Construction and
Construction and property Builders expands its footprint in Limpopo. Contractors, builders and home improvers have more choice in Polokwane, with the opening of a new Builders Baobab in 2023. The provincial capital already has a Builders Warehouse but the express-format store has been opened in the suburb of Sterpark near to the Mall of the North, which is home to about 180 stores. There are Builders express outlets in both Mokopane and Thohoyandou and Makhado hosts a Superstore. Another Massmart brand, Game, has 13 shops in Limpopo, with two in Polokwane. Improvements within the administration of provincial government finances, specifically in connection with underspending, have been improved to such an extent that in 2024 the province received an additional R250-million as a grant from Treasury for human settlements. The Provincial Government of Limpopo’s housing finance agency, Risima, together with the Limpopo Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), has made about R11-million available in subsidies to 147 people to enable them to become homeowners. The Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme, for those earning between R3 501 and R15 000 per month, caters to the so-called gap market. Grants are distributed to cover a deposit or to make up the shortfall between an asking price and what the applicant can afford. The South African Affordable Residential Developers Association (SAARDA) caters to the gap market. A non-mortgaged financial product assists government employees to get a foot on the property ladder. Risima is also exploring cooperation with mining houses such as Exxaro, Amplats and Northam at Thabazimbi. A site for a new hospital to be built in Polokwane was handed over to contractors in June 2023. Funded to the tune of R4-billion by the National Department of Health, Limpopo Central Academic Hospital, the 25ha campus on Webster Street is next to the site of what will become the School of Medicine of the University of Limpopo and should be ready for operations in 2026. The provincial government has appointed 41 engineering consultants to design roads in all five districts of the province, ONLINE RESOURCES Black Business Council in Built Environment: www.bbcbe.org Construction Industry Development Board: www.cidb.org.za South African Property Owners Association: www.sapoa.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT An additional R250-million is available for housing. which will mean work for construction companies and contractors. Clinics and libraries are also being built, providing more work opportunities in the construction sector. The Enterprise Development and Finance Division of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) offers loans to businesses in the construction and property sector and runs specialised training in vocational skills such as bricklaying, plastering, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and welding. Thavhani Mall is operating in Thohoyandou in a development called Thavhani City. The 27ha site will eventually include an office park, automotive-related businesses, private healthcare, a library, an information centre and a sports stadium.■ LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2024/25 42 PHOTO: Builders
Education and training Building is underway at the University of Venda. OVERVIEW SECTOR INSIGHT merSETA is leading a major skills initiative. The UNIVEN Centre for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubation has been launched. A major new building has gone up on the campus of the University of Venda (UNIVEN) in Thohoyandou. The R248-million Faculty of Health Sciences building accommodates four departments and is part of an ongoing building programme to expand the institution’s capacity. Having celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022, the university has been following an ambitious facilities development plan, with about R800-million spent on infrastructure in the five years to 2023, mainly funded by the national Department of Higher Education and Training. Funding for a large residence building came from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the latest project, to build a Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (UCFERI), was supported by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), an agency of the Department of Small Business Development. As part of a restructuring process, four new faculties have been created from eight former schools of study and a new executive portfolio for research and postgraduate studies has been created. The university is making strides in the field of waste-to-energy. The Green Technologies Promotion Drive is a multi-disciplinary effort with support from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Water Research Commission (WRC). One of its goals is to develop the biogas market. The University of Limpopo has also been building. A loan of R480- million from the Development Bank of Southern Africa is allowing for the construction of a 3 500-bed student residence. This is the first phase of a ONLINE RESOURCES Limpopo Department of Education: www.edu.limpopo.gov.za Turfloof Graduate School of Leadership: www.ul.ac.za longer-term project to provide 15 000 beds over a 15-year period. The Limpopo Central Hospital currently under construction in Polokwane will be a teaching hospital affiliated to the University of Limpopo. The University of South Africa (Unisa) has a regional support centre in Polokwane and agencies at Makhado and Giyani. There are seven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in Limpopo: Capricorn College, Lephalale College, Mopani East College, Mopani South College, Sekhukhune College, Vhembe College and Waterberg College. A donation from China has been announced by the provincial government, which has been earmarked for the construction of an engineering and technical high school. In the 2024/25 financial year a provincial programme, supported by the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA) in the amount of R137-million, will offer skills training to close to 1 000 students in critical sectors such as motor mechanics, diesel mechanics, mechanical fitting, welding and electrician trades. Artisans will also receive recognition of prior learning and support in new venture creation. SMMEs and co-operatives will be offered product standardisation and technical training while 130 workers will learn about solar installation. ■ PHOTO: UNIVEN 43 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2024/25
