Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

LIMPOPO 

BUSINESS 

2016/17 EDITION 

THE GUIDE TO BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT 

IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE 

JOIN US ONLINE 

WWW.LIMPOPOBUSINESS.CO.ZA

Limpopo Economic 

Development Agency 

The Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) undertakes numerous activities 

and programmes in order to strengthen the economic and business climate in Limpopo. 

Vision 

To be a leader in sustainable economic growth 

and job creation. 

Mission 

To implement integrated economic development 

initiatives in Limpopo, through: 

• Accelerated industrial diversification 

• Increased levels of trade and investment 

• Developing sustainable enterprises 

Strategic goals 

• Accelerated industrial diversification through 

strategic economic development initiatives 

• Sustainable enterprises in targeted sectors of 

the economy 

• Increased trade and investment in Limpopo 

• Public accountability, sound corporate governance 

and sustainable resource utilisation 

Core functions 

LEDA’s role encompasses the following spheres: 

Industrialisation 

• Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and corridor 

development 

• Property and infrastructure 

• Development (commercial, industrial), 

agribusiness development 

Enterprise Development and Finance 

• Financial support 

• Business support 

• Training and development 

• Strong focus on cooperative development 

and support 

Trade and Investment Promotion 

• Growth sectors 

• Investment promotion (FDI and local) 

• Export promotion and development 

• Project facilitation and venture capital 

LEDA has a number of subsidiary companies that 

function as commercial entities. These are: 

• Great North Transport 

• Risima Housing Finance Corporation 

• Corridor Mining Resources (plus nine of its 

subsidiaries) 

• Venteco and Mununzu tea estates/Mashashane 

Hatchery 

The agency’s associate companies include: 

• OK Bazaars (Venda) 

• Attaclav 

• Bopedi Shopping Centre 

• AON Limpopo 

• Mokopane Mall 

Head office: 

Enterprise Development Finance House, Main Road, Lebowakgomo, Polokwane 0699 

Tel: +27 15 633 4700 | Fax: +27 15 633 4854 | Website: www.lieda.co.za

Research and development 

Industrialisation initiatives 

Business support and finance 

Trade and investment 

Satellite offices 

Fetakgomo: +27 15 622 8904 • Giyani: +27 15 812 1756 • Jane Furse: +27 13 265 1993 • Lephalale: +27 14 763 1799 

Makhado: +27 15 516 5275 • Marble Hall: +27 13 261 1610 • Modimolle: +27 14 717 1239 

Modjadiskloof: +27 15 309 3925 • Mokopane: +27 15 491 8582 • Molemole: +27 15 526 7900 • Musina: +27 15 534 2266 

Mutale: +27 15 967 1902 • Phalaborwa: +27 15 781 0029/8 

Senwabarwana: +27 15 505 9000/1 • Thabazimbi: +27 14 772 2437/73 • Thohoyandou: +27 15 962 6103 

Tubatse: +27 13 231 7467

CONTENTS 

CONTENTS 

Limpopo Business 2016/17 Edition. 

Introduction 

Foreword 7 

Limpopo Business is a unique guide to business, investment 

and tourism in the province. 

Welcome to our province, Limpopo 8 

A message from the Premier of Limpopo, the Honourable 

Chupu Stanley Mathabatha. 

Geared for growth 10 

Managing Director of LEDA, Benjam Mphahlele is keen 

for businesses and investors to explore the strategic 

advantages of Limpopo. 

Special features 

Regional overview of Limpopo Province 12 

Limpopo is the national leader in exports of minerals and 

agricultural produce, but industrialisation remains a key 

priority for future growth. 

The Limpopo Development Plan 18 

The Provincial Government of Limpopo’s Development Plan 

aims to carry through the spirit of South Africa’s development 

plans on a provincial basis. 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17 

4

No more queues. 

UIF COMPLIANCE AT YOUR FINGER TIPS 

The Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 2002, 

requires every employer to contribute 2% of the 

remuneration in respect of each employee who works for 

24 hours and more. The employer contributes 1% and the 

employee contributes 1% and the total to UIF is 2%. 

