The 2016 edition of the Gauteng Business and Investment Guide is the premier business and investment guide for the Gauteng province and the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA). In addition to detailed profiles of key provincial organisations, including the GGDA, the Automotive Industry Development Corporation Centre (AIDC), the Gauteng Investment Centre, the Gauteng IDZ, the Gauteng ICT Park SEZ and Constitution Hill, this edition includes well-researched economic and demographic data on the province, as well as insights into the province’s five development corridors and the new industries and development nodes in these corridors; a focus on Gauteng as a global city region; and key growth sectors for the province.
OVERVIEW Finance and
OVERVIEW Finance and business services Gauteng is without doubt the financial hub of Africa, boasting more than 70 foreign banks and a wide range of financial services, that are comparable to any first world country. The quality of the financial and business service infrastructure throughout Gauteng makes it the ideal launch-pad for a variety of companies looking to do business in this vibrant region. Leading players within the sector include First National Bank, Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Investec and Rand Merchant Bank, while the JSE, Africa’s largest stock exchange, is also located in Gauteng. Each year, the financial services sector contributes 21 percent to the province’s GDP. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Gauteng is home to more than 70 percent of South Africa’s call centres. The sector’s strong presence in Gauteng is expected to continue to grow — Business Processing enabling GAUTENG BUSINESS 2016 88
OVERVIEW South Africa (BPeSA) predicts that the sector will continue to grow at between nine and 14 percent. Confident of the sector’s future growth prospects, the IT firm Wipro opened a 1 000 seat call-centre in Johannesburg in 2011. Benefiting from a range of incentive schemes offered by the national government (through agencies such as the GGDA), the BPO sector contributed R1.7- billion to South Africa’s economy in 2010. Call centres catering for the United Kingdom account for more than half (54 percent) of South Africa’s overseas business within the BPO sector. Customer service is the most significant segment of the domestic call-centre industry. Billing and account-handling is the second-largest service area, followed by technical support, telemarketing and telesales, and reservations. More centres are likely to open in the future. The province has high volumes of vacant prime office space in peri-urban areas, and Johannesburg’s Urban Development Zone (UDZ) has been earmarked for the development of ICT firms (including call centres) and subsidises rent, utilities and services. Insurance sector Gauteng is a dominant location for the insurance industry on the African continent. French reinsurer Scor Group has established a presence in Johannesburg in order to target the English and Portuguese speaking markets on the continent, specifically Nigeria and Angola. All of the major banks are well represented in the province, and all the large insurance companies have a major presence throughout the province. Many of the major life insurance companies are also playing their part by helping to develop SMEs. In 2015 alone, the Liberty Group provided financial access to over 16 SMEs. “By investing in SMEs we are investing in the future of our business, our industry and our economy. Liberty started off as a small business and at our core we understand entrepreneurship,” said a spokesperson for the Group. The City of Tshwane The City of Tshwane is strategically positioned to service international Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) investments. With an estimated 11 000 people employed in the BPO industry in Tshwane and its 89 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2016
