Socio Economic - Transnet

Settlement Type Town/City Development DirectiveRural settlement hubs• Standerton;• Volksrust.A total of 39 rural settlement hubswere identified.should be explored: agriculture,chemical, forestry, and mining.Hubs should fulfill a rural supportfunction. Each hub must accommodatethe primary range of social andeconomic services. The hubs mustprovide accessibility to the hinterland,not only in the form of roads but alsopublic transport facilities.It is important to note that the major urban centre within Msukaligwa LM, is Ermelo and is in closeproximity to the new rail line in question.4.1.2 AgricultureThe Gert Sibande area has a strong agricultural sector that produces maize, sunflower, grain,sorghum, beef, dairy, wool, sheep and wheat. Other types of crops produced in the area incorporatepotatoes, oil, seeds, maize and soybeans.The area between Carolina, Bethal and Ermelo is one of the largest wool-producing areas in thecountry. The Standerton area is known for its large dairy industry and maize agriculture. The area ofOgies shows high soil potential for irrigation farming.The district has an estimate of 1,750 commercial farmers, 2,300 emerging, and 5,300 subsistencefarmers (MDALA, 2007b).4.1.3 MiningThe Gert Sibande area has rich coal and mineral deposits and has some of the largest coal mines inSouth Africa. The major areas for coal in Gert Sibande District are concentrated around Bethal,Secunda, Standerton and Carolina. Linked with these coal mines are some of the world’s largest coalfired power stations, such as Majuba and Tutuka, both situated in the Gert Sibande District. The areais however confronted by the tension between the agricultural activities in the sense that valuableagricultural land is being sterilised by mining activities (CSIR, 2007). Despite the strong miningpresence that remains in the Msukaligwa LM it is noted that the mining activities have declineddrastically since 1995.4.1.4 TourismThere is potential to expand small-scale eco-tourism activities in the vicinity of Chrissiesmeer,because of the unique grassland habitats and the bird life associated with the grassland and wetlandareas. The establishment of stop-over facilities linked to the development of the bird watch tourismcluster adds value to the tourism potential of the Gert Sibande District (CSIR, 2007).4.1.5 ForestryThe forestry activities in the Gert Sibande area relate to pine, eucalyptus and wattle plantations, whichare concentrated in the eastern parts of the region stretching from Carolina, Lothair, and Amsterdamdown to Piet Retief in the south. Mondi has a manufacturing facility in Gert Sibande, namely the PietRetief mill.There exists tension between agriculture and forestry activities over the use of land (CSIR, 2007).5 July 2013 Page 26