Gauteng Business 2016 edition

OVERVIEW
South Africa (BPeSA) predicts
that the sector will continue to
grow at between nine and 14
percent. Confident of the sector’s
future growth prospects,
the IT firm Wipro opened a 1 000
seat call-centre in Johannesburg
in 2011.
Benefiting from a range of incentive
schemes offered by the
national government (through
agencies such as the GGDA),
the BPO sector contributed R1.7-
billion to South Africa’s economy
in 2010. Call centres catering for
the United Kingdom account for
more than half (54 percent) of
South Africa’s overseas business
within the BPO sector. Customer
service is the most significant segment
of the domestic call-centre
industry. Billing and account-handling
is the second-largest service
area, followed by technical support,
telemarketing and telesales,
and reservations.
More centres are likely to open
in the future. The province has
high volumes of vacant prime office space in peri-urban areas, and
Johannesburg’s Urban Development Zone (UDZ) has been earmarked
for the development of ICT firms (including call centres) and subsidises
rent, utilities and services.
Insurance sector
Gauteng is a dominant location for the insurance industry on the African
continent. French reinsurer Scor Group has established a presence in
Johannesburg in order to target the English and Portuguese speaking
markets on the continent, specifically Nigeria and Angola.
All of the major banks are well represented in the province, and all
the large insurance companies have a major presence throughout the
province. Many of the major life insurance companies are also playing
their part by helping to develop SMEs. In 2015 alone, the Liberty Group
provided financial access to over 16 SMEs.
“By investing in SMEs we are investing in the future of our business,
our industry and our economy. Liberty started off as a small business
and at our core we understand entrepreneurship,” said a spokesperson
for the Group.
The City of Tshwane
The City of Tshwane is strategically positioned to service international
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) investments. With an estimated
11 000 people employed in the BPO industry in Tshwane and its
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