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

the western part of the Northern Cape Province. At the same time the town functions as a
government sub-regional centre for several of the Northern Cape Provincial departments,
including a regional office for the Premier. Springbok is located in a strategic position not
only in relation to its surrounding hinterland, but also with regard to the N7 and N14 transport
routes. These two national roads converge at the town, the N7 connecting the Western Cape
with Namibia, while the N14 links Springbok with Upington/Kimberley and further eastwards
to other provinces of South Africa. Springbok performs a prominent role along the West
Coast/N7 Development Corridor between Cape Town and Namibia as indicated in the
Western Cape PSDF (2005) policy document..
The town’s development profile in Figure 4.4 displays a reasonable diversified economic
base, which is fundamental to the success of any regional urban center. This position points to
a sound confidence level for sustained economic development outcomes, especially if the
weaker components of the Composite Economic Activities indicator could be stimulated. For
this purpose the already well established component of Human Resources, Institutional
Services and Commercial Services should be further utilized. The regional development
profile of the Nama Khoi municipality, in which the town is one of ten settlements, greatly
reflects that of Springbok.
The economic base of Springbok depends mainly on agriculture (stock framing), mining and
tourism as the traditional anchor activities. It has a central market place character providing in
the shopping, administrative, educational and other service requirements of the region. The
downscaling of mining activities in the surrounding settlements over the past years not only
resulted in job losses which impact negatively on families, but emphasizes the need for further
diversification of the economy. Springbok has a well-developed business and service sector to
meet the needs of the farming and surrounding mining communities of Aggeneys, Okiep,
Kleinzee, Port Nolloth, Garies, Steinkopf, etc. This puts the town in a very suitable position to
supply a wide hinterland with higher-order shopping goods and regional services. The range
of its services transcends provincial and even international boundaries. The town’s diversified
economy includes a range of retail shops, offices, as well as business and community services.
A good infrastructure system already supports town development, while there is ample land
available for future spatial expansion of the urban area. The settlement also has sufficient
good-quality water sources such as from the Orange River for urban expansion. A possible
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