Northern Cape Business 2018-19 edition

FOCUS
CSP component manufacturing and assembly plant(s)
in South Africa; the current heightened activities in the
renewable energy industry in South Africa; and there is
72ha of land set aside for the development of a Solar
Farm within the SEZ with a complete EIA and 440ha for
industrial development.
Upington International Airport
The Upington International Airport has a number of characteristics
that make it a particularly favourable location
for the possible establishment of an MRO and aircraft
storage facility. These include:
• an arid climate that is not conducive to accelerated
corrosion and deterioration of aircraft when stored
in Upington
• the availability of relatively low cost open surface
area (land) for the storage of aircraft, as well as for
the possible development of supporting industries
in and surrounding the airport
• Upington Airport has an unusually long runway
(5km) that serves as a National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) designated African
landing site for its shuttles. The runway therefore
can accommodate a large variety of aircraft
• Upington is close to the northern border of South
Africa and there its position is considered convenient
and strategic from an African continental perspective
• the remoteness of Upington renders it a fairly safe
location in terms of security
• there is a strong market for the establishment of
an MRO facility in South Africa to serve both the
European and African regional markets
• the absence of any meaningful competition in this
market on the African continent is another plus
• there are 85 hectares for the development of an
MRO with complete EIA for industrial development.
The development of the MRO is spearheaded by
Airports Company South African (ACSA)
which will become the anchor tenant of
the Upington SEZ.
Diverse drivers
Mining is one of the key economic drivers
in the Northern Cape. The province’s
iron ore, manganese, zinc and copper
mines open up possibilities in terms of
the manufacturing and assembly of mining
equipment, excellent to boost the
country’s economy.
Agriculture: the District ZF Mgcawu, in
which Upington is situated, is well known for
producing export-quality grapes, citrus, dried
fruit such as raisins and other fruits, providing
many investment opportunities in agro-processing
– the processing of raw materials and
products derived from agricultural activities
and packaging.
The Upington SEZ is perfectly located for
astronomy-related logistics, assembly and
warehousing.
The SEZ aims to be an incubator for manufacturing
and high-value micro technology
in the Northern Cape. The SEZ will also be
home to a number of warehouses where
manufactured goods can be stored before
being exported or distributed.
Together with our partners, the Northern
Cape Economic Development Trade and
Investment Agency (NCEDA), the Northern
Cape Department of Economic Development
and Tourism, the National Department of
Trade and Industry (dti) and Airports Company
South Africa (ACSA), we invite all interested
investors to contact us for more information.
KEY CONTACTS:
Contact: Mr Thobela Dikeni, Chief Executive Officer,
Northern Cape Economic Development Agency
Tel: +27 53 833 1503 and 060 997 7202
Ms Babalwa Mbobo Sector Specialist Upington SEZ
Tel: +27 54 333 1136 and 071 016 5813
NCEDA CONTACT DETAILS:
Physical address: Templar Court Building,
2nd floor, cnr Bean and Clarence Streets,
Kimberley 8301
Tel: +27 53 833 1503
Fax: +27 53 833 1390
Website: www.nceda.co.za
21 NORTHERN CAPE BUSINESS 2018/19