The employer is expected to provide the UIF with both the 

declaration and the contribution amount on or before the 

7th of each month in respect of each employee. It is the 

responsibility of the employer to ensure that all employee 

are registered with the UIF. 

uFiling provides the following benefits 

to employers and agents: 

• Improved service delivery 

• A secure and convenient online service 

• Instant updates and access to uFiling data ; and 

• Reduced data error. 

The fund has leveraged on technological advances to improve 

its operational systems to the benefit of its clients. The uFiling 

system is an online application that is convenient and user 

friendly that employers can use to declare and pay contributions. 

To activate as a uFiler the employer must have a UIF reference 

number.When opening the web page the user must logon to 

www.ufilling.co.za/www.ufliling.gov.za then click on Activate 

my ufiling account and select either domestic,commercial or 

agent to complete the activation process. The system will guide 

the user through the activation process. Once the activation 

process is completed, the user will immediately receive an 

e-mail notification confirming his or her login details. 

NB: The uFiling system also allows employees to submit their 

UIF claims online. 

For more information about uFiling 

Visit www.labour.gov.za or www.ufiling.gov.za 

www.ufiling.co.za 

Call centre number: 012 337 1680 

Toll free number: 0800 843 843 

The Unemployment Insurance Fund... Works for you!

CONTENTS 

Priority projects in Limpopo 22 

A range of high-impact projects that have the potential 

to improve the Limpopo economy. 

Limpopo’s Special Economic Zones 26 

Two Special Economic Zones have been proposed 

for Limpopo: the Tubatse Platinum SEZ 

and the Musina SEZ. 

Driving economic development 30 

Three subsidiaries of the Limpopo Economic Development 

Agency (LEDA) are driving economic development in 

the province: Corridor Mining Resources, Risima Housing 

Finance Corporation and Great North Transport. 

Economic sectors 

Agriculture 44 

Limpopo’s avocadoes and macadamias are in big 

demand throughout the northern hemisphere. 

Mining 48 

The Waterberg region is attracting mining companies. 

Transport and logistics 52 

Transport and logistics are vital to Limpopo’s export trade. 

Renewable energy 58 

Solar and bio-mass have the greatest potential in Limpopo. 

Water 60 

A Limpopo Water Master Plan will be tabled during 2016. 

ICT and telecommunications 62 

Connecting rural areas is a priority for Limpopo authorities. 

Tourism 74 

The Kruger National Park, which is partly situated in Limpopo, 

is a favourite destination for domestic and foreign tourists. 


6

Seda Offerings 

Seda branches provide offerings that assist businesses 

in various phases of their life cycle. 

Seda Business Talk – 

Offerings focusing on clients who want information on starting a business 

Assistance Provided: 

• Business Advice and Information 

• Small Enterprise Training 

• Business Registration 

Seda Business Start – 

Provides tools and techniques for clients who are ready to start a business 

and want assistance and direction. 


• Business Planning 

• Business Counselling 

• Facilitation of Access to Finance 

• Business Support 

Seda Business Build – 

Offerings focusing on clients who want skills to sustain and strengthen 

their businesses. 


• Capacity Building Systems 

• Mentorship 

• Tender Advice / Procurement 

• Export Readiness 

• Franchising 

Seda Business Grow – 

Offerings focusing on clients who want to grow their businesses 

and expand nationally and internationally. 

Assistance provided: 

• Business Systems Development 

• Cooperative Support 

• Growth Strategies 

For more information contact us at: 015 287 2940 or visit our website: www.seda.org.za 

TOGETHER ADVANCING SMALL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

CONTENTS 

Banking and financial services 76 

Limpopo is a rural province and so the challenge of getting 

formal banking services to the population are greater 

than in most other provinces. 

Development finance and SMME support 78 

Mining supply chains can boost SMMEs in Limpopo. 

Education and training 89 

South Africa’s newest medical school opened in 

Limpopo in 2016. 

Government 

South African Government 92 

An overview of South Africa’s national government 

departments. 

Limpopo Provincial Government 95 

A guide to the province’s government departments. 

Limpopo Local Government 97 

A guide to the district and local municipalities. 

