Posted: 23 October 2025
The Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association (Sassda) has announced the launch of a new Stainless Steel Master Plan (SSMP), a national collaborative initiative that will chart the course for the local stainless steel sector’s growth, competitiveness, and sustainability to 2030.
The SSMP is being developed as a dedicated framework for the stainless steel value chain, following the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (the dtic) 2020 Steel Master Plan, which formed part of South Africa’s Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. While that plan covered the entire steel industry, stainless steel was a relatively small focus area.
Sassda Executive Director Michel Basson says the new sector-specific plan will give stainless steel the strategic attention it needs to realise its potential as a high-value contributor to South Africa’s industrial economy.
“The stainless steel industry is small in volume but significant in value. The Steel Master Plan recognised this and called for a separate sub-sector plan. We are now taking that recommendation forward by developing a plan focused entirely on stainless steel’s strengths, opportunities and future priorities,” says Basson.
A distinct sector initiative
The Stainless Steel Master Plan is not Sassda’s internal roadmap but a sector-wide effort that includes a wide range of stakeholders. These include stainless steel producers, fabricators, suppliers, retailers, government departments, regulators, labour, and tertiary institutions.
Key partners include the dtic, SABS, CSIR, SAIW, SAISI, SAPOA, the Manufacturing Circle and universities offering engineering and metallurgy programmes. The initiative will also involve environmental and labour representatives to align industrial growth with sustainability and social development objectives.
“This is not a Sassda management exercise,” Basson emphasises. “It is a plan by industry for industry. Sassda’s role is to coordinate, facilitate and ensure that every voice in the value chain is represented.”
From national framework to focused action
The Steel Master Plan, which first identified the need for a stainless steel-specific framework, noted that the industry holds “immense value-added potential and good international demand”. Building on that, the SSMP will focus on stimulating both local consumption and exports of stainless steel products.
Unlike the broader steel plan, the SSMP will address stainless steel’s unique challenges, such as import competition, fragmented regional markets, and the need to boost downstream manufacturing capacity. It will also highlight the industry’s contribution to high-growth areas such as food processing, water infrastructure, and clean technology.
“Through our work on the Steel Master Plan we built strong partnerships between the public and private sectors. That experience has positioned us to lead a process that focuses specifically on stainless steel and the actions needed to secure its long-term growth,” says Basson.
Implementation timeline and goals
The SSMP will be developed through five phases. The first will involve stakeholder mapping, engagement and sector analysis, including a full SWOT and PEST assessment and a baseline audit of local capacity and capability.
By May 2026, Sassda aims to complete the first three phases, including defining a shared vision, mission and set of strategic goals for the stainless steel sector. These goals are expected to focus on areas such as localisation, skills development, sustainability, circular economy practices and export expansion.
The fourth phase will establish an implementation framework and monitoring structure by October 2026. Annual progress reviews will begin in 2027, with a mid-term evaluation in 2028 and a final assessment in 2029, setting the stage for the next planning cycle to 2030.
All targets will be developed using the SMART principle, ensuring they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible.
How this aligns with Sassda’s Vision 2030
While the SSMP is an industry-wide initiative, its collaborative nature supports Sassda’s own Vision 2030, which seeks to reposition the 61-year-old association for long-term relevance and sustainability.
Sassda’s internal Vision 2030 aims to transform the organisation into a financially sustainable, technically capable and industry-representative body that delivers value across the stainless steel value chain. It focuses on strengthening membership, improving service delivery, growing exports of South African-made products and enhancing the association’s influence in industry and policy circles.
“The Master Plan gives practical expression to parts of our Vision 2030,” Basson explains. “Our vision defines who we are and how we operate as an association. The Master Plan defines how the wider stainless steel sector will grow. The two work together but they are not the same.”
He adds that Vision 2030 positions Sassda as an independent, credible source of market intelligence and technical expertise, while the Master Plan provides a coordinated roadmap for the entire stainless steel ecosystem to achieve growth.
A unified approach to sustainability and growth
The SSMP also reinforces Sassda’s belief that sustainable industry development requires alignment between business, government and labour. By focusing on practical, achievable actions rather than policy statements, the plan aims to translate collaboration into measurable outcomes such as job creation, local manufacturing growth and increased exports.
Basson says that while many challenges lie ahead, the sector has shown resilience and a strong commitment to collective action. “We have reached a crossroads where change is essential for survival. This Master Plan is the mechanism through which the stainless steel industry can chart its own future. It brings structure, focus and accountability to how we build competitiveness and sustainability.”
Looking forward
As Sassda leads the coordination of the Stainless Steel Master Plan, it continues to refine its own internal strategy under Vision 2030 to ensure that it remains a relevant and effective industry voice. Together, the two frameworks are expected to strengthen South Africa’s position as a producer of high-quality stainless steel products for both domestic and international markets.
“Our goal is to ensure that stainless steel remains the material of choice for modern, sustainable development,” Basson concludes. “Through collaboration, data-driven planning and clear direction, both Sassda and the industry can build a stronger, more competitive future.”