Northern Cape Business 2025-26

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY І Infrastructure A Provincial Infrastructure Master Plan will coordinate major investments across all modes of transport. To transport locally produced goods quickly and efficiently to the rest of South Africa and beyond, the Northern Cape is rapidly expanding its road, air and maritime infrastructure. Under the current administration, there has been a surge in public-sector and private-sector investments in road, rail and additional port and airport capacity, providing local businesses with a new platform for domestic and international growth. “Aligned with the national government’s R940-billion (-billion) infrastructure rollout plan, we will leverage both public- and private-sector investment to position the province as a key node in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” Premier Dr Zamani Saul says. One of the largest projects under development is the expansion of the province’s largest airport, Upington International, and the associated Upington Industrial Park. Using a public-private partnership, the airport operator plans to create an international hub for transport and trade at Upington. A designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ), the site will serve as a multi-modal centre providing easy access to international markets, above all for the province’s light manufacturing and agricultural sectors. “We are expanding the Upington Industrial Park and the Upington Airport to support logistics, manufacturing, and exports,” Premier Saul says. Other SEZs under development in the province include the Namakwa SEZ, the Kathu Industrial Park and the Boegoebaai Port and Green Hydrogen Cluster. Combining attractive tax incentives, competitive lease costs and renewable energy supply, these facilities form a critical part of the Northern Cape’s economic growth strategy. Road investments will also be key to achieving the province’s ambitions. Major highways such as the N14 are critical for the Northern Cape’s mining sector, connecting ports to SEZs and logistics hubs and linking mineral and agricultural production to export markets. With road investment a continuing priority for the government, there are significant opportunities to create public-private partnerships for road development and logistics, says Fufe Bohutsana Providence Makatong, Member of the Executive Council for Roads and Public Works. Under Makatong, the Northern Cape has strengthened and redefined its relationship with the state-run South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL), which manages major highways including the N14. Thanks to the enhanced partnership with SANRAL, which has recently opened a new office in Kimberley, Makatong has been able to free up funds to invest in modernising and maintaining the province’s vast network of rural roads. In the last five years, the government has upgraded over 105 000km of roads, improving mobility across the province. In addition, a major round of infrastructure upgrades is underway ahead of a high-level G20 meeting, covering not only roads but also government buildings. “It’s about shifting perception,” MEC Makatong says. “When global eyes are on Kimberley, we want them to see potential.” Meanwhile, the province’s government aims to shift large-scale freight, especially mineral exports, off trucks and onto trains, in order to improve road safety and lower transport costs. Diverting freight from road to rail will reduce the wear on roads and cut carbon emissions. “Rail is not just greener, it’s smarter,” says MEC Makatong. Makatong’s plan for rail involves

| +27 53 833 1503 .za | info@investsanc.co.za tsanc.co.za orthern Cape: A Modern, Growing and Successful Province” 2022/23 2022/06/01 13:03 The Kathu traffic circle has been widened. Major road works are underway on the main corridors of the Northern Cape, underpinning a drive to improve infrastructure to support investment. PHOTO: SANRAL reactivating existing, underused railway lines and building new lines not just for freight but also for passenger transport. The Northern Cape is also developing major seaports such as the Boegoebaai project. These investments will reduce the province’s reliance on eastern ports, support high-growth industries such as renewables and logistics, and secure the province’s central position on the new map of global trade. The Boegoebaai port development has gained renewed momentum and a new dimension under the administration of Premier Saul. To ensure coordination of all these major investments across different modes of transport, the government is currently finalising an eagerly awaited Provincial Infrastructure Master Plan 2040. “This Plan will serve as a strategic blueprint to direct infrastructure development in the Northern Cape,” Saul says. Job creation, sustainability and economic growth will be at the heart both of the infrastructure plan and the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) managed by Makatong’s department. In line with this unwavering focus on inclusion, equity and shared prosperity, the government is embarking on a major land reform programme that will transform unused government buildings and other properties into valuable assets such as community centres, housing and local enterprise zones. “We want to be the province that shows how land reform can be done properly,” Makatong says. “With integrity, with law and with people at the centre.” A major programme of investment in roads, rail, ports and industrial parks is enhancing transport links, improving connectivity and social mobility, creating new job opportunities, and cementing the Northern Cape’s place at the heart of the global economy. ■ PHOTO: ACSA Upington International Airport is set to form the core of the Upington Industrial Park and serve as an international hub for transport and trade.