The Yangtze Optics Africa (YOA) Cable fibre-optic cable manufacturing facility in Durban’s Dube TradePort particular financial zone now produces greater than 4 800km of cable for the native telecommunications trade monthly, with extra anticipated as manufacturing ramps up.
Building of the 14 000sq m facility was accomplished in December 2024 after eight years and R310-million of funding. Though the plant’s manufacturing line began making cables for native clients together with Openserve and Darkish Fibre Africa as early as January this 12 months, an official opening occasion was held on the facility on Tuesday.
“That is an unbelievable, thrilling time for the optical cable market,” mentioned YOA CEO Pieter Viljoen on the occasion, which TechCentral attended.
YOA Cable is a subsidiary of Yangtze Optics Africa Holdings, a three way partnership between Chinese language-based Yangtze Optical Fibre Cable Joint Inventory Firm and JSE-listed Mustek.
Plans for the manufacturing unit have been first introduced in 2016, with the location getting an preliminary R150-million for the primary leg of the construct. In 2023, an extra R160-million was spent buying plant and equipment, bringing the whole to R310-million. Mustek has a 25% stake within the enterprise, in line with CEO Hein Engelbrecht, who attended Tuesday’s launch occasion.
The plant employs 155 individuals, with this quantity anticipated to succeed in 210 by the tip of the 12 months as manufacturing ramps up. YOA goals finally to extend its manufacturing capability to 4 million kilometres of fibre per 12 months, at which level it would make use of round 3 000 individuals.
Particular financial zone
Fibre-optic cable is the popular medium for high-bandwidth information. Though it’s utilized in last-mile infrastructure to attach properties and companies, fibre is arguably much more necessary in backhaul infrastructure, which incorporates its use within the undersea cables that join South Africa to the remainder of the world.
The Dube TradePort, the place the manufacturing unit is positioned, was demarcated as a particular financial zone in 2016. With the King Shaka Worldwide Airport at it’s core, firms working throughout the SEZ get easy accessibility to globally linked manufacturing and logistics infrastructure, together with cargo operations and warehousing.
Different advantages of working there embrace a preferential 15% company tax price for qualifying companies and employment incentives for firms that rent lower-paid staff. There’s additionally a customs-controlled space providing import obligation rebates for production-related and exported merchandise, and VAT exemptions beneath particular circumstances for provides procured in South Africa. The TradePort additionally presents tax incentives for brand new investments.
Learn: YOA Cable to speculate extra R155-million in Dube TradePort
The placement of the Dube TradePort and the extra advantages of working throughout the precinct are supposed to appeal to home and international direct funding into South Africa and develop native manufacturing capability. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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