South Africa is currently reviewing and formulating its industrial policy. The objective of this paper is not so much to present an examination of the South African Industrial Policy per se but rather to assess its industrial policy in a wider sense: how it relates to, and integrates and interacts with, other policies that may or may not be thought of as industrial policy proper.

The starting point in the assessment undertaken in this paper is the South African Economic Sectors and Employment Cluster 2010/11-2012/13 Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) of February 2010. This document was supplemented and updated in February 2011 by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) in what may be regarded as a ‘progress report’ since it contains little or nothing in the way of policy.

The IPAP represents an impressive platform for industrial growth, and this is complemented by the National Development Plan. The objective of the NDP is to examine and build upon that platform, and the dti seems on course for publishing annual ‘progress reports’. This coordination is essential in the development of a new industrial policy for South Africa.

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