Reference 

Sector contents 42 

Index 104 

Maps 

Limpopo locator map 15 

Limpopo regional map 96 

Limpopo municipalities 100 

0 50 km 

Beitbridge ZIMBABWE 

Limpopo 

0 25 miles 

Musina 

Evangelina 

Pafuri 

Motorway Palapye 

Main Road 

Alldays 

Tshipise 

Railway 

Oorwinning 

Waterpoort 

Tom Burke 

Thohoyandou 

Mahalapye 

Louis 


Trichardt 

R81 Kruger 

N11 

N1 

BOTSWANA 

Senwabarana 

National 

Monte Christo 

Steilloopbrug 

Giyani Park 

Morebeng 

R81 

Lephalale 

Gilead 

Modjadjiskloof 

Groesbeek 

Seshego 

Tzaneen 

Elmeston 

Gravelotte Phalaborwa 

Mokopane POLOKWANE 

Sentrum Vaalwater 

Zebedelia 

Ofcolaco 

R40 

N1 

Lebowa Kgomo 

Thabazimbi 

Mookgopong 

Hoedspruit 

Crecy 

Klaserie 

Modimolle 

Bela-Bela 

N11 

Pilgrim’s Rest 

Marble Hall 

Graskop 

North West 

Lydenburg 

Groblersdal 

Sabie Hazyview 

Sun City 

Mpumalanga 

Gauteng 

Stoffberg 

White River 

N 

MOZAMBIQUE 


8

CREDITS 

Publisher: Chris Whales 

Publishing director: 

Robert Arendse 

Editor: Simon Lewis 

Writing: John Young, Karen 

Kühlcke, Simon Lewis 

Online editor: Christoff Scholtz 

Art director: Brent Meder 

Design: Colin Carter 

Production: Lizel Olivier 

Ad sales: Shiko Diala, Sam Oliver, 

Gabriel Venter, Jeremy Petersen, 

Nigel Williams, Veronica Dean- 

Boshoff and Sydwell Adonis 

Managing director: Clive During 

Administration & accounts: 

Charlene Steynberg and 

Natalie Koopman 

Distribution and circulation 

manager: Edward MacDonald 

Printing: FA Print 

FOREWORD 

Limpopo Business 

A unique guide to business and investment 

in Limpopo. 

The 2016/17 edition of Limpopo Business is the eighth issue 

of this highly successful publication that, since its launch 

in 2007, has established itself as the premier business and 

investment guide to the Limpopo province. 

Limpopo is unique in terms of it abundant natural and human 

resources, and is also one of the key drivers behind the South 

African economy. 

This edition of Limpopo Business is officially endorsed by the 

Office of the Premier of Limpopo. To complement the extensive 

local, national and international distribution of the print edition of 

the magazine, the full content can also be viewed online at www. 

limpopobusiness.co.za. Updated information on the Limpopo 

economy is also available through our monthly e-newsletter, 

which you can subscribe to online at www.gan.co.za, in addition 

to our complementary business-to-business titles that cover all 

nine provinces as well as our flagship South African Business title. 

Chris Whales 

Publisher, Global Africa Network Media 

Email: chris@gan.co.za 

DISTRIBUTION 

Limpopo Business is distributed internationally on outgoing 

and incoming trade missions, through trade and investment 

agencies; to foreign offices in South Africa’s main trading 

partners around the world; at top national and international 

events; through the offices of foreign representatives in South 

Africa; as well as nationally and regionally via chambers of commerce, 

tourism offices, trade and investment agencies, airport 

lounges, provincial government departments, municipalities 

and companies. 

PUBLISHED BY 

Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd 

Company Registration No: 2004/004982/07 

Directors: Clive During, Chris Whales 

Physical address: 28 Main Road, Rondebosch 7700 

Postal address: PO Box 292, Newlands 7701 

Tel: +27 21 657 6200 | Fax: +27 21 674 6943 

Email: info@gan.co.za | Website: www.gan.co.za 

ISSN 1993-0119 

COPYRIGHT | Limpopo Business is an independent publication published 

by Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd. Full copyright to the 

publication vests with Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd. No part 

of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the written 

permission of Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd. 

