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Limpopo Business 2017-18 edition

  • Text
  • Development
  • Leda
  • Nedbank
  • Mutual
  • Exxaro
  • Beers
  • Investment
  • Business
  • Limpopo
  • Polokwane
  • Economic
  • Provincial
  • Province
  • Mining
  • Municipality
  • Sector
  • Tourism
  • Venetia
  • Edition
A unique guide to business and investment in Limpopo. Limpopo Business 2017/18 is the ninth edition of this highly successful publication that has, since its launch in 2007, established itself as the premier business and investment guide to the Limpopo Province. This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the Office of the Premier of Limpopo. This book contains detailed insights into the plans of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) and the recently launched bus rapid transport system for the provincial capital, Leeto la Polokwane, together with a comprehensive register of all provincial government and municipal contact details. Investment news related to mining, telecommunications and tourism is carried in overviews of all the main economic sectors. To complement the extensive distribution of the print edition of the magazine, the publication is also available online at www.limpopobusiness.co.za.

SPECIAL FEATURE site of

SPECIAL FEATURE site of a 12th-century iron-age civilisation) and the Makapans Valley (Ndebele history and palaeontological exhibits). Industrialisation The official approval of Special Economic Zone status for Musina-Makhado in 2016 was closely followed by the decision of the Limpopo Provincial Government to apply for SEZ status for Tubatse. This marks a determined shift in economic policy towards promoting industrialisation and manufacturing through beneficiation. Heavy industries that have been identified as possible tenants for the Musina-Makhado SEZ include several that are dependent on the mining industry to supply feedstock – possible processing facilities that have been suggested to investors include plants for coking, ferrochrome and ferrosilicon production, pig-iron metallurgy, steel, stainless steel and lime. A proposed petrochemical zone in the SEZ might include a coal-to-liquids plant and a synthetic bitumen plant. A Chinese company has signed an agreement to manage the Energy and Metallurgical Cluster within the Musina-Makhado SEZ. Shenzhen Holmor Resources Holdings will invest about R40-billion to create the infrastructure for a range of private investors to come in and produce steel, ferrochrome, pig iron and the like. The Tubatse Platinum SEZ is even more closely related to the mining industry, as its name implies. According to the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), 17 new mines were established in the greater Tubatse/Burgersfort/Steelport area between 2001 and 2016, and a further 22 new mines are planned. The completion of the large new De Hoop Dam makes these plans possible. The focus at Tubatse will be on the beneficiation of platinum group metals (PGM), magnetite, vanadium and chrome. Some of the products suggested are: catalytic converters, platinum jewellery, hydrogen fuel cells and solar energy component manufacturing (wind turbines and PV modules). A Mining Supply Park is envisaged which will be a big boost for local businesses and suppliers. Getting local small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) engaged with and supplying to the mining sector is a goal of the provincial authorities. A Limpopo Mining Forum has been proposed and the provincial government would like to see 30% of every contract issued on capital, consumables and services stay in the province, subject to their being a supplier who is able to fulfil the contract. Regions Limpopo’s dry, cattle-rearing, western areas contrast with the subtropical regions of the east where forestry thrives and the central regions where vast plantations produce 60% of the country’s tomatoes. The area north of the Soutpansberg Mountains is semi-arid. The Waterberg mountains stretch over 5 000km² through the northern reaches of the province. Limpopo has five district municipalities: Capricorn District Capricorn is the economic centre of Limpopo, with the provincial capital Polokwane contributing 13% of the provincial GDP. The cultivation of citrus, potatoes and tomatoes is done on a large scale in the district. Polokwane is the province's main centre for industry, commerce, education and medical services. The city is close to big concentrations of mineral deposits and to fertile agricultural lands; its industries reflect this diversity. Large industrial concerns such as Silicon Smelters (one of the biggest of its kind in the world) and a big brewery run alongside at least 600 industrial enterprises of a smaller scale. Polokwane has good hotel and conferencing facilities. Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane is the newest hotel to open in the city. Nearby Moria attracts up to a million people every year, when the Zion Christian Church celebrates Easter. Greater Sekhukhune District Government is the largest employer in this southern district, followed by agriculture and hunting. The vast majority of households are rural (94%) and Groblersdal is the district capital. The region’s fertile lands produce maize, tobacco, peanuts, LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18 20

SPECIAL FEATURE ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA BOTSWANA North West Limpopo LIMPOPO Mpumalanga Gauteng SWAZI- LAND MOZAMBIQUE Northern Cape Free State LESOTHO KwaZulu- Natal Western Cape Eastern Cape vegetables, sunflower seeds and cotton on a large scale. Agriculture makes up 25% of the economy. Burgersfort is an important town because of platinum mining. Mopani District Giyani is the administrative capital of the district and is key to the local economy. The public sector is one of the largest employers and the key sectors are agriculture and mining. Mopani has an established food manufacturing industry, in canned, preserved and dried-fruit production and vegetable juices. Phalaborwa is the gateway to the Kruger National Park. It has a good airport and is a tourism hub. Palaborwa Mining Company (Palamin) is the major economic driving force in the area. State-owned phosphate and phosphoric acid producer Foskor is another major employer. Sasol Nitro Phalaborwa produces phosphoric acid and deflourinated acid. The Marula Festival is held in Phalaborwa every year. A subtropical climate and fertile soils combine to make greater Tzaneen very productive in terms of fruit and vegetables. Limpopo’s second most populous city has a population of 80 000. The Letaba Valley produces a large proportion of South Africa’s mangoes, avocadoes and tomatoes. Forty sawmills operate in the area, drawing on the heavily forested hills around the city. Vhembe District The Vhembe District borders Zimbabwe and Botswana. The district’s administrative capital is Thohoyandou. Vhembe’s vast bushveld supports commercial and game farming and the district has considerable cultural and historical assets. Game farming is a growing subsector, as is eco-tourism. De Beers’ Venetia Mine, situated just west of Musina, is South Africa’s largest diamond producer. Thohoyandou is the administrative centre of Thulamela Local Municipality, Vhembe District Municipality and the University of Venda. The Ivory Route passes through the district. Other attractions include an ancient baobab tree, the Dzata Ruins, the Museum of the Drum, the mystical Lake Fundudzi and Nwanedi Provincial Park. Waterberg District The mining sector is the largest contributor to regional GDP, while agriculture is also significant. Several towns in the district are located in the mineral-rich Bushveld Igneous Complex. The district also features the riches of the Waterberg Coal Fields, iron ore (at Thabazimbi) and tin and platinum at Mookgophong. The town of Lephalale is at the heart of the region’s coal-mining and power-generation sectors. The area around Mokopane is one of the richest agricultural zones in South Africa, producing wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef, maize and peanuts. The bubbling hot springs of Bela-Bela mark it as a popular tourism destination, and the district has many luxury golf estates. 21 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2017/18

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