Western Cape Business 2020 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE The

SPECIAL FEATURE The property market in Plettenberg Bay reflects this Garden Route town’s popularity as a destination. of the continent. Robben Island was the site of the incarceration of the most prominent political prisoners during the apartheid era, including Nelson Mandela. Cape Town has been welcoming the world in increasing numbers since Mandela’s release in 1990, and it is now regarded as one of the world’s great tourist destinations. The Port of Cape Town is ideally situated at the crossroads of some of the world’s most important trade routes. The transport, maritime and logistics sector is consequently very important. Bunkering and ship repair are other vital port facilities, and the boat repair and boat building industries continue to grow. The port plays a major role in exporting the province’s excellent fruit, wine and other agricultural products to international markets. Cape Town has a diverse manufacturing sector, with petroleum products, food and beverages and metals and metal products being major sectors. Growth sectors include the film industry, ICT and other tech specialities such as fintech and medical diagnostics. West Coast District Municipality Towns: Saldanha Bay, Malmesbury, Clanwilliam, Vredenburg, Moorreesburg. The economy of this region ranges from manufacturing in Saldanha, Atlantis and Malmesbury to agriculture and forestry centred on inland towns like Moorreesburg (wheat), Cedarberg (forestry) and Citrusdal. Cement is made in Riebeeck West and Piketberg and fishing takes place all along the coast. Rooibos tea and shoes are made in Clanwilliam. The remote mission station of Wupperthal, famous for its veldskoens, suffered a bad fire in 2018. The Port of Saldanha Bay is the principal port for the export of iron ore and with the impending declaration of the Saldanha Industrial Development Zone, is gearing up to service the continent’s oil and gas industry with oil rig maintenance among the services. Mineral sands are mined north of Saldanha. Cape Winelands District Municipality Towns: Stellenbosch, Paarl, Worcester, Robertson, Wellington, Franschhoek. Nearly 70% of South Africa’s wine comes from this area. Vineyards also attract many tourists but tourism in the Winelands includes wellness spas, adventure tourism and game farms. Manufacturing is concentrated on processing grapes and fruit into wine, juice, brandy, dried and tinned fruit products. Dairy manufacturer Parmalat has a large cheesemaking facility in Bonnievale. Robertson is known for roses and thoroughbred horses. Stellenbosch is home to its eponymous university which is becoming synonymous with tech start-ups and innovation. Several large companies, such as PSG Group, have their headquarters in the town. Overberg District Municipality Towns: Caledon, Bredasdorp, Hermanus, Swellendam, Cape Agulhas. The Overberg contains the southernmost tip of Africa (Cape Agulhas), the oldest mission station in South Africa (Genadendal), a large casino resort (in Caledon) and some of the WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2020 18

SPECIAL FEATURE best whale viewing in the world (Whale Coast). Swellendam is a superb location for the cultivation of berries and horse breeding. The region hosts high-quality fruit farms in the Ceres Valley and rural villages that are very popular with tourists such as Barrydale and Greyton. Agriculture is the principal economic activity of the region and the services sector is strong. Garden Route District Municipality Towns: George, Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Plettenberg Bay. The area has two important tourist names: the Cape Garden Route on the coast and the Klein Karoo between the mountain ranges. Route 62 is a popular route which ends (or starts) in Oudtshoorn, home of the Cango Caves. A report by the Bureau for Economic Research has found that the Garden Route DM is one of the best-performing regions because of tourism. The area is famous for fine golf courses and golf estates. Mossel Bay, where the slipway in the harbour has received a multimillion-rand upgrade, hosts a large gas-processing plant while George is a node of manufacturing, trade and administration. The Klein Karoo has its own wine route and port, cheese and brandy are produced. Fruit, vegetables and ostriches are other main products. Central Karoo District Municipality Towns: Beaufort West, Laingsburg, Prince Albert. The largest district in the province has the smallest population, a reflection of the semi-desert conditions: 71 000 people live on 38 000km². Sheep farming predominates and there are plans to introduce agri-parks to towns in the region. Beaufort West is strategically positioned on the N1 highway which links Cape Town with the interior of South Africa but has been experiencing terrible drought conditions in recent years. The nearby Karoo National Park has acquired some lions and Prince Albert is a quaint town in the shadow of the Swartberg Mountains, close to the dramatic portals that link the Karoo to the Klein Karoo: Seweweekspoort, the Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort. ■ Municipalities in the Western Cape WCDMA01 Northern Cape Metropolitan/District Municipality Boundary Local Municipality Boundary District Municipality Local Municipality Garden Route Oudtshoorn Matzikama WCDMA05 Cederberg Beaufort West West Coast Central Karoo Bergrivier WCDMA02 Saldanha Bay Swartland City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality ATLANTIC OCEAN Witzenberg Cape Winelands Breede Valley Drakenstein Langeberg Stellenbosch Theewaterskloof Swellendam Overberg Cape Agulhas WCDMA03 Overstrand Laingsburg Kannaland Hessequa Prince Albert Oudtshoorn WCDMA04 Garden Route George Knysna Bitou Mossel Bay INDIAN OCEAN Eastern Cape 19 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2020