PHOTO CREDITS | COVER: BEKA Schréder (Pty) Ltd, Grootgeluk Mine. 

Pictures supplied by flickr.com, Anglo American, Wikimedia Commons, 

Limpopo Economic Development Agency, CNDC Group, Mvula, 

Foundation myclimate, Public Domain Images and Pixabay. 

DISCLAIMER | While the publisher, Global Africa Network Media (Pty) 

Ltd, has used all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained 

in Limpopo Business is accurate and up-to-date, the publishers 

make no representations as to the accuracy, quality, timeliness, or 

completeness of the information. Global Africa Network will not accept 

responsibility for any loss or damage suffered as a result of the use of or 

any reliance placed on such information. 

9 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17

MESSAGE 

Welcome to our province, Limpopo 

A message from the Premier of Limpopo, the Honourable Chupu Stanley Mathabatha. 

Chupu Stanley Mathabatha, 

Premier of Limpopo 

It is my great pleasure to have 

the opportunity of providing a 

note of welcome for the 2016/17 

edition of Limpopo Business to 

all businesses, investors and 

members of the public sector, 

both locally and from around 

the world. 

It gives me extra joy to welcome 

members of the business 

community who are not familiar 

with our province, as we have a 

great deal to offer, particularly in 

terms of agriculture, manufacture 

and transport. Not for nothing is Limpopo known as the “gateway’” 

province, as we share our border with three neighbouring countries - 

Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique – as well as being neighbours 

to three South African provinces – Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the 

North West. 

Limpopo harbours beautiful and contrasting landscapes, making it a 

favourite destination for leisure and adventure travellers worldwide. We 

have remained a province that honours and respects our rich natural 

heritage, in so doing preserving it for our future generations as well 

as sharing it with national and international visitors alike. 

The province is divided into five regions, notably Capricorn (occupied 

by the Bapedi people), the Waterberg (occupied by the Batswana 

people), Vhembe (occupied by the Vhavenda and VaTsonga people, 

the latter residing in Mopani) and Sekhukhune, which is dominated 

by the Bapedi and Ndebele people. 

The warmth and welcome of the people of Limpopo has played 

a major role in ensuring that our tourism sector has remained the 

province’s strategic competitive economic advantage. Despite the 

various economic challenges the country has been facing, the province’s 

tourism industry has continued to flourish, with the sector 

continuing to create jobs and employ more people. We are relishing 

our number one spot in the domestic tourism market space. It has 

been shown time and again that most South Africans enjoy visiting 

our province, and that explains why we retain top billing in the tourism 

rankings. The Limpopo Tourism Agency has also recently been 

restructured to enable it to focus attention on giving our tourism 

sector even greater promotion. 

Our Limpopo Development Plan symbolises our dedication to the 

improvement of our provincial economy. This plan is our contribution 

to the nation’s development and it details how we as Limpopo 

share the same vision and imperative regarding poverty reduction, 

elimination of social inequality and the creation of sustainable jobs 

in our province. 

The plan has affirmed the role of SMMEs and cooperatives in the 

productive sectors as a critical component towards radical economic 

transformation. This is in an effort to make Limpopo an investment 

centre for both national and international investors. During our trade 

and investment mission to the People’s Republic of China in October 

2014, we signed memorandums of agreement with big investors. The 

first memorandum of agreement was signed with Hong Kong Mining 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17 10

MESSAGE 

Exchange Company (Hoi Mor) for the establishment 

of South Africa Energy Metallurgical Base Project. 

This project whose investment value is estimated 

at R38.8-billion, will be based in the Musina Special 

Economic Zone, and will create 19 000 direct jobs 

over a period of three years. The Hoi Mor investment 

will result in beneficiation that integrates various 

resources and reduces the export of raw materials 

in favour of exporting value-added goods. 

Along the same vein, South Africa’s Women’s 

Investment Holdings has entered into a joint venture 

agreement with Jidong Development Group 

and the China Africa Development Fund for a R1.65- 

billion investment into a cement-manufacturing 

facility that will be based in Thabazimbi. The construction 

started in 2014 and is due to be completed 

during 2016. I have no doubt that these investments 

will add value to our efforts of expanding the 

productive capacity of our province. 

