of automotive production, maintenance, logistics, and supplier innovation.
The next chapter is not only about expanding factory space, but about widening participation, developing black industrialists, strengthening township-based supplier pipelines, and creating a stronger platform for local manufacturing entrepreneurs to enter higher-value segments of the sector.
That future is also closely tied to continental and technological shifts now reshaping the automotive industry.
As the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) opens wider possibilities for regional trade and industrial integration, TASEZ has an opportunity to position itself as a gateway for automotive exports, component manufacturing, and cross-border value chains.
The work being done at TASEZ maps directly onto the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Ten-Pillar Programme of Transformation, Modernisation and Re-industrialisation, giving concrete, measurable expression to priorities that too often remain at the level of policy intention.
The zone’s township-first hiring and SMME inclusion targets speak to radical economic transformation. Its physical location in Mamelodi addresses decisive spatial transformation.
The TASEZ Academy delivers accelerated social transformation. Four consecutive clean audits embody the transformation of the state and governance. Its embrace of smart manufacturing and electric vehicle readiness positions it within the modernisation of the economy.
Its role in the Tshwane industrial corridor contributes directly to the modernisation of public transport and infrastructure. Most pointedly, TASEZ sits at the intersection of the two pillars that define Gauteng’s long-term economic ambition: re-industrialising South Africa’s economic hub, and positioning the province to lead Africa’s next industrial revolution.
“We must plan boldly, invest bravely, and move together to make Gauteng cleaner, smarter, greener, and more connected,” Zulu said.