S provincial focus
S provincial focus Limpopo Province: the portal to Africa Limpopo Province is the cultural calabash of South Africa, boasting three national parks, lush forests and amazing flora and fauna where the Big Five can be seen roaming. The province is a melting pot of diverse cultures and different traditions and a thriving hub of innovation, mineral wealth and investment. PROVINCIAL OVERVIEW Limpopo Premier Chupu Stanley Mathabatha reports on successful infrastructure projects and invites investors to participate in growing the regional economy. T The Provincial Socioeconomic Recovery Plan is anchored in our intention to promote the industrialisation of the province through mega-projects in the agricultural, manufacturing and tourism sectors. Over the next five to 10 years, we expect more than 48 000 jobs to be created as investments and interventions are ramped up to a total projected amount of R170-billion. We are committed to the Musina- Makhado and Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zones (SEZs), each of which will attract different types of investors. More than 6 000 jobs will be created with the implementation of the Industrial Parks Revitalisation Programme in all five provincial districts. The Critical Infrastructure Programme has approved R49.9-million for refurbishing Seshego Industrial Park. Central to these recovery efforts is positioning Limpopo as an investment destination of choice for domestic and foreign investors. This will enhance the much-needed creation of employment, particularly for young people. Several projects point to the priority that we have allocated to the Limpopo e-Government Strategy Implementation Plan. Fibre The municipalities of the Limpopo Province. and satellite technologies have been employed to connect more than 50 sites to the network. The provincial government’s first projects to digitise administration will be in the healthcare, education and transport sectors. Through the Musina-Makhado SEZ (MMSEZ), we aim to be a leading producer of energy through the production of coking coal found in huge reserves in Musina. We are ready to move with speed in the implementation of this project. At the Fetakgomo Tubatse SEZ, several investors, such as Mintek, have committed to take sites. MAIN LANGUAGES Sesotho, Xitsonga and Tshivenda. English is widely used in business and government. REGIONAL OVERVIEW By John Young In Polokwane, construction of the 488-bed Limpopo Central Hospital, which National Treasury approved plans for, has started and will become one of South Africa’s five academic hospitals. In the Sekhukhune District, at GaMalekane, Steelpoort, a long-awaited multi-lane steel bridge will replace the old single-lane one. In the north of the province, several tourism projects have been launched in the last 18 months with a few more in the pipeline. Eight mining companies in the Eastern- Limb Cluster in the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality have contributed to constructing a new road bridge at the intersection of the D2219 and R555. Roads Agency Limpopo 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 has a value of R1.1-billion. In the Lephalale region, Exxaro has partnered with government to operate a satellite office in support of small business. Another investment being made in the Limpopo mining sector is the expansion 44 | Service magazine
provincial focus S Olifants River flows through the Kruger National Park from west to east roughly half way up the game reserve. project at Northam Platinum’s Metallurgical Complex which has linked increased volumes with better and cleaner environmental efficiencies. 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 combined land area of Limpopo’s national, provincial and private 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. This is a priority programme in the National Tourism Sector Strategy. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO-protected site. Some nature reserves will be commercialised using private-public partnerships, starting with Masebe, Rust de Winter and Lekgalameetse. The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism is responsible for 53 provincial nature reserves. links the province to Botswana to the west and Mpumalanga to the east. - Most of South Africa’s major logistics operators have established hubs in Polokwane and Musina. - Limpopo has a sophisticated rail network which Transnet Freight Rail aims to expand, primarily to haul the province’s vast reserves of coal away to the coast at Richards Bay. - The province is home to the University of Venda and the University of Limpopo as well as seven TVET colleges. The Turfloop Graduate School of Business is in Polokwane. - The Polokwane International Airport, almost equidistant from Johannesburg, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, has been refurbished to position itself as a cargo hub for the region. AGRICULTURE Tomato producer, ZZ2, has entered the avocado category to diversify its product range. A joint venture between ZZ2, Mission Produce and Criterion Africa Partners will see more than 1 000ha of avocado orchards developed. The National Empowerment Fund will support Lebowakgomo Abattoir, a provincial government poultry project, in the amount of R32-million, to assist small-scale farmers and broiler producers. Farmer production support units provide clusters of services, including livestock auction facilities, mechanisation services and training centres for farmers in Sekhukhune (grain and cotton); Mopani (vegetables); Waterberg (red meat) and Capricorn (potatoes). Since the initiation of Koba-Tlala Production Brigade Project in 2022/23, the South African Defence Force has procured over R1-million worth of fresh produce from the farmers involved. An additional 32 collection points have been established to allow smallscale farmers near military centres to sell their products. Cotton growing is experiencing a renewal in the province. The provincial government’s programme for revitalising irrigation schemes is helping. In Ephraim Mogale Municipality, 345 hectares of cotton have been planted which will benefit 74 local small-scale farmers. The contribution of Limpopo agriculture to national agriculture is 7.6% although its contribution to provincial GDP is just 2.3%. Agroprocessing has enormous potential to expand in every subsector. GEOGRAPHY - Polokwane is the capital of Limpopo. - The province’s 125 754km 2 covers 10% of South Africa’s land mass and is home to about 10% of the country’s population. - The N1 highway which plays a vital role in the nation’s logistics sector passes through Limpopo from the south to the border town of Musina and on to Zimbabwe and its neighbours in the Southern African Development Community. The N11 highway Service magazine | 45