Agriculture has also been a huge contributor 

to the province’s economy and we have put deliberate 

measures in place to entice investment in 

the sector. We have also opened Madzivhandila 

and Tompi Seleka Agricultural Colleges that 

are now fully functional and operational. The 

restructured curriculum content will assist in 

developing agricultural economists, extension 

officers, pasture and soil scientists, agronomists 

and horticulturists. 

Aside from arguably being one of the friendliest, 

our province is also regarded as the safest 

province within South Africa and, with that dual 

offering, I urge you to come to visit us in Limpopo 

so that you can take advantage of what we have 

to offer. Whether you are a tourist, a businessperson 

or an investor, Limpopo is a province that is 

growing in opportunities and a joy to all those 

who come. 

11 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17

MESSAGE 

Geared for growth 

Managing Director of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency, 

Benjamin Mphahlele, is keen for businesses and investors to 

explore the strategic advantages of Limpopo Province. 

It is my pleasure to welcome readers not only to the 

2016/17 edition of the Limpopo Business publication 

but to the entire province of Limpopo. 

This strategically located province, with its vast 

potential, has much to offer local businesspeople 

and international investors. The Limpopo Economic 

Development Agency (LEDA) is happy to be a first 

port-of-call for those seeking information on opening 

a business here or advice on identifying potential 

partners within the province. 

This is an exciting time for those interested in 

exploring Limpopo as a potential business and 

investment destination. Construction on the De 

Hoop Dam has been completed and the first unit 

of the Medupi power station is now in operation. 

Furthermore, business is bustling at the massive 

Mall of the North. 

“LIMPOPO’S GEOGRAPHICAL 

LOCATION MAKES IT AN IDEAL 

HUB FOR THE MANUFACTURE 

OR PRODUCTION OF GOODS 

DESTINED FOR EXPORT 

ELSEWHERE IN 

SOUTHERN AFRICA.” 

Benjamin Mphahlele 

Perhaps most significant is the fact that 

Cabinet has approved the designation of an area 

in Musina-Makhado as a Special Economic Zone 

(SEZ). A consortium of Chinese investors will be 

ploughing more than R40-billion into the energy 

and metallurgical industrial park and there will be 

numerous opportunities for construction professionals, 

manufacturing concerns and mineral beneficiation 

businesses. Another SEZ is proposed for 

Tubatse and we urge you to consider whether your 

business might benefit from an operation in one 

of these zones, both of which offer specific tax 

incentives and advantages for qualifying investors. 

The two SEZs speak directly our vision of a 

province that doesn’t focus primarily on the 


12

MESSAGE 

export of raw materials but contributes directly 

to their beneficiation. The “double whammy” of 

a decline in commodity prices coupled with severe 

drought has underlined the urgency of this 

objective. 

Limpopo’s geographical location makes it an 

ideal hub for the manufacture or production of 

goods destined for export elsewhere in South 

Africa or Southern Africa. 

Opportunities in our traditional and established 

sectors such as agriculture and tourism 

have not been exhausted and we welcome enquiries 

from entrepreneurs with fresh business 

ideas relating to agro-processing or niche travel 

experiences. Our province prides itself on offering 

a range of cultural and natural/wildlife experiences 

for both domestic and international visitors but 

astute businesspeople are sure to recognise gaps 

in the offering that could be positively exploited. 

After some years of consolidation following 

the amalgamation of four provincial agencies, 

the team at LEDA is keen to promote the next 

phase of economic development in the province. 

The increasing percentage of goods undergoing 

some form of value-add within Limpopo itself 

keeps us motivated. 

We invite readers to study the articles on the 

SEZs elsewhere in this publication and to contact 

us should they be interested in investigating the 

feasibility of setting up an operation there. Those 

unfamiliar with Limpopo will soon discover – within 

the pages of this guide or, preferably, in person 

–a province rich in bounty from the earth, people 

and opportunity. 

Website: www.lieda.co.za 


A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF 

LIMPOPO 

PROVINCE 


Limpopo is the national leader in exports of minerals and agricultural produce, but 

industrialisation remains a key priority for future growth. 

