pprust - SRK Consulting

SRK Consulting 10Numerous “rural” settlements are scattered throughout the region northwest of Mokopanetown. Although most settlements represent a formal zoned layout, there are little signs of aformalised urbanisation process and associated public infrastructure, services and facilities.Two prominent rural concentrations (growth nodes) in this area are the Greater Mapela andBakenberg tribal areas, each with a population of around 10,000 people in 1995.A variety of land uses and economic activities are evident in the broader Mokopane region.These include commercial estates, intensive farming, mining operations, game farming andtourism.2.8 Economic ActivityIn his budget speech in March 2002, the Member of the Executive Council for the provincialDepartment of Finance, Economic Affairs, Tourism and Environment (DFEAT) reported thatthe provincial economy has grown at an average of 5,5% in real terms between 1995 and2000, with encouraging signs in trade and services. The provincial economic growth ratewas 3,9% in 2000 and the Gross Geographic Product (GGP) was around R39 billion. Thetrade sector has produced the fastest growth “…reflecting a strong local demand for goodsand services, as well as growth in the tourism sector. …Mining is showing signs of recoveryfrom 18.5% of the GGP to 19% over the period 1998 to 2000” (DFEAT, Limpopo Province).The provincial unemployment growth rate has, reportedly, been reduced from an average16,3% during 1980 to 1996 to a current average of 6,2%. During the 2001/02 financial year,4,870 new jobs were created in the Limpopo Province, with the highest number of new jobsin the mining (2,900) and agricultural (1,615) sectors.Greater Mokopane forms part of the Bushveld Igneous Complex, an area rich in minerals,with the mining of platinum, diamonds and granite as main activities. The Mokopane area isa fertile agricultural area producing wheat, tobacco, cotton, beef, maize, peanuts and citrus.General economic involvement outside Mokopane is in the commercial agriculture, miningand public sectors, but is mostly evident in the subsistence and informal economic sectors.Boreholes with poor quality potable water mostly serve the study area. Greater Mokopaneand surrounding rural settlements have suffered severe water shortages during the first halfof the 1990s. Subsequent concerns about the affordability of water resources developmentin the sub-region have resulted in water requirements being scaled down.Recent feasibility studies (2000) have concluded that it would require several phased wateraugmentation options to meet the long-term requirements of Greater Mokopane (DWAF,BOENG:\347793 Mokgalekwena 2010\7Reports\Draft EIR\SRK website - electronic upload\Appendices\Appendix I3_Socio economicreport\PPRust SIA Final (Rev-1).doc June 2002