Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

MESSAGE Efficient,

MESSAGE Efficient, reliable, secure public transport A message from the Executive Mayor of Polokwane Local Municipality, Councillor Thembisile Nkadimeng. Thembisile Nkadimeng, Executive Mayor The Municipality of Polokwane welcomes the introduction of Leeto la Polokwane which is set to provide our residents with much improved public transport and stimulate the local economy. Leeto la Polokwane, which means “Our journey”, will provide an efficient, reliable, secure, cost-effective public transport service that reduces congestion on public roads, protects the environment and connects people to daily life. It will also spur economic growth through sustainable job creation and the facilitation of seamless trade and business. Investment in transport infrastructure leads to job creation and skills transfer while reducing travel times for people to acquire goods and services. Moreover, the project also provides valuable public health benefits by reducing road fatalities, crashes and injuries; reducing personal exposure to harmful air pollutants and increasing physical activity for users. Such improvements will have a positive impact in promoting local businesses and stimulating investments within Polokwane. The service is initially slated to run from the Central Business District, past Seshego and into Moletjie. Already, 2.5km of Dedicated Lanes towards Seshego township have been completed, with a further 1.5km under construction. This will culminate in 50km of road construction for trunk and feeder routes. Moreover, there have also been trunk extension rehabilitation and upgrades – 13.8km completed with 32.6km in the CBD. To date, 12.8km of roads falling under the national Department of Transport have been completed, with 24.8km from partnerships with other grant providers. They cater for pedestrians and cyclists though the provision of sidewalks, cross walks, paths and cycle lanes. Special needs facilities including tactile paving for the blind, boarding bridges to ensure level boarding between the stops, stations and buses and easy-to-use pedestrian and passenger information signage have been put in place. The target for having the first buses rolling is 2018. We are reaching out to the community to make them aware of Leeto la Polokwane. We are engaging in a number of stakeholder engagement sessions, community outreach events, media events and door-to-door interactions to share progress with the communities we serve and to receive feedback. We are also active on the various social media platforms. LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18 14

City of Polokwane set to grow Message from the Municipal Manager of Polokwane Municipality, Dikgape Makobe. MESSAGE Polokwane is an obvious destination for logistics operations. With a well-established rail network and Polokwane International Airport, there are good connections to neighbouring provinces and countries such as North West, Mpumalanga and the Republic of Botswana. The large national logistics company, Value Group, only has four big depots in South Africa: one of them is in Polokwane. Polokwane is the biggest manufacturing centre in the province, with several agri-processing firms. Enterprise Foods has a large canning and emulsion processing plant in the city, Sasko runs a mill and other big manufacturers include SAB, Tiger Brands and Unilever. Charcoal is also manufactured in the city. Polokwane has a well-established financial sector that can assist with the financing of new infrastructure. Dikgape Makobe The Municipality of Polokwane is ready to achieve its objectives for development and service delivery and welcomes investors who want to take advantage of the many opportunities that we offer. The City of Polokwane is one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the north and it is the centre for regional economic development in the area. The city has many economic and business opportunities for the astute investor. Strategically located on the Great North Road linking South Africa’s economic heartland of Gauteng with Zimbabwe, Preparing the way Council has successfully put in place measures to tackle ageing infrastructure, water and sanitation backlog, rural electrification and to develop a solid maintenance programme for its infrastructure. Progress is under way to improve the total road network in the city. The city is hard at work to ensure that smart connectivity in the city is created to have access to broadband and WiFi. The municipality will continuously implement the Smart City Concept in other service delivery fields to create an encouraging environment for investment growth. We have achieved consensus with the business community to find ways to unlock job opportunities and we aim to find smart ways to unlock economic growth using the land that the city owns. There is a great potential for investment in central city property management and the entertainment sector. The arts theatre project also brings with it massive investment opportunities in the entertainment sector. The city centre is ripe for revitalisation and remodelling. A list of investment opportunities in Polokwane appears in the Local Government section. Polokwane is also looking for private partners to assist in rolling out these important catalytic projects: • Smart Metering Solutions • 90MW Solar Plant • Waste Water Treatment Plant (Dalmada and Polokwane) • Replacement of Asbestos Pipes • Construction of Polokwane International Convention Centre • Student Accommodation • Broadband Fibre Network • Science and Technology Park 15 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18