The University of KZN’s School of Built Environment and Development Studies (BEDS ) recently officially launched a major new research initiative - the 2013/14 survey of large and medium manufacturing establishments in eThekwini Municipality.

With important collaborative and financial support from the eThekwini Municipality, the Employment Promotion Programme, the National Research Foundation (NRF), the provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the national Economic Development Department, the survey aims to collect data on the current conditions of various sub-sectors within the manufacturing sector in the local region.

The LMMFS, the only such survey in South Africa and one of the few in the developing world is led by Professor Imraan Valodia, together with senior researchers Myriam Velia and Glen Robbins, and previously, researcher Kathleen Diga. Together with Doctoral and Master’s students they make up the Project Team. The project seeks to build capacity, such as training of these students and of some staff of eThekwini’s Economic Development & Investment Promotion Unit.

The project is overseen by a Project Steering Committee, including representatives of the partner organisations and members of the eThekwini business community.

For further information on the earlier survey of manufacturing firms in Durban undertaken by some of the members of this team, see - Constraints to Growth in Employment and Manufacturing in the Greater Durban Manufacturing area.


For articles on Manufacturing, including features by members of this team, see the November 2013 edition of the EDGE magazine. (Opinion piece by Dr Myriam Velia, page 37, and news update page 41)   EDGE - Economic Development in eThekwini.

See photograph of 2013 team below.