George and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape and Buffalo City in the Eastern Cape have been named as three of the top ten best places to do business.
The top ten list was compiled by Finweek and excludes the country's metropolitan areas.
The publication also acknowledges that there's no comparative data and compiling such a list was not without complication or contradiction.
However, it says the top ten list of candidate municipalities are not only business friendly but show the greatest potential for growth and opportunity.
Finweek said it applied financial and non-financial indices from Government reports, business organisations and financial intelligence agencies in compiling the list.
With respect to Buffalo City, Finweek says its indicators suggest that the country's newest metropolitan municipality's incentive schemes and industrial expansion offer opportunity for businesses looking to get in on areas with investment and growth potential.
