Economy of the Eastern Cape

In terms of average monthly expenditure, the Eastern Cape is South Africa's poorest province (according to the Statistics South Africa report released in September 2001, "Measuring Poverty in South Africa").

The Eastern Cape has an excellent road and rail infrastructure. The province has 3 airports (at Port Elizabeth, East London and Umtata) which offer direct flights to the main centres, and 2 ports (Port Elizabeth and East London).

With its warm seas, long stretches of undisturbed sandy beaches, rocky coves, soaring cliffs and secluded lagoons, the coastline provides the province with a natural tourist attraction.

The province has a well established squid fishing industry. There is some recreational and commercial line fishing.

The country's automotive industry is predominantly based around East London, Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage. Vehicle assembly is the major driver behind the Eastern Cape contributing about 7.5% to national manufacturing output.

The province has two industrial development zones (IDZs), the Coega IDZ (about 20km east of Port Elizabeth) and the West Bank (near East London). A deepwater port is being built at Coega, to assist its development an export-orientated zone.

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