North West Business 2023-24

Impala Rustenburg employs more than 40 000
people at its mining and concentrating and
smelting plants.
in a development called Lefika Villas. There will be
48 three-bedroom villas and 10 four-bedroom villas
in the development, together with amenities for
children, a restaurant and a swimming pool.
The ability of local authorities to manage the
infrastructure of towns and districts has been under
scrutiny for some time and national government has
signalled its intention to intervene.
The North West Provincial Government
announced a series of steps taken within its
administration which showed that accountability for
bad behaviour was being implemented.
The establishment of the Mafikeng Digital
Information Hub, a co-working 4IR hub in the centre
of Mahikeng, is an indicator that the province is intent
on joining the digital movement. The hub is led by
Joseph Ndaba, who is serving on the Presidential
Commission on 4IR.
Geography and economy
The North West is bordered on the west by the
Republic of Botswana and on the east by Gauteng,
the engine of the South African economy.
The North West Province makes up 6.8% of the
population of South Africa (3.6-million), 8.7% of the
land mass (105 076km²) and accounts for 5.8% of
economic output in terms of gross value added.
The Vaal River runs along the province’s southeastern
border with the Free State, and the province
also shares borders with the Northern Cape to the
south and Limpopo in the north. The mineral
reserves in the province are enormous. Platinum
group metals (PGMs) predominate but there are
significant deposits of gold, uranium, diamonds,
copper, vanadium, fluorspar and nickel. Stone and
limestone are also found in large quantities.
Mining beneficiation takes place at many
places, with Rustenburg being particularly strong
in this sector. The economy of the town is closely
linked to the fortunes of platinum mining, with the
sector contributing about 70% of the city’s gross
geographic product.
Automotive components firms are clustered
in Brits, which in turn is close to the automotive
manufacturing hub of Rosslyn (Pretoria) in
Gauteng. Towns like Klerksdorp (agro-processing
and engineering) and Potchefstroom (food and
beverages) also have manufacturing capacity.
The North West is a major producer of maize
and sunflower seeds and many other agricultural
products. About 20% of South Africa’s maize comes
from the province, as does 15% of its wheat.
The dry western part of the province is home
to beef cattle, game ranching and hunting. The
normally well-watered eastern and north-eastern
regions carry varied crops, many of which are sold
in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The agricultural sector also generates largescale
storage and logistics operations, particularly in
Klerksdorp, Vryburg and Brits, together with a
number of agro-processing plants. Senwes is one
of the biggest with extensive silo infrastructure
while Suidwes has 17 retail outlets and MGK makes
full-fat soy at its manufacturing plant. Lichtenburgbased
NWK makes liquid fertiliser and animal feed,
processes sunflower seeds and runs 37 silos and
three grain mills.
The province’s three Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) colleges and the
well-respected North-West University all have
several campuses catering to a wide range of
educational disciplines. The university has a strong
reputation as a research institution.
Major towns
Mahikeng
The capital city of the North West Province lies on
the banks of the Molopo River. Situated in the north-
NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2023/24
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PHOTO: Implats