The chapter examines the evolution, structure and strategic significance of South Africa’s maritime defence industrial (MDI) ecosystem as a driver of both economic development and national security. It traces the historical trajectory from a pre–Second World War shipbuilding base, through sanctions era autarchy, to today’s diversified but constrained maritime industrial domain anchored in major shipyards at Cape Town, Durban and Simon’s Town. Against the backdrop of Operation Phakisa and South Africa’s extensive maritime geography, the chapter maps key defence-related capabilities, policy and technology drivers, and naval demand signals that shape the MDI’s growth potential. It then identifies structural stumbling blocks—including weak “SA Inc.” coordination, declining defence budgets, autarkic policy preferences and governance failures—that limit the sector’s ability to climb the “ladder of production” to Tier 1 status. Using cases such as Sandock Austral and Damen Shipyards Cape Town, it argues for a more liberal, partnership-driven industrial strategy to position South Africa as a competitive provider of “African solutions to African maritime security problems.”