- Bremer Pauw (pictured on the extreme right), DHL Supply Chain’s Chief Commercial Officer for Middle East and Africa and MD for Africa is pictured with South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa and other corporate recipients who were acknowledged for their investment commitments at the South Africa Investment Conference held in Sandton, Johannesburg on March 31, 2026.
Image: Supplied
DHL Supply Chain, a leading global contract logistics provider, plans to invest R220 million in a new multi-user distribution centre in Johannesburg, reinforcing its focus on customer growth and supply-chain capacity expansion.
The investment is part of DHL Group’s broader commitment to Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2025, DHL Group announced a planned investment of around €300m (R5.8 billion) across the region to expand logistics infrastructure and strengthen service capabilities across its divisions, including DHL Supply Chain, Bremer Pauw, DHL Supply Chain Chief Commercial Officer, Middle East and Africa, and MD, Africa, said on Tuesday.
The DHL Supply Chain investment was also part of the private sector pledges at the South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC), a flagship platform led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Presidency to mobilise domestic and foreign investment, drive job creation, and strengthen investor confidence.
Some R890bn of new investment pledges were announced at the sixth edition of the annual investment conference held last week.
The project will involve the demolition of the existing site and the development of a greenfield distribution centre facility, said Pauw in a statement..
Designed as a multi-user site, the facility will support customers in the consumer goods sector, including FMCG, enabling local and cross-border order fulfilment while providing operational flexibility and long-term scalability.
Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2026, with the facility expected to become operational in July 2027.
“This investment reflects our long-term confidence in South Africa as a strategic logistics hub and our commitment to expanding capacity in line with customer growth,” said Pauw.
“In a market where customers are increasingly focused on reliability, speed, and cost-to-serve, the right infrastructure helps remove friction and gives customers the confidence to scale. Its announcement at the South Africa Investment Conference reflects the long-term nature and scale of the investment,” he said.
The project is expected to create about 70 jobs during the construction phase and around 90 permanent roles once the facility is operational.
The new facility will be developed as a carbon-neutral site and will be H-Advanced certified, aligning with DHL Group’s sustainability ambitions. It will also incorporate modern material-handling solutions, including electrical tow motors and equipment, to support more efficient and future-ready operations.
Pauw said South Africa remains a key pillar of their sub-Saharan strategy, given its role as the region’s largest and most diversified economy and an important gateway for trade into and across the continent.
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