Northern Cape Business 2018-19 edition

specifically relevant

specifically relevant component manufacture, will form the core of the economic activity undertaken within the zone. Furthermore, skills training facilities situated within the SEZ will equip technicians and artisans to install solar-powered systems anywhere in the country. SPECIAL FEATURE The SEZ is being developed with ACSA as a project partner. This opens up a vast number of opportunities to benefit from the proximity of an international airport. Location Upington Special Economic Zone Land adjacent to an existing industrial area north of Upington, one of the largest cities in the More Northern than 500 Cape, hectares has been of earmarked prime land for the available Upington for SEZ. investors. Upington Special Economic Zone Upington, the second-biggest town in the Northern Cape, is located along the banks of the Orange River and is a popular tourist destination with warm weather and long sunny days. The Northern Cape is ideally situated to serve the following industries: solar energy, mining, agricultural, aviation and other industries Upington in South Africa and internationally. Similarly to Special Economic Zones (SEZs) countrywide, the Upington SEZ has a geographically designated area set aside for specifically targeted economic activities in order to accelerate industrial development. In the heart of the Green Kalahari, right next to Upington International Airport, there is more than 500ha of prime land available to be utilised by investors (440ha for the Industrial Park and 85ha for the Aviation Park). Upington is situated 130km from the Namibian border post and about 350km from the border post with Botswana. Upington also has good access roads such as the N10 and the N14, effectively linking up Namibia and Botswana. Upington is 500km from Boegoe Bay’s Port Nolloth which is one of the ports that has been earmarked for the integrated planning of South Africa’s Oceans Economy under Operation Phakisa. The Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality (DKLM) has made the land available for the development of the Upington SEZ. The development will be divided into seven phases. The Environmental Authorisation has been received from the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) for the approval of the development of the Upington SEZ and the Masterplan for the infrastructure is in place. The ZF Mgcawu District, in which Upington is situated, has a welldeveloped economy and active business community supported by government and government parastatals. Industrial hub The main objective for the proposed Upington SEZ in the Northern Cape Province is to establish a world-class industrial hub to service the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region in the following sectors: • Renewable energy with the focus on solar component manufacturing • Aeronautics through the development of an Aviation Park for maintenance, repair and overhaul facility (MRO) for aircraft • Mineral beneficiation • Agro-processing • Astronomy exploration • High-value micro technology. The following key economic drivers underscore the viability of the Solar Farm and manufacturing facility at the Upington SEZ: the increasing and sustained demand for photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) systems within the South Africa and Sub-Saharan context; the above demand will in turn produce a number of assembly opportunities for PV panels and inverters as well as CSP in-field mirrors, structures and backward integration of manufacturing facilities, eg float glass and silicon wafers; the recent announcement by the Department of Energy of Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers (REIPP) with the majority in the Northern Cape, Upington vicinity; European and Chinese companies continue to express interest in establishing PV and NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19 20

FOCUS CSP component manufacturing and assembly plant(s) in South Africa; the current heightened activities in the renewable energy industry in South Africa; and there is 72ha of land set aside for the development of a Solar Farm within the SEZ with a complete EIA and 440ha for industrial development. Upington International Airport The Upington International Airport has a number of characteristics that make it a particularly favourable location for the possible establishment of an MRO and aircraft storage facility. These include: • an arid climate that is not conducive to accelerated corrosion and deterioration of aircraft when stored in Upington • the availability of relatively low cost open surface area (land) for the storage of aircraft, as well as for the possible development of supporting industries in and surrounding the airport • Upington Airport has an unusually long runway (5km) that serves as a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) designated African landing site for its shuttles. The runway therefore can accommodate a large variety of aircraft • Upington is close to the northern border of South Africa and there its position is considered convenient and strategic from an African continental perspective • the remoteness of Upington renders it a fairly safe location in terms of security • there is a strong market for the establishment of an MRO facility in South Africa to serve both the European and African regional markets • the absence of any meaningful competition in this market on the African continent is another plus • there are 85 hectares for the development of an MRO with complete EIA for industrial development. The development of the MRO is spearheaded by Airports Company South African (ACSA) which will become the anchor tenant of the Upington SEZ. Diverse drivers Mining is one of the key economic drivers in the Northern Cape. The province’s iron ore, manganese, zinc and copper mines open up possibilities in terms of the manufacturing and assembly of mining equipment, excellent to boost the country’s economy. Agriculture: the District ZF Mgcawu, in which Upington is situated, is well known for producing export-quality grapes, citrus, dried fruit such as raisins and other fruits, providing many investment opportunities in agro-processing – the processing of raw materials and products derived from agricultural activities and packaging. The Upington SEZ is perfectly located for astronomy-related logistics, assembly and warehousing. The SEZ aims to be an incubator for manufacturing and high-value micro technology in the Northern Cape. The SEZ will also be home to a number of warehouses where manufactured goods can be stored before being exported or distributed. Together with our partners, the Northern Cape Economic Development Trade and Investment Agency (NCEDA), the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the National Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), we invite all interested investors to contact us for more information. KEY CONTACTS: Contact: Mr Thobela Dikeni, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Cape Economic Development Agency Tel: +27 53 833 1503 and 060 997 7202 Ms Babalwa Mbobo Sector Specialist Upington SEZ Tel: +27 54 333 1136 and 071 016 5813 NCEDA CONTACT DETAILS: Physical address: Templar Court Building, 2nd floor, cnr Bean and Clarence Streets, Kimberley 8301 Tel: +27 53 833 1503 Fax: +27 53 833 1390 Website: www.nceda.co.za 21 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19