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Cities and towns are the backbone of regional and rural economic networks<br />

City-regions, <strong>cities</strong> and major towns are not only home to the majority of the population but are also<br />

the engine rooms of the South African economy – an estimated 57% of the formal economy is<br />

generated in the city-regions alone. South Africa’s <strong>cities</strong> play key roles as gateways to and/or anchors<br />

of spatial networks – connecting people, places, freight, logistics, financial, service, learning and<br />

institutional networks (ESPON, 2014). A 2014 analysis conducted by EDD and the CSIR (2014),<br />

which was based on a range of municipal and functional city area indicators, highlighted the critical role<br />

of <strong>cities</strong> as international, regional, and more localised networks.<br />

1<br />

Figure 1.6: Cities and towns are anchors and gateways within regional and rural economic networks<br />

Zimbabwe<br />

Mussina<br />

Botswana<br />

Namibia<br />

Northern Cape<br />

Western Cape<br />

Cape Town<br />

Mozambique<br />

Limpopo<br />

Pretoria Polokwane<br />

Mpumalanga<br />

Nelspruit<br />

North West<br />

Johannesburg<br />

Gauteng<br />

Swaziland<br />

Free State<br />

Kwazulu Natal<br />

Bloemfontein<br />

South Africa<br />

Kimberley Lesotho<br />

eThekwini<br />

Umtata<br />

Eastern Cape<br />

East London<br />

Port Elizabeth<br />

Kilometers<br />

0 100 200 400 600 800<br />

Map Legend:<br />

Global gateway<br />

Regional gateways<br />

District gateway<br />

Network<br />

! Main Cities<br />

Provinces<br />

District-settlement connections<br />

Homelands (former)<br />

SADC<br />

• International gateways: Although<br />

international investment and trade in South<br />

Africa (and Africa) may be directed at more<br />

rural, resource-rich enclaves (e.g. mining areas),<br />

metropolitan and large urban areas and port<br />

<strong>cities</strong> are used as gateways and springboards.<br />

• Gateways and anchors for national and<br />

regional economic networks: Metropolitan<br />

areas and large urban areas are the major<br />

global and regional gateways, and drivers of<br />

innovation and job growth in supra-national,<br />

national and sub-national regional economic<br />

networks and many of the job-driver specific<br />

value chains.<br />

• Gateways for regional and rural economies<br />

and service delivery: Regional and district<br />

gateways offer the potential to grow, anchor<br />

and connect government and economic<br />

service networks, as well as support growth and innovation in local and regional value chains.<br />

Source for this and later maps in chapter: CSIR and StepSA city viewers and indices. http://stepsa.org/<br />

INTRODUCTIOn 31

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