The sixth Limpopo Investment Conference in Polokwane closed with 138.43 billion rand in investment pledges, above its 120 billion rand target for 2026, the provincial government said. The pledges were led by infrastructure, including water, roads and public works, alongside agriculture and agro processing, mining and mineral beneficiation, manufacturing and logistics, real estate, energy, tourism and ICT.
Premier Phophi Ramathuba set the implementation test explicitly: at least 30 percent of the commitments, about 41.53 billion rand, should be implemented within a year, supported by financing plans, implementation schedules and named project owners. Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who opened the InvestSA One Stop Shop in the province during the conference, made the same point to investors: commitments matter only when they become operational businesses and jobs.
The province’s own history explains the caution. Cumulative pledges across the conference series from 2021 to 2025 total 452.38 billion rand, of which 71.058 billion rand has translated into implemented investment and 23,968 jobs, an implementation share of roughly 16 percent of pledged value. The two special economic zones, Musina-Makhado and Fetakgomo-Tubatse, are the intended conversion vehicles for mining, energy, manufacturing and infrastructure projects.
Chinese ambassador Wu Peng told the conference that Chinese invested enterprises including PMC and Samancor have invested over 1 billion dollars in Limpopo mineral projects and created nearly 10,000 local jobs, and would expand through the two zones. That is operating capital already in the ground, the benchmark the new pledges will be measured against.