Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, Maluti-A-Phofung municipality, and Chinese investor Joy Long YJC will launch the project in Phuthaditjhaba on Friday (9/10). It could create about 6,500 permanent jobs. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote address at the Phuthaditjhaba multipurpose centre from 09:00.

The province will also welcome the YJC Group for the signing of memoranda of understanding valued at R20bn. The agreements follow a provincial investment mission to China in May, during which government representatives met advanced manufacturing companies, visited production facilities, and discussed opportunities linked to the Maluti-A-Phofung Special Economic Zone.

During the mission, the provincial treasury and department of economic, small business development, tourism and environmental affairs explored investment opportunities for the province. MEC Ketso Makume led discussions aimed at attracting manufacturing and other economic activity to the Free State and converting investor interest into projects on the ground.

Friday’s launch is expected to move the province closer to turning investment commitments into factories, jobs, skills development, and technology transfer. 

The Maluti-A-Phofung Special Economic Zone was designated in 2017 on land at Harrismith and Tshiame, along the strategically important N3 corridor between Johannesburg and Durban.

The planned investment forms part of a broader drive to strengthen the province’s industrial base and its role in South Africa’s energy sector. In her 2026 state of the province address, Letsoha-Mathae said the Free State was also pursuing a substantial portfolio of renewable-energy developments involving private investment.

The province is working with the department of trade, industry and competition to track 29 renewable-energy projects with combined capital investment exceeding R100bn. Much of the funding is expected to come from the private sector as the Free State seeks a larger role in strengthening the national electricity grid.

The Karoo development corridor in the southern Free State is another part of the province’s economic strategy. Anchored by Gariep Dam and supported by national routes including the N1, N6, and N8, the corridor provides links between the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape.

“Through a coordinated mix of renewable energy expansion, infrastructure development, and interprovincial collaboration, the Free State is positioning itself not merely as an energy consumer but as a central player in South Africa’s evolving green economy,” Letsoha-Mathae said.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cvs

• Have a news tip to share? Phone or whatsapp the OFM News Hotline 066 487 1427.