Volume II - The Northern Cape Provincial Spatial Development ...

Northern Cape PSDF
Volume 2
Office of the Premier &
Department of Rural Development & Land Reform
December 2011
to a re‐think. Both the existing line and the handling facility in Port Elizabeth will have to be
upgraded to be able to cope with 12 to 14 million tons per annum or the Sishen‐Saldanha line will
have to start carrying manganese as well.
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), which operates the line to Saldanha on the West Coast, has committed
to a R8.7‐billion upgrade of the rail corridor. This is to cater for increased volumes being produced
by mining companies such as Kumba Iron Ore. All told, the iron‐ore channel is being extended
from 38 million tons per year to 60 million tons per year. The line is being upgraded, new rolling
stock added and new loops are being added to service the new iron‐ore mines mentioned in the
mining sector overview elsewhere in this publication.
Upington is the location of rail connections to Karasburg in Namibia and Keimoes and Kakamas
due west of Upington. There is also a connection to De Aar in the south which, in turn, links to
railways to Johannesburg, Kimberley and Cape Town.
F.3.1.4 HARBOURS
Port Nolloth, which is essentially a fishing harbour, is the province’s biggest facility and harbour
town. The Western Cape ports of Saldanha and Cape Town are used extensively for exporting
mining, agricultural and manufactured products from the Northern Cape.
The fishing harbous of Port Nolloth and Hondeklip Bay have both experienced degradation of their
basic infrastructure in recent years in parallel with the decline of the fishing industry in
Namaqualand. At present, the Hondeklip Bay facility is non‐utilised with the jetty having been
seriously damaged by winter storms a few years ago. The Port Nolloth harbour is currently utilized
by a number of shallow‐water diamond concession vessels but is used only sporadically by small
in‐shore fishing vessels. The Port Nolloth harbour is in need of rehabilitation as part of the
provincial strategy to promote the town as a regional fishing node. A plan for this has been
devised and private sector interest has been shown in co‐financing rehabilitation work as part of a
regional fishing project.
As stated in the PDGS, many of the Northern Cape’s primary agricultural and mineral production
are produced in localities distant from markets and from points of export. The province’s ability to
effectively and efficiently convey goods by both road and rail is crucial for the further economic
development of the province. Indeed the continued viability of certain existing economic activities
and the development of new ones depend on the availability of cost‐effective freight transport
and logistics systems. There is, therefore, a need for a clear freight strategy that will ensure that
goods are efficiently transported to the various markets.
F.3.2 WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
The province’s two perennial rivers, the Orange and the Vaal, feed the agriculture and alluvial
diamond industries in the province. Most of the Northern Cape rivers are characterized by
irregular flows and are punctuated by episodes of excessive flooding that cause damage to
irrigation equipment, bridges and property.
In order facilitate equitable and sustainable provision of water throughout the Province the
Department of Water Affairs (DWA) prepared and implemented a comprehensive water plan and
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Dennis Moss Partnership