Limpopo covers about 10% of South Africa’s 

land mass and is home to about 10% of the 

country’s population (5.4-million). The main 

languages of the people of Limpopo are Sesotho, 

Xitsonga and Tshivenda, although English is 

widely used in business and government. The province 

shares international borders with Botswana, Zimbabwe 

and Mozambique, and provincial boundaries 

with the North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng: the 

last of these is extremely significant because proximity 

to the country’s economic heartland offers 

economic opportunity. 

The provincial government has set a clear goal of 

rapidly increasing the province’s contribution to the 

national GDP from 7.5% in 2014 to 9%. 

When it comes to exports, Limpopo punches 

above its weight because of the abundance of mineral 

wealth under the ground, and the superb fruit 

and vegetables that the province’s farmers cultivate 

in the soil. Potatoes are grown, together with 75%

SPECIAL FEATURE 

South Africa’s mangoes and tomatoes; papayas (65%); 

tea (36%); citrus, bananas and litchis (25%) and 60% of 

the country’s avocadoes. 

The best-performing subsector of South African 

exports over the last five years is fruit and nuts according 

to worldstopexports.com. In 2015 South African 

exports of these items were valued at $2.9-billion, 

3.6% of the country’s total. This represents a 27% 

increase since 2011, and here Limpopo has a great record: 

avocadoes, mangoes and macadamia nuts from 

the province’s eastern regions are hugely popular 

in international markets and Limpopo’s commercial 

farmers are extremely efficient. 

Limpopo is also a water-scarce province, however, 

and there are many subsistence farmers in the 

province. Under the system of apartheid, so-called 

homelands were created and three of these were located 

within the boundaries of what is today Limpopo 

Province: the legacy of poverty that was part of the 

homeland plan still exists. The Premier of Limpopo, 

Chupu Stanley Mathabatha, referred directly to one of 

the indicators of poverty in his State of the Nation address 

in 2015: “We have also reduced the dependency 

index from eight in 2006 to six in 2014. This means 

that in our province, for every one person employed, 

there are, on average, six people who depend on the 

income of that person.” 

While welcoming the improvement, the Premier 

pledged to work to reduce it still further. 

Mining is the other big sector – with agriculture 

– in Limpopo. Limpopo has huge reserves of coal, 

platinum, chromium, uranium clay, nickel, cobalt, 

vanadium, limestone and tin. 

Within Limpopo, approximately 400 prospecting 

and mining licences have been granted for a wide 

range of minerals. These include the largest diamond 

mine in South Africa, the biggest copper mine in 

South Africa, the biggest open-pit platinum mine 

in the country and the biggest vermiculite mine in 

the world. The province has 41% of South Africa’s 

platinum group metals (PGMs), 90% of South Africa’s 

red-granite resources and approximately 50% of the 

country’s coal reserves. Antimony, a highly strategic 

mineral found in large quantities in China, is another 

of Limpopo’s major assets. 

The provincial government of Limpopo is determined 

to leverage the mineral sector to create more 

industry in the province. To this end, five interventions 

are planned for the medium- and long-term: 

• A provincial supplier development programme 

• A mining community development programme 

• A post-mining-era skills development programme 

• A provincial industrialisation programme 

• A procurement programme that ensures that 

mines buy 20% of their supplies from local small, 

medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and 

co-operatives 

Another aim is to develop the manufacturing capacity 

of the province. The goal is to create value within 

the borders of Limpopo, and in this way to create 

employment. Manufacturing in the province is centred 

around mining areas (smelters and refineries), 

agricultural estates (juices and concentrates) and in 

Polokwane it is strong on food and beverages). 

Agri-processing is strong, with Pioneer Foods, 

McCain, Granor Passi, Kanhym, Westfalia and 

Enterprise Foods prominent, but this sector still has 

enormous potential to grow. 

Strategic location 

The Great North Road 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 province’s 

location lends itself to logistical operations and 

most of South Africa’s operators have a presence 

in the provincial capital city of Polokwane. Freight 

logistics hubs have been established at Polokwane 

and Musina. 

