The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Honourable Thamsanqa Ntuli, is attending the South Africa Investment Conference 2026, which positions the country as one of Africa’s most compelling and competitive investment destinations. SAIC 2026 serves as a high-level platform where reform momentum is translated into capital investment, strategic partnerships, and measurable economic outcomes.
The conference provides a credible platform for policy dialogue, with a strong focus on bankable investment opportunities. The reforms being undertaken are critical in establishing credibility, strengthening investor confidence, cementing both local and global partnerships, and ensuring sustained implementation.
“KwaZulu-Natal continues to strengthen its position as South Africa’s coastal trade and industrial hub, anchored by Durban and Richards Bay, two of Africa’s busiest ports. Recent investments in port expansion and cargo-handling infrastructure are enhancing throughput capacity and creating opportunities in logistics, warehousing, export-oriented manufacturing, and industrial services.
The province is also emerging as a centre for renewable energy and green industrial development, with solar and wind projects under development to supply municipal networks and industrial zones. These energy initiatives are supporting growth in agro-processing sectors, particularly in sugarcane, soya, dairy, macadamia, and aloe-based production, where investment in processing and packaging is gaining momentum.
Our participation in the South Africa Investment Conference is aimed at engaging investors and stakeholders, and demonstrating that KwaZulu-Natal is ready for business,” said Premier Ntuli.
Yesterday, Premier Ntuli met with the Group Chief Executive Officer of Mondi Group, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to discuss challenges facing the forestry, pulp, and paper sector in KwaZulu-Natal and across South Africa.
The discussions focused on the Merebank Mill operated by Mondi Group, which produces uncoated fine paper for office use in South Africa and regional markets. The business is currently under pressure due to global oversupply and declining paper prices, which have significantly impacted profit margins. As a result, local milling operations, faced with higher production costs are increasingly vulnerable.
In addition, cheaper imports, particularly from Asia, are undercutting local production, with imported products estimated to be up to 20% cheaper than locally produced equivalents. This has led to a shift in customer demand towards imports, contributing to a decline in local demand and rendering some domestic operations economically unviable. This remains the core threat to the Merebank Mill.
The meeting explored interventions to mitigate both the direct and indirect impacts of a potential closure. These include the risk of significant job losses, the erosion of industrial capacity in Durban, and broader consequences across the forestry value chain in KwaZulu-Natal affecting transport, chemicals, maintenance suppliers, and the downstream printing industry.
“This situation represents a potential regional economic shock, not merely a company-specific challenge. The Merebank crisis extends beyond Mondi Group, it speaks to the broader risk of South Africa losing industrial capacity due to global competition and declining competitiveness.
Saving the plant will require a strategic shift from defending traditional fine paper production to building a future focused on packaging and export markets,” concluded Premier Ntuli.
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ISSUED BY KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT