The 2023/24 edition of Limpopo Business is the 15th issue of this highly successful publication that, since its launch in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the Limpopo Province.
In inviting investors to consider Limpopo, the Premier of Limpopo and the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism outline concrete steps that have been taken to add and improve infrastructure within the province and to tackle socioeconomic challenges.
The delicate balance between the need to utilise the bounty of the earth’s minerals for economic progress and the imperative to do so in a way that both boosts the local economy and does not degrade the environment is the subject of a special feature in the front section of the journal. Several mining companies have mitigation projects, employ local people and support local small businesses but Exxaro’s appointment of an all-female team of mounted game rangers stands out as a rather special initiative. News related to mining, agriculture, tourism, construction and property, water, education and development finance is carried in overviews of the main economic sectors.
To complement the extensive local, national and international distribution of the print edition, the full content can also be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com. Updated information on Limpopo is also available through our monthly e-newsletter, which you can subscribe to online at www.gan.co.za, in addition to our complementary business-to-business titles that cover all nine provinces, our flagship South African Business title and the newest addition to our list of publications, African Business, which was launched in 2020.
A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF
A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF LIMPOPO PROVINCE Production began at De Beers’ Venetia Mine in 2023, a major milestone in a multi-year project that will create work for local communities, and for valuers. Shovels and cranes are being put to good use in Limpopo as new projects in mining, agriculture and tourism are matched by infrastructure investments by regional and national government in roads and a major new hospital. By John Young Ground was broken all over Limpopo in 2023 as new projects were launched. In Polokwane the first shovels of earth were moved towards the construction of the Limpopo Central Hospital. National Treasury approved plans for the 488-bed hospital, which will become one of South Africa’s five academic hospitals, in 2022. In the Sekhukhune District, contractors were handed their instructions at GaMalekane, Steelpoort, where a long-awaited multi-lane steel bridge will replace the old single-lane bridge. In the north of the province, a number of tourism projects have been launched in the last 18 months, and several more are in the pipeline. Several mining companies are breaking new ground, although in the case of De Beers at its Venetia Mine in the province’s far north, it is not so much new ground as old ground that is being mined in a different way. What used to be a surface mine is in the process of being transformed into an underground mine, a long and expensive project that began in 2012 and is now about 70% complete. A significant landmark was achieved in 2023 with the beginning of production at the facility that employs 4 300 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2023/24 10 PHOTO: De Beers Group
SPECIAL FEATURE people and is expected to produce four-million carats of diamonds annually. The bridge project at Steelpoort nicely illustrates the spirit of public-private partnership. No fewer than eight mining companies in the Eastern-Limb Cluster in the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality have contributed to the construction of the new road bridge at the intersection of the D2219 and R555: Anglo American Platinum, Glencore Alloys, Booysendal (Northam Platinum), Two Rivers Platinum, Samanchor Chrome, Dwars River Chrome, Rhakhoma Mining and Tjate Platinum. Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) is managing the project, for which R127-million has been budgeted. A total of 12 partnerships between the Limpopo Provincial Government and various mining houses have a value of R1.1-billion. A public-private planning exercise, known as Impact Catalyst, is working on focus areas which include biofuels and intends to prepare the province to deal with the emergence of new sectors such as renewable energy. The Provincial Government is working with Impact Catalyst in several fields, including a coordination of enterprise development programme strategies. In the Lephalale region, Exxaro is in partnership with government to operate a satellite office in support of small business. Another partnership related to supplier development programmes is in place with Black Umbrellas. Among the other investments being made in the Limpopo mining sector is the expansion project at Northam Platinum’s Metallurgical Complex which has linked increased volumes with better efficiencies and a cleaner process from an environmental point of view. Less water and power are used by the newly installed machines and a high-tech two-stage chilling system has been introduced to control the reaction of leaching operations. One the province’s biggest companies is using its recently constructed packing facilities to prepare tomatoes and avocados for export. The fact that ZZ2 is venturing into the avocado market is big news for the agricultural sector. A series of renovations and upgrades have taken place at Polokwane International Airport (PIA) which have placed the airport in a better condition to position itself as a cargo hub for the province and the region. Noting that the facility’s relative proximity to Johannesburg makes it less of a tourist destination as many of Limpopo’s destinations are within driving distance of the country’s biggest metro, PIA is investigating how it can leverage its central location to attract more cargo for further distribution throughout Limpopo and SADC. An airport in the eastern part of Limpopo that does receive many tourists is one of the gateways to the Kruger National Park, Hoedspruit Airport. Provincial authorities are looking at ways that this airport can play an ever bigger role in accepting visitors than it already does with its connections to Botswana, Mozamibique and Zimbabwe. Three major national parks – Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe in the north and Marakele in the Waterberg – are run by South African National Parks (SANParks) and attract large numbers of tourists every year. The province’s private game reserves and lodges enjoy a reputation for luxury and excellence of service that attracts tens of thousands of international visitors. The combined land area of Limpopo’s national, provincial and private game and nature reserves is 3.6-million hectares. The provincial government has committed to enhancing the value of Limpopo’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Makapans Valley and Mapungubwe, where the superbly crafted little golden rhinoceros, a relic from medieval times, was found in 1932. This is also a priority programme in the National Tourism Sector Strategy. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO protected site. Some Limpopo nature reserves are to be commercialised using private-public partnerships. Among the first reserves to be part of the programme are Masebe, Rust de Winter and Lekgalameetse. The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) is responsible for 53 provincial nature reserves. Limpopo is doing its best to attract new investors to the province. A number of targeted conferences have been held in several key sectors and the teams leading the push to establish Special Economic Zones in Limpopo have been working hard to promote the Musina-Makhado SEZ and the Fetakgomo-Tubatse SEZ. Each of the SEZs has its own unique attributes but both of them seek to support the beneficiation 11 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2023/24
