Data from payment provider, Yoco, shows that during December 2025, Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Plettenberg Bay accounted for 67% of all international visitor payments across the country.
This translates into R500 million flowing into local businesses and protecting and creating jobs, said Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, who delivered the Western Cape State of the Province Address on Wednesday.
“This is a Cape Town pastry chef who gets a permanent role in a new bakery. This is a Stellenbosch wine guide who can pay off his student loan. This is a mountain bike mechanic in Plett who can make the final payment on his business loan,” said the Premier.
He said as the country has been taken off the grey list, fuel prices are down, inflation is down, and the Rand is stronger than it has been in years. The green shoots of economic revival were most welcome in the Western Cape where economic growth doubled over the last five years.
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“Nearly 90% of all net jobs created in South Africa over the last five years were created right here in the Western Cape. That means of the 404 712 total net jobs created, 360 347 of them come from this province.”
Winde said growth and jobs were the cornerstone of the province’s vision, because “nothing fixes a life like a job, nothing builds dignity like a job, and nothing puts food on the table like a job”.
He said 93 000 new jobs were created in the province in the last quarter and unemployment is now down to 18.1%, the lowest in South Africa.
“Since 2022, the number of small businesses has grown by 143 119. That is 55% growth, compared to only 18% nationally. The Western Cape Government supports this growth by cutting red tape and providing tailored business support.”
The SME Accelerator Support programme partners with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange to strengthen the investment readiness of small businesses. The programme recruited over 200 businesses with funding readiness support and matched 115 of these businesses directly with a range of funders over the past two years.
The province launched an inaugural TechTalks series, where 150 businesses obtained practical guidance on technology adoption, notably AI, helping small businesses harness innovation for growth.
“In aerospace, 20% of all satellites circumnavigating the world have components made right here in the Cape. The Western Cape has a booming boatbuilding industry producing vessels with cutting edge tech.
“The Western Cape is also front-and-centre in driving the revitalisation of the country’s ailing logistics sector. Our government fully supports Operation Vulindlela as a critical national reform programme to unlock economic growth, create jobs, and modernise the country’s economy.”
Winde welcomed measures that will relax competition rules for the country’s rail and port networks.
“Steps to return efficiency to the Port of Cape Town by investing in critical infrastructure are much needed and long overdue. The Western Cape Government will welcome private sector operators and investors with open arms to achieve this,” he said.
Further support is offered to jobseekers through the provision of free Wi-Fi at 1 600 sites across the province. By December 2025, the network had almost wis million subscribers.
After a successful, inaugural Western Cape investment summit last year, with a multi-billion Rand deal book, Winde said he was delighted to announce that five projects were now nearing financial close.
The following is set to be announced this year:
-R600 million in the green hydrogen industry;
-R1.8 bn in the manufacturing sector;
-R105 million in the tech industry;
-R250 million in the green economy (EV) and
-R400 million in the solar energy sector.
“These projects will create thousands more jobs for our residents. That is thousands more families with food on their table and a roof over their heads.”
