Strategic investment in Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) is driving job creation, skills development and sector growth across Cape Town, with targeted programmes helping position the metro as one of South Africa’s leading economic hubs.
Designed as industry-focused implementation partners, SPVs play a dual role — upskilling individuals and small businesses while attracting investment into high-growth sectors. This targeted approach allows public funding to be channelled where it can deliver measurable economic impact, supporting sustainable employment and strengthening the local economy.
‘Over and above the foundation of reliable service delivery, including a South African-record R40 billion in infrastructure over three years, the City government’s funding of Special Purpose Vehicles and their various programmes upskill individuals and small businesses while simultaneously promoting Cape Town as an investment destination within their respective industries. The result is tens of thousands of jobs created and billions of rands poured into the local economy, which then leads to greater employment opportunities,’ said Alderman James Vos, Mayco Member for Economic Growth.
Recent labour market data reinforce the impact of this strategy. According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter of 2025, Cape Town added 113 000 jobs over the past year — the highest among South Africa’s metros — with employment reaching a record 1.895 million people.
Key growth sectors included finance, real estate and business services, manufacturing, and community, social and personal services.
Several SPV-supported programmes highlight the scale of this impact:
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More than 300 learners gained sought-after digital and biomanufacturing skills in the past six months through CAPACITI and UVU Bio initiatives led by UVU Africa, while 741 entrepreneurs and SMMEs received support.
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The Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster’s Cape Acceler8 programme upskilled 40 SMMEs in 2025, representing over 600 employees — with 70% of businesses based in the Cape Flats — while 100 participants are currently completing accredited NQF Level 2 and 3 training.
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GreenCape supported 33 SMMEs in circular economy and smart agri-tech programmes, facilitating R500 million in green investment during 2025.
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The Youth Skills and Employment Incubator, administered by CapeBPO and funded by the City and Department of Labour, helped create more than 10 000 new contact centre jobs in 2025 alone.
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The Craft+Design Institute supported 908 SMMEs between July 2024 and December 2025.
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Greater Tygerberg Partnership initiatives trained 229 individuals through its Skills Centre and accelerated more than 30 circular economy entrepreneurs in 2025.
‘These support mechanisms have not only directly created jobs for residents but have helped to strengthen Cape Town’s investment profile in these industries, ensuring that we will continue to see small and large businesses take up residence in the Mother City,’ Vos added.
Professionals and businesses interested in engaging with these programmes can connect directly with participating SPVs, including Blue Cape, CapeBPO, the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster, Craft+Design Institute, GreenCape, the Greater Tygerberg Partnership, UVU Africa and Wesgro.
