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Northern Cape Business 2018-19 edition

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Officially supported and used by the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Northern Cape Business is unique as a business and investment guide that focuses exclusively on the Northern Cape Province. In addition to comprehensive overviews of sectors of the economy, this publication has several special articles which focus on transformative projects, such as the solar and wind farms rapidly coming on line and the massive potential represented by the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, a multi-billion rand international project already taking shape in the vast open plains of the Karoo. Updated information on Northern Cape is also available through our monthly e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to online at http://www.globalafricanetwork.com/subscribe/, in addition to our complementary business-to-business titles that cover all nine provinces as well as our flagship South African Business title.

OVERVIEW ties in the

OVERVIEW ties in the sector for SMMEs, youth and women and was an opportunity for government, NGOs and the Northern Cape Tourism Authority to interact with community members. The imbizo followed a hospitality youth programme graduation ceremony. A partnership between the Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and Open Africa has created employment for nearly 1 000 people, the majority of whom are black and female. Open Africa is a social enterprise which works with local communities to open up tourism routes. A long-term collaboration with the South African National Parks has seen facilities at many of the province’s parks improved, and the development of six tourism routes. The National Department of Tourism worked together with DEDAT and the Kai Garib Municipality to build a campsite at Keimoes on the Orange River. There are six national parks and five provincial reserves in the province, each showing off distinct features. The Northern Cape Tourism Authority (NCTA) is the official marketing agency for the Northern Cape. Culture, nature and adventure are the three big themes that future visitors are promised. Hotels Country Hotels has invested heavily in the province. Demand for beds has risen because of concerted campaigns by the tourist authority and on the back of investment inflows in the mining and renewable energy sectors. Spanish and Chinese engineers are now a common sight in Northern Cape towns, to such an extent that local supermarkets are stocking spices such as saffron for fragrant paellas. R40-million has been invested by Country Hotels in the new Kathu Inn and R50-million will see the Springbok Inn become a smart 100- room hotel with a further 250 beds available in a backpackers lodge and 25 sites available at an associated campsite. The Orange River Rafting Lodge has an obvious purpose while the Namastat Lodge and Caravan Park caters to travellers on the N7. What used to be known as the Hantam Hotel in Calvinia is now the refurbished Calvinia Hotel and Tankwa Lodge offering 25 air-conditioned rooms and easy access to flower-spotting and the Tankwa Karoo National Park. The riverside town of Upington has a large number of guesthouses and bed-and-breakfast establishments, together with a 90-room Protea Hotel by Marriott. The Protea Hotel by Marriott Kimberley has 117 rooms and three suites and is located right next to the Big Hole. Also near the capital city’s biggest attraction is the historic Kimberley Club Boutique Hotel. Tsogo Sun has two properties in Kimberley: a 135-room Garden Court and a 64-room budget hotel, SUN1. The Flamingo Casino is run by Sun International and offers gaming tables, slot machines and conference facilities. Conferences and events The NCTA has increasingly been focusing on adventure sports and the organisation and promotion of events, including festivals. The opening of the 2 500-seater Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre was a boost to the Northern Cape events and conferences industry. It is located near the Big Hole in the centre of Kimberley. The Convention Centre makes it much easier to sell the provincial capital as a meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE) destination. The Northern Cape has its fair share of annual festivals. AfrikaBurn is now a regular in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, attracting fun-lovers determined to do their thing off the grid. The Vleisfees (meat festival) has been held in Calvinia in the Hantam region since 1990. The successful book festival called BoekBedonnerd celebrated its 10th anniversary in Richmond in 2016. Shelf upon shelf in room upon room of books are available in the Karoo town’s extraordinary bookshops. Located on the N1, it holds the title of “Booktown Richmond” (there are about 20 “Booktowns” in the world). Richmond also hosts the JM Coetzee and Athol Fugard Festival at which the South African Independent Publishers awards are announced. Fugard himself was in attendance in 2015. Upington is the venue for the popular Kalahari Kuier (Visit) Festival. More than 30 000 people have been known to attend NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19 54

OVERVIEW the event, providing a welcome boost for the local economy. Kuruman hosts the Kgalagadi Jazz Festival. The Tankwa Trek (mountain trails) traverses the southern part of the Great Karoo through the Bokkeveld and Witzenburg areas to “star-gazer’s Central” at Sutherland. It is a mountain bike trail marathon over 265km that typifies the adventure tourism of the province’s brand. Tough sportsmen and women take to mountain bikes and canoes to take part in the Desert Knights Tour through the Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and on the Orange River. The river is also the venue for the 73km Orange Descent Canoe Marathon which carries a first prize of R50 000. The first Orange Descent Canoe Marathon attracted 55 participants from the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng, as well as from Namibia. The Orange River provides lush landscape in which the grapes of the several hundred producers of Orange River Wine Cellars prosper. The rushing water of the Augrabies Falls National Park provides another popular attraction. Explore the Routes of the Northern Cape The website of Northern Cape Tourism is: experiencenortherncape.com Each of the province’s five regions features a route experience that will capture the imagination. The incredible year-round experiences coupled with the warm hospitality, the peace and tranquility offered by off-the-beaten track towns and villages and space as far as the eye can see will allow you to rediscover life-changing experiences and ensure unforgettable holiday memories but more importantly, time to recharge and reconnect with each other. Kokerboom Food and Wine Route The quiver tree is one of this region’s most arresting botanical symbols. Stretching along the Gariep, the Quiver Tree Food and Wine Route includes towns such as Upington, Kakamas, Augrabies, NATIONAL PARKS IN THE NORTHERN CAPE Central Reservations: South African National Parks: +27 12 428 9111 Augrabies Falls National Park: +27 54 452 9200 | Ai | Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park: +27 27 831 1506 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: +27 54 561 2000 Mokala National Park: +27 53 204 8000 Namaqua National Park: +27 27 672 1948 Tankwa Karoo National Park: +27 27 341 1927 Provincial Nature Reserves Doornkloof Nature Reserve: +27 51 753 3006 Goegap Nature Reserve: +27 27 718 9906 Rolfontein Nature Reserve: +27 53 664 0900 Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve: +27 27 218 1159 Witsand Nature Reserve: +27 83 234 7573 55 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19

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