Large national logistics company Value Group has 

only four major regional depots outside Gauteng: 

the fact that one of these is in Polokwane shows 

the importance of Limpopo in the logistics chain in 

South Africa. 

Logistics giant Imperial Logistics Southern Africa 

has 70 companies in its group structure, including 

Kobus Minaar Transport, a concern that began in 

Tzaneen transporting fruit and vegetables. Much of 

the agricultural produce of the province has to be 

delivered to ports in a hurry because of the delicate 

nature of the fruit. Avocadoes are particularly easy to 

bruise and so companies such as Freezerlines, Fast ‘n 


16


Fresh and Cold Chain have developed specialist techniques 

in getting these fruits to port and to market 

undamaged. Grindrod has a perishable cargo division 

that specialises in transporting cargo by air. 

Limpopo’s thriving mining industry is the other 

major driver of the transport and logistics sector. 

Polokwane has an international airport and there 

are a further two regional airports at Hoedspruit and 

Phalaborwa. The rail network is mostly devoted to 

getting the products of the province’s many mines 

to the coast. 

Limpopo’s position as a regional hub also brings 

its own set of challenges, with vast numbers of vehicles 

passing through the province and using its 

facilities in the course of delivering goods to all parts 

of Southern Africa. New mining operations in the 

Waterberg and at Burgersfort and the new power 

station at Lephalale have put additional pressure on 

existing road infrastructure. 

Projects 

Two of the largest engineering projects in the history 

of South Africa have been undertaken in Limpopo 

over the last few years. Both the Medupi power station 

(at Lephalale in the far west) and the De Hoop 

Dam (in the south-east) have the potential to give the 

region’s economy a massive boost. 

The power station at Medupi will eventually add 

4 764 megawatts to the national grid and has already 

given the local economy of Lephalale a massive boost 

with thousands of workers and engineers needing 

housing and supplies. There have, however, been 

long delays and only one of the facility’s six units had 

come online by the end of quarter one 2016. 

The huge De Hoop Dam, which forms part of the 

Olifants River Water Resources Development Project 

(ORWRDP), is vital to the province’s future. Access to 

water is one of the key elements in any discussion of 

economic growth in Limpopo Province, especially as 

the mining and agricultural sectors are so important. 

In terms of the ORWRDP, some 23 platinum mines 

stand to benefit. The dam was officially opened 

in 2014. 

Another project that could have a big spinoff 

is the South African Energy Metallurgical Base 

NAMIBIA 

Project, which is being developed in the Musina 

Special Economic Zone. The value of this investment 

has been given by the provincial government as 

R38.8-billion, and a memorandum of understanding 

has been signed with Hong Kong Mining Exchange 

Company Limited, Hoi Mor. Companies in the mineral 

and mineral-beneficiation sectors are expected to 

take up sites within the complex. 

Plans for another Special Economic Zone (SEZ) 

at Tubatse have received a positive result from the 

feasibility study. 

Tourism 

Northern Cape 

Western Cape 

BOTSWANA 

North West 

Free State 

Eastern Cape 


ZIMBABWE 

Mpumalanga 

Gauteng 

SWAZI- 

LAND 

LESOTHO 

LIMPOPO 

KwaZulu- 

Natal 

The combined land area of Limpopo’s national, 

provincial and private game and nature reserves is 

3.6-million hectares. According to the Premier’s office, 

the tourism sector employs about 22 414 people. 

Although most of the province’s resorts and lodges 

are in private hands, three national parks are located 

in Limpopo and the provincial government runs 54 

nature reserves. 

The Kruger National Park is one of the world’s most 

famous conservation areas, and a major attraction for 

the region. The northern part of Kruger National Park 

falls within the province. 

Several other public and private game reserves 

also exist, as well as other leisure activities and attractions 

such as adventure touring and eco- and 

cultural-tourism sites. Hunting is another big activity in 

Limpopo which attracts domestic and foreign visitors. 

MOZAMBIQUE 

17 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17


The Modjadji Cycad Reserve contains some of the 

oldest and biggest cycad specimens in the world. 

Limpopo has two World Heritage Sites: the 

Mapungubwe National Park in the northern part of 

the province is a hill site where a 12th-century ironage 

civilisation settled and traded extensively in ivory, 

iron ore, copper and beads with traders from far afield. 

