South African Business 2017 edition

REGION
to rural communities who previously had to walk
to rivers to fetch water. These communities in the
Waterberg, Capricorn and Sekhukhune districts are
beneficiaries of a vast project that will also deliver
water to towns and mining operations in the area.
More than a million people will get water from the
dam, which cost approximately R3.4-billion to build.
Economic zones
In 2016 the national cabinet approved the Musina-
Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ) located in
the far north of Limpopo in the Vhembe region. The
location of the Musina SEZ, with links to Zimbabwe,
Botswana and Mozambique, promotes the Trans-
Limpopo Spatial Development Initiative. Logistics
will be one of the key focus areas of the SEZ. Other
sectors will include agri-processing, energy and mineral
beneficiation. De Beers' giant Venetia diamond
mine is nearby.
The national Department of Trade and Industry
(dti) is the lead agent in SEZ creation, which in turn
feeds into the national Industrial Policy Action Plan
(IPAP). SEZs are designed to attract investment,
create jobs and boost exports. The dti says that a
consortium of Chinese investors, Sino, has agreed
to put R40-billion into the Musina SEZ where they
will operate the mineral beneficiation operations.
A second application for an SEZ at Tubatse is
pending. Tubatse is in the Sekhukhune District
Municipality and hosts a number of mining operations.
The SEZ in Tubatse will focus on the beneficiation
of platinum group metals and miningrelated
manufacturing.
Tourism
Limpopo has two transfrontier conservation parks,
two World Heritage Sites, three biospheres, three
national parks, 53 provincial nature reserves and
more than 6 000 privately owned game farms. The
Limpopo Environmental Management Act was
drawn up to address specific provincial issues.
The South African Golf Tourism Association says
that up to 10% of visitors to the country are attracted
by its golf courses, and Limpopo's offering has been
extended and improved in recent years. At the highend
of the luxury offering are the Zebula Golf Estate
and Spa (west of Bela Bela) and the Legend Golf and
Safari Resort.
The growth of the Marula Festival, held annually
in February in Phalaborwa, caters more to the
local market. At least 13 000 litres of marula beer
were brewed by the 13 co-operatives that participated
and more than 14 000 people turned up for
the outdoor music concerts that were a feature of
the festivities.
Limpopo Province has very varied tourism assets
that include the bare bushveld of the north,
misty mountains in the central highlands, hot
springs, a unique cycad forest, great golf courses
and the northern part of the Kruger National Park.
The provincial government is committed to
enhancing the value of Limpopo's two World
Heritage Sites, Mapungubwe Heritage Site and
Makapans Valley.
Adventurous visitors can choose from off-road
biking, hunting, elephant rides and tough 4x4 trails.
A vast array of different cultures extend from the
Rain Queen and her people in the central districts,
to the myth-inspired art of the Venda in the north, to
the bright geometric house designs of the Ndebele
people in the Sekhukhune district.
Although most of the province’s resorts and
lodges are in private hands, the province has three
national parks, and the provincial government runs
54 nature reserves of different types. The combined
land area of Limpopo's national, provincial and private
game and nature reserves is 3.6 million hectares.
The tourism sector in the province employs
about 22 414 people.
Capital Polokwane
Population 5 726 800 (2015)
Area 125 754km 2
Premier Stanley Mathabatha (ANC)
Languages Sesotho, Tshivenda, Xitsonga
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