Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Zuko Godlimpi, says that export-led economic growth requires a partnership between government, business, and labour. Godlimpi was speaking at the Export Symposium and Expo in Midrand, Gauteng, on Tuesday.
According to Godlimpi, in order to achieve export-led growth, government must create the enabling environment, negotiating market access, providing diplomatic support, offering financial support, delivering infrastructure, ensuring facilitative regulation, and providing market intelligence. Godlimpi said business must take risks, innovate, invest and compete in tough international markets while emphasising that businesses must invest in quality, innovation, skills development, and transformation.
He urged business to look beyond short-term profits to build sustainable relationships. Godlimpi highlighted that South Africa’s recent export performance shows both resilience and vulnerability. “In July 2025, South Africa’s exports reached R184.3 billion, up from R170.7 billion in June and recorded a trade surplus in August of nearly R4 billion. Our agricultural exports to Africa account for 40% of our export value, with maize, apples, pears and wine leading the charge.”
However, the Deputy Minister noted that the country’s export basket remains too concentrated on a handful of markets and dependent on raw materials, rather than value-added products. “The automotive sector, aerospace and defence, pharmaceuticals, fashion, film, agro-processing, and advanced manufacturing, all represent areas where South Africa has world-class capabilities,” he said.
Against this backdrop, Godlimpi said there was a challenge to scale up these successes and ensure that small and medium enterprises, particularly those owned by women, youth, and historically disadvantaged South Africans, participate meaningfully in the economy. “The future must include thousands of small and medium enterprises, particularly those owned by women, youth, and historically disadvantaged South Africans. The ambition should be for these SMMEs [small, medium, and micro enterprises] to actively export within five years, creating tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions to the economy,” he said.
Godlimpi noted that the launch of Proudly South African’s new online platform represented an exciting development in democratising market access. “E-commerce and digital trade have fundamentally transformed how businesses reach consumers, enabling even the smallest producer to access global markets,” the Deputy Minister said.
The Deputy Minister described value addition to raw material as the path to prosperity, adding that transforming raw materials into higher-value products was fundamental to South Africa’s industrialisation strategy. He underscored a need to beneficiate the country’s raw materials into finished products that have more value and create high-skilled jobs.
“As the country applies the butterfly strategy for a comprehensive approach to market diversification, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), BRICS+ and emerging markets, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Gulf States and traditional European markets offer pathways to the world’s fastest-growing economies. The key is to pursue all these markets simultaneously with intelligence, coordination, and persistence.” Godlimpi also pointed out that the United States of America’s tariffs threaten jobs, while global uncertainty creates volatility, competition remains intense, and climate change creates new barriers.
Underway from 14-16 October 2025, the Export Symposium and Expo bring together key stakeholders, including government officials, private sector representatives, export-focused businesses, and international trade experts, to explore strategies for growing and diversifying exports. Over 130 South African exporters from various key sectors are showcasing their high-quality proudly South African products and services.
