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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 66990, member: 636"]
Public Works and Infrastructure Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala launched a national program to build new small harbors in overlooked coastal towns, starting in Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. He handed over Special Economic Zone designations for selected sites, a step meant to steer major investment and correct historic imbalances. Three Spatial Economic Development Frameworks for KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and the Northern Cape set out how fisheries, tourism, and small businesses will link to the projects.

The first phase targets three locations, Port Shepstone, Port St Johns, and Port Nolloth, after earlier options were revised. Each harbor will add boat launch sites, fisheries facilities, and related works. The Port Shepstone build alone is projected at about R1 billion and is expected to create thousands of work opportunities. These would be the first new harbors since 1994, shifting attention beyond the Western Cape.

Officials said the plan aligns with the District Development Model, the Eastern Seaboard effort, N2 Corridor upgrades, and Operation Phakisa’s Oceans Economy. Stakeholder sessions in Port Shepstone and the Eastern Cape highlighted support for local enterprises, while an in-kind grant from China funds coastal feasibility studies. The state invited private partners to help scale the builds.
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