Gauteng Business 2017-18 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
The Bureau of Market Research (BMR) has shown
that Gauteng accounts for 35% of total household
consumption in South Africa.
The leading economic sectors are finance, real
estate and business (21% of provincial GDP), manufacturing
(16.5%), government services (16.3%) and
wholesale, retail, motor trade and accommodation
(12.8%). The so-called creative industries (including
advertising and the film sector) employ upwards
of 180 000 people and contribute more than
R3.3-billion to the provincial economy. The provincial
government’s Economic Development Plan sees
this sector as one of the key drivers of future growth.
In the provincial capital, Johannesburg, financial
services and commerce predominate. The JSE,
Africa’s largest stock exchange, is situated in the
heart of Johannesburg’s business district, Sandton.
Tshwane (which includes Pretoria) is home to
many government services and is the base of the
automotive industry and many research institutions.
The Ekurhuleni metropole has the largest concentration
of manufacturing concerns, ranging from
heavy to light industry, in the country. The western
part of the province is concerned mainly with mining
and agriculture, while the south has a combination
of maize farming, tobacco production and
the heavy industrial work associated with steel and
iron-ore workings.
Gauteng is not just an important centre of economic
activity, it is also an important launching pad
for local and international businesses to enter the
African market. The country’s biggest airport, OR
Tambo International Airport, is at the core of the
province’s logistical network. Other airports include
Rand Airport (Germiston), Wonderboom (Pretoria)
Lanseria and Grand Central (Midrand).
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality plans
on building an “aerotropolis” in partnership with the
provincial government and private investors. The
intention is to link the airports of OR Tambo and
Lanseria and expand logistics capabilities.
The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South
Africa (which has seats in Pretoria and Johannesburg)
is a superior court with general jurisdiction over
the province. Johannesburg is also home to the
Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest court,
and to a branch of the Labour Court and the Labour
Appeal Court.
The province has several outstanding universities,
and the majority of South Africa’s research
takes place at well-regarded institutions such as
the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR), the South African Bureau of Standards
(SABS), Mintek, the South African Nuclear Energy
Corporation (NECSA), the Human Sciences Research
Council (HSRC) and several sites where the work
of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is done.
Geography
The province is located in the Highveld region of
South Africa, approximately 1 700 metres above
sea-level. It is a landlocked province, surrounded
by four other provinces.
The Vaal River forms a natural border with the
Free State, which lies south of Gauteng, while the
North West province is located to the west, Limpopo
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