Western Cape :: Business Sectors

Wesgro

          Wesgro is responsible for attracting investment, promoting exports and presenting the Western Cape business image and is the first point of contact for anyone interested in exploiting the many opportunities available in the Western Cape. These include Trade Services (exporting, trade fairs, market intelligence, standards and building relationships) and Investment Services (information, opportunities, incentives and support).

 Western Cape Enterprise

• Biotechnology.
  An estimated 60% of South Africa's biotech start-ups happen in the Western Cape. They are supported by the highest concentration of medical practitioners and specialists in the country. The regional biotechnological advantage lies in its unique plant and associated microbial diversity - the richest on earth.
• Film Industry.
  The industry is estimated to be worth R2bn p.a with indirect spin-offs for support products and services businesses. The Cape government is backing the construction of in international standard film studio, together with a private sector stakeholder. The studio will include eight sound stages, as well as production and back lot facilities.
• Agriculture.
  Over the course of the last decade changes in practice have led to lucrative opportunities for niche products sold nationally and internationally. Examples include health and organic foods, herbs, aseptically packaged products, and aquaculture. Aquaculture successes include abalone, mussels, oysters, trout and Cape salmon.
• Tourism.
  Cape Town is the key to a world-class Western Cape tourist sector - it is one of the world's top five international destinations. The province has the highest average expenditure per head in the country. 2004 saw ratification of the Western cape Tourism Act which includes private-public partnership initiatives and co-operations.
• Call Centres.
  South African call centre business is expected to double in the next four years, and Cape Town is recognised as the place most likely to benefit. Employment in the industry to is set to quadruple as South Africa, compared with India or the Philippines, is seen to provide a higher quality, more culturally aligned, service fluent in English and in the same time zone. The industry is already one of Cape Town's top ten employers and a key strength lies in the depth of financial services expertise - 50% of staff work in this area. The city already has 160 call centres, run by 70 companies and employing over 10,000 people directly or indirectly. The city hosts Lufthansa's call centre and also a centre for Dutch consumers, taking advantage of language coached Afrikaans speakers. In 2004 a UK insurance company Budget Group announced it was to invest R100m in a new Cape Town call centre. It is estimated that the local industry could expand by 10,000 seats per year without difficulty.
  

Telecommunications

          Another significant encouragement to South African and Western Cape business in general, and call centre business in particular, has come through the deregulation of national telephony monopoly Telkom and the consequent availability of 'free' VoIP services and free local calls. Undersea fibre-optic links join South Africa to Europe.