SPECIAL FEATURE
SPECIAL FEATURE province’s manufacturing base – they often rely on the base mineral that comes from mining anyway. Platinum prices may not be as strong as they were, but platinum group metals (PGM) have enormous potential in the energy field, and North West researchers and businesses are working on possibilities to exploit this. The possibility also exists that a totally new sector, renewable energy, will help to transform the lives of previously excluded communities. This is already taking place to a small extent in that the province’s first solar plant is partly owned by the community in which it operates. There is much more scope for this kind of partnership, but there is also scope for the development of a manufacturing sector to support the renewable energy sector. A start has been made to attract solar panel manufacturers to the Platinum Special Economic Zone in the Bojanala District Municipality. The province’s other manufacturing strategy of boosting agriprocessing is in better shape now that the worst of a prolonged drought is over. The creation of district agri-parks is intended to boost primary production which in turn will increase the amount of raw material that can be processed. Companies making car seats within the province’s active automotive parts sector (mostly centred around the town of Brits) would be a ready market for treated hides from the huge provincial cattle herd. The Provincial Government of the North West has two main economic strategies: • the development of Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies (VTSD) • a focus on three key sectors: agriculture, culture and tourism (ACT). Other areas of focus are: mineral beneficiation; renewable energy; retail and wholesale; ICT and the development of economic infrastructure. Geography 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 North West is bordered on the west by the Republic of Botswana and on the east by Gauteng province, the engine of the South African economy. The big four sectors of the provincial economy are mining, agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. 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 province’s strategic location goes beyond its proximity to Gauteng: the major roads linking trade on an east-west axis pass through the province, as does the major railway line which runs from Cape NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2018 10
SPECIAL FEATURE Town in the south to Zimbabwe and beyond in the north. Mining contributes 28% of the region’s gross domestic product. The mineral reserves that still lie beneath the ground in the province are enormous. Platinum group metals predominate but there are significant deposits of gold, uranium, diamonds, copper, vanadium, fluorspar and nickel. Stone and limestone are also found in rich 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. 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 can carry many kinds of crops, many of which find themselves on the tables of the citizens of the nearby urban centres of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The agricultural sector also generates large-scale 11 NORTH WEST BUSINESS 2018
