Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has invited stakeholders and the public to submit written comments on the proposed designation of the Vaal Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) will also host a public hearing in the Sedibeng district later this month.

The deadline for submitting comments is April 20.

The Gauteng provincial government had submitted the proposed Vaal SEZ application to the dtic in April 2025.

The proposed SEZ development will be built on 817 ha of land parcels identified in all three local municipalities in the Sedibeng district.

The proposed Vaal SEZ has built a strong investor pipeline, which indicates an unserved market demand for industrial infrastructure investment in the district. The proposed SEZ already has priority investors who are ready to break ground in the 2026/27 financial year, says Tau.

“Investment in the proposed Vaal SEZ is anticipated to significantly enhance employment prospects in the region throughout the construction and operational phases.

“The expected contribution of the development of the Vaal SEZ to GDP is expected to be R4-billion in Phase 1 and R10.7-billion once fully developed.”

During the construction period in Phase 1, the project is expected to create about 4 302 direct jobs and 1 305 indirect jobs. Further, 5 902 direct jobs will be created during the operational stage.

The Vaal SEZ will serve the market demand from a range of sectors, including energy, with a focus on renewable energy components manufacturing, and green hydrogen, with the aim to form a hub for fuel-cell manufacturing.

The SEZ will also aim to serve as a hub for metallurgical manufacturing, with focus on green steel, agroprocessing, including cannabis processing, and general manufacturing.

The Vaal SEZ will further aim to serve as a trade zone for electronics, aerospace and aviation, and agricultural and agroprocessing linked to the Heidelberg Airport and logistics facilities on the Lesedi land parcel.