City of Cape Town (CoCT) Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said hundreds of new call centre jobs are on the way to Mitchells Plain, in Cape Town, after the city helped facilitate a new business process outsourcing (BPO) investment into the neighbourhood of Beacon Valley.

The mayor paid a visit to the site on February 5, together with Economic Growth MMC Alderman James Vos.

A major new contact centre investment will bring hundreds of jobs and skills development opportunities for residents in Mitchells Plain and surrounding areas, Hill-Lewis said.

The city noted that call centres, part of the BPO sector, contributed R23-billion to Cape Town’s economy in 2024, more than double the sector’s provincial contribution of R11-billiona decade ago.

The Beacon Valley site will feature both office space and a training facility for new recruits. The investment was facilitated by the City of Cape Town’s industry special purpose vehicle CapeBPO.

“It was exciting to see this new investment taking shape at the Beacon Valley site, which will enable hundreds more jobs for the people of Mitchells Plain and surrounds. This is the second major call centre investment to set up shop in Mitchells Plain during this term, and we’re glad to have played an enabling role through the city’s CapeBPO team,” Hill-Lewis commented.

He added that the growth in call centre jobs has been one of the city’s proudest successes, with over 100 000 Capetonians now working in this sector.

“Local call centre jobs have doubled over the last decade, especially benefitting young people from lower-income communities and first-time job-seekers. This latest investment is another sign of progress for our industry support and record infrastructure investments, which continue to attract new jobs and businesses to Cape Town,” said Hill-Lewis.

He expressed his contentment with the investment “coming to the heart of” Mitchells Plain.

“Residents from this area have already demonstrated a strong appetite for opportunities in the BPO sector, with Mitchells Plain contributing the largest share of Cape Town’s BPO workforce at 16.3%, followed closely by neighbouring Khayelitsha. The sector continues to be a powerful driver of inclusive economic growth in our city, with more than 10 000 new jobs created in Cape Town last year alone.”

One of the city’s key objectives is to strengthen and expand economic hubs across the metro and closer to where people live. To achieve this, it is working closely with industry operators and CapeBPO to attract more operators to Cape Town.

“We are also ensuring more Capetonians are trained and work-ready to take up these opportunities. This Mitchells Plain development is a strong example of how targeted partnerships can translate into real jobs and economic impact for local communities,” said Vos.

“This exciting opportunity represents a significant milestone in the BPO journey for Cape Town, the Western Cape and South Africa [. . .]. We would like to thank all the stakeholders involved for their unwavering commitment and we believe that in partnership with the CoCT and our private sector constituents, we will watch this dream become a reality,” said CapeBPO CEO Clayton Williams.