The Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone, trading as Freeport Saldanha, is located within the Port of Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, the deepest natural port in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is South Africa’s first freeport, a special economic zone (SEZ) and customs-controlled area (CCA) dedicated to the maritime, energy, logistics, and engineering industries.
Freeport Saldanha is the first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to be located within a port and is the only sector-specific SEZ in South Africa catering specifically to the oil and gas, maritime fabrication and repair industries and related support services.
Freeport Saldanha is overseen by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism of the Western Cape Government.
Freeport Saldanha, under its registered company name of Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone Licencing Company SOC Ltd (SBIDZ-LC) was awarded an operator’s license on 31 October 2013, marking the formal beginning of its 30-year journey to create a vibrant hub of opportunity, job creation and sustainable growth, utilising the SEZ legislation as a catalyst.
Its superb location at the southernmost tip of Africa, in the largest and deepest (23m draught) natural port in the southern hemisphere means that Freeport Saldanha is the perfect place to accommodate and service a wide range of vessels.
Freeport Saldanha is ideally situated to service East and West African sea traffic, providing a linkage point for both African and international market.
As the name suggests, Freeport Saldanha operates as a freeport with streamlined investor procedures supported by our Ease of Doing Business model.
Freeport Saldanha is committed to creating a competitive and profitable zone for industry investors and local businesses.
Freeport Saldanha strives to create sustainable growth for all its partners and stakeholders, while ensuring a better future for the community of Saldanha Bay.
Freeport Saldanha is shaping a vibrant marketplace where investors, local businesses, and communities can unlock economic growth. Eligible firms will benefit from the globally competitive customs and value-added tax (VAT) regime across 70% of the zone’s land.
Freeport Saldanha is a universal benchmark for ports and special economic zones as it offers a streamlined, fast, secure, cost-effective customs and logistics system, saving industry target audiences time and money.
Freeport Saldanha aims to be Africa’s premier maritime, energy, logistics, and engineering freeport, offering a world-class integrated shipyard, engineering, fabrication, logistics, and related services within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to zone users and tenants.
Vision
Tto create an enabling environment that promotes sustainable economic growth and job creation.
Mission
To foster responsible investment that creates shared prosperity for Saldanha Bay as a sustainable pioneer in South Africa.
Values
Freeport Saldanha is driven to do everything necessary to achieve its vision and motivated to go the extra mile, with a clear and unwavering focus on its core values.
Freeport Saldanha is:
- Partnership Focused: We work together. We grow together. We show mutual respect.
- Pioneering: Freeport Saldanha knows where they have come from and where they are heading. They dedicate themselves to creating the conditions for their collective success. They achieve what is possible and overcome what others see as impossible.
- Sustainability-Driven: Freeport Saldanha believes in making a difference that matters and that sustains itself after their work is done. They create spaces for empowerment and self-development. They catalyse sustainable transformation for lives, businesses and economies.
- Accountable: Freeport Saldanha takes ownership of its actions. They hold themselves accountable. They make the right decision and take the right action, to deliver sustainable growth to their organisations, communities and South Africa.
Overseeing Department/Entity
Office Bearers/Management
| Chairperson: | Irvin Esau (Acting) |
| Deputy Chairperson: | n/a |
| Board Members: | – Herman Boneschans (CFO) – Cornell de Kock (Pending shareholder approval) – Sandiso Gcwabe – Sadick Jaffer (Pending shareholder approval) – Stieneke Jensma – Edwin Obiri – Doug Southgate (Acting CEO) |
| CEO: | Doug Southgate (Acting) |
| CFO: | Herman Boneschans (Pending shareholder approval) |
| COO: | Doug Southgate |
| Senior Management: | – Gareth Geldenhuys (Executive: Transaction and Investor Support) – Conray Joseph (Executive: Stakeholder Management) – Kgethi Molemane (Executive: Infrastructure and Environment) – Shanon Neumann (Acting Executive: Ease of Doing Business) |
| Communications Officers: | Carla Bagarette |
Contact Details
The contact details of Freeport Saldanha are listed in the table below.
| Physical Address: | 24 Main Road, Saldanha Bay, 7395 |
| Telephone: | – 022 714 0206 – 087 095 0261 |
| Email: | info@freeportsaldanha.com |
| Website: | www.freeportsaldanha.com |
