Socio Economic - Transnet

4 Land UseThis section will provide a general discussion of settlement patterns and major land uses in theMsukaligwa Local Municipality.Map 5: Land Cover4.1 Msukaligwa Local Municipality4.1.1 Settlement PatternsThe Local Municipality has a large agricultural sector with strong service centre Ermelo. Thesettlement pattern in this area has developed in orientation to the resource base and economicpotential of the area. The agricultural sector, petrochemical industries and mining activities in the areahave led to the distribution of service centres varying in size and function throughout the area.Informal settlements are also found scattered in this local municipality.The Mpumalanga Land Use Management Plan (Gert Sibande Development Planners, 2005est.)identified the following important settlements in the Gert Sibande district:Settlement Type Town/City Development DirectiveMajor Urban Centre • Bethal;• Carolina;• Embalenhle;• Ermelo;• Evander;• Piet Retief;• Secunda;Aim of centres is to retain the currentengineering, social, economic andinstitutional infrastructure and tostrengthen and diversify the economyin order to achieve growth, prosperityand sustainability. The followingindustrial clustering opportunities5 July 2013 Page 25