Mpumalanga Business 2017 edition
Mpumalanga Business 2017 is the seventh edition of this highly successful publication that has since its launch in 2008 established itself as the premier business and investment guide to Mpumalanga Province. Supported and utilised by the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA), Mpumalanga Business is unique as a business journal that focuses exclusively on Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga Business 2017 is the seventh edition of this highly successful publication that has since its launch in 2008 established itself as the premier business and investment guide to Mpumalanga Province. Supported and utilised by the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA), Mpumalanga Business is unique as a business journal that focuses exclusively on Mpumalanga.
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OVERVIEW<br />
by the provincial government and is part of a transfrontier project with<br />
its Swaziland neighbour. Covering 49 000 hectares, the park is home<br />
to large numbers of animals (white rhinos among them) and at least<br />
1 400 species of flora, including rare cycads.<br />
The south-eastern region of <strong>Mpumalanga</strong> is for nature-lovers. The<br />
many large lakes in the region attract birds and frogs, and tourists willing<br />
to spend money looking for both. Chrissiesmeer is South Africa’s<br />
biggest freshwater lake.<br />
Further north, and closer to Johannesburg, the Loskop Dam is one<br />
of the biggest lakes in the southern hemisphere. Situated within the<br />
Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, the Loskop Dam is suitable for birding<br />
and visitors can have the unusual experience of game viewing from<br />
a boat. The nearby Loskop Cheetah Sanctuary is popular, while water<br />
sports are well catered for throughout the region, but particularly at<br />
the huge Witbank Dam. Plant enthusiasts will enjoy seeking out the<br />
Lanatus Cycad.<br />
The Loskop Dam is another area that is receiving funding for upgrades.<br />
The <strong>Mpumalanga</strong> Tourism and Parks Agency has responsibility<br />
for the facility and the improvements have been planned for some<br />
time. The national Department of Environmental Affairs has set aside<br />
R30-million for the project which should reach completion in the course<br />
of 2016.<br />
The provincial investment agency, MEGA, has packaged a number<br />
of tourism investment opportunities that are set out in detail elsewhere<br />
in this publication.<br />
The underlying principle in<br />
each case is a form of public-private<br />
partnership where the agency<br />
would assist in getting land-use<br />
and other legal requirements,<br />
and perhaps in seeing that basic<br />
infrastructure was laid on, then<br />
the developer would build and<br />
manage a tourism facility.<br />
Projects envisaged include a<br />
tourist wheel, a cable car, restaurants<br />
and conference facility in<br />
Mbombela (Mandela Iconic Eye),<br />
the Blyde River Tourism Cluster (a<br />
series of developments including a<br />
cable car, a hotel, a restaurant and<br />
a skywalk) and an International<br />
Convention Centre planned for<br />
the capital city of Mbombela.<br />
Entrepreneurs and awards<br />
Tourism entrepreneurs are looking<br />
at several trends, includ-<br />
MPUMALANGA BUSINESS <strong>2017</strong><br />
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