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Welcome to the August 2026 edition of the Sassda GPS eNewsletter! With major infrastructure, energy and industrial projects moving higher up South Africa’s economic agenda, the opportunities for local industry are becoming increasingly tangible. This month we look at where the momentum is building; from water, rail and transmission infrastructure to automotive manufacturing, mineral beneficiation and skills development. We also track important trade developments and international lessons for growth, highlighting the market signals, investment trends and emerging opportunities that could matter most to South Africa’s stainless steel sector.Enjoy the read!
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Ramaphosa: R1 trillion infrastructure drive
must rebuild SA’s infrastructure sector
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Addressing SEIFSA at a Presidential Business Breakfast recently President Ramaphosa highlighted the need for 14 000 kilometres of new transmission lines, together with investment into substations, rail, and port upgrades. Government is also investing R24 billion a year in municipal water and sanitation grants. He explicitly calls for local manufacturing of fabricated steel, pumps, valves, and engineering components. This creates a direct demand for corrosion-resistant piping, tanks, treatment equipment and fabricated assemblies for water systems…
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SA’s infrastructure boom must become an
engine for skills and jobs
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South Africa must use its major infrastructure investments not only to build physical assets, but also to systematically build the skilled workforce the country needs and create pathways into employment for thousands of young people. This is the vision behind the Construction Education and Training Authority’s (CETA) strategic partnership with the V&A Waterfront, where a R24bn expansion programme over the next 15 to 20 years is expected to generate approximately 27 000 construction-phase employment opportunities.
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South Africa’s US$122 billion energy expansion reinforces
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The Chinese backed programme aims to add 105 GW of electricity generation capacity and approximately 14 500 kilometres of transmission lines by 2039. The initiative is expected to stimulate local manufacturing of transformers, cables, batteries and grid equipment. Stainless steel stands to benefit from demand for process equipment, containment systems, structural fabrication, and corrosion-resistant components across substations, generation plants and battery-energy-storage installations… |
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Funding alone won’t solve 60 000-engineer
shortfall
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South Africa’s growing shortage of engineering and information technology skills is putting pressure on the country’s infrastructure, digital economy and innovation ambitions. The Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP) is calling for stronger collaboration between government, schools, universities, industry and funders to help address the gap..
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Chinese automaker Chery opens first South
African manufacturing plant
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Production at the Rosslyn plant is scheduled to begin in mid-2027, with an initial output of 15 000 vehicle, scaling to 50 000 vehicles annually on a single-shift basis. The investment forms part of Chery’s broader vision to establish South Africa as its African manufacturing headquarters…
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TFR making progress on coal rail line
improvements
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Private rail operator Traction announced a R3.4 billion rolling-stock investment to capitalise on South Africa’s open-access rail reforms and the broader regional mineral boom. The company already operates across several Southern African corridors now being opened to private participation. The expansion of private freight capacity and new rolling stock create a demand for stainless steel in specialised wagons, tanks, process equipment and corrosion-resistant
components…
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Afreximbank, South Africa sign US$14 billion
programme focused on manufacturing & mineral beneficiation
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The programme, signed in June 2026, covers loans, guarantees, and advisory support. Priority sectors include manufacturing, mineral beneficiation, energy, infrastructure and special economic zones. Mineral-processing and beneficiation plants are heavy users of stainless steel for tanks, reactors, piping, heat exchangers, and corrosion-resistant equipment in aggressive chemical environments, making this a multi-year demand driver for technical fabrication and supply…
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SA Government, industry leaders to build
momentum behind catalytic infrastructure initiatives
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The annual Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa (SIDSSA) is set to get underway in Cape Town next week, with billions of rands in key infrastructure programmes under discussion. The fifth edition of the impactful SIDSSA symposium will bring together African Government Ministers, mayors, development partners, and private sector and technical experts to assess national infrastructure progress and propel several key infrastructure development programmes forward…
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United States quietly gives South Africa
a big win
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The United States Senate has quietly approved a two-year extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), moving to keep it in place until the end of 2028. This follows a late extension to the programme in February 2026, which allowed the trade deal to continue until the end of the year.
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Lessons SA can take from Spain’s turnaround
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Izak Odendaal from Old Mutual Wealth Investment explores how the best-performing big economy in Europe bounced back from a devastating economic crisis in the early 2010s…
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