The Makapans Valley tells the story of the Ndebele 

people and has fascinating palaeontological deposits 

that tell an even older history. 

Situated like many of the other golf estates near 

the Great North Road (the N1 highway), Legend Golf 

and Safari Resort is part of 22 000-hectare nature and 

game conservancy and offers private homes, a hotel, 

a wellness centre and a conference centre. 

Regions 

Limpopo has regions with distinct geographical features 

and climatic conditions. The dry, cattle-rearing, 

western areas contrast with the subtropical regions 

of the east where forestry thrives and central regions 

where vast plantations produce 60% of the country’s 

tomatoes. The semi-arid regions to the north of the 

Soutpansberg Mountains are home to the unique 

baobab tree, the so-called upside-down tree because 

it looks as though its roots are reaching skywards. The 

Waterberg Mountains stretch over 14 500km² through 

the northern reaches of the province. 

Limpopo has five district municipalities: 

Capricorn District 

Capricorn is the economic centre of Limpopo, with 

the provincial capital Polokwane contributing 13% 

of the provincial GDP. The Zebediela Citrus Estate is 

one of the biggest citrus estates in South Africa, and 

the cultivation of potatoes and tomatoes is done on 

a large scale in the district. 

The capital city of Polokwane is the province’s 

main centre for industry, commerce, education and 

medical services. 

The city is close to big concentrations of mineral 

deposits and to fertile agricultural lands; its industries 

reflect this diversity. Large industrial concerns such as 

Silicon Smelters (one of the biggest of its kind in the 

world) and a big brewery run alongside at least 600 

industrial enterprises of a smaller scale. The range 

is broad, thus helping to protect Polokwane from 

downturns in the economic cycle: soft drink and fruit 

juice manufacture; confectionery; bricks; clothing; 

meat processing; packaging; jewellery. 

The strong retail sector was strengthened even 

more with the opening of the Mall of the North. 

This major project cost approximately R1.2-billion to 

complete. Covering more than 70 000 square metres, 

the mall offers a more convenient alternative 

to shoppers used to doing their monthly shopping 

in Johannesburg. 

Polokwane has good hotel and conferencing 

facilities and is well situated as a starting point for 

tourism trips into the province and beyond. Garden 

Court Polokwane is an example of a hotel that forms 

part of a national group, in this case, Tsogo Sun. 

Nearby Moria attracts up to a million people 

every year, when the Zion Christian Church 

celebrates Easter. 

Greater Sekhukhune District 

Government is the largest employer in this southern 

district, followed by agriculture and hunting. The 

vast majority of households are rural (94%), with a 

poverty rate of 69.9%. 

Groblersdal is the district capital. The region’s 

fertile lands produce maize, tobacco, peanuts, vegetables, 

sunflower seeds and cotton on a large scale. 


18


Agriculture makes up 25% of the 

local economy, with the value of 

the region’s gross production estimated 

at R250-million. Burgersfort 

is an important town because of 

platinum mining. 

Mopani District 

Giyani is the administrative capital 

of the district and is key to the local 

economy. The public sector is 

one of the largest employers in the 

district. The key sectors are agriculture 

and mining. Mopani has 

an established food manufacturing 

industry in canned, preserved 

and dried-fruit production and vegetable juices. 

Phalaborwa is the gateway to the Kruger National 

Park. It has a good airport and is a tourism hub. 

Palaborwa Mining Company (Palamin) is the major 

economic driving force in the area. State-owned 

phosphate and phosphoric acid producer Foskor 

is another major employer. Sasol Nitro Phalaborwa 

produces phosphoric acid and deflourinated acid. 

The Marula Festival is held in Phalaborwa in February 

every year. 

A subtropical climate and fertile soils combine to 

make greater Tzaneen very productive in terms of fruit 

and vegetables. Limpopo’s second-most populous 

city has a population of 80 000. The Letaba Valley 

produces a large proportion of South Africa’s mangos, 

avocados and tomatoes. 

Forty sawmills operate in the area, drawing on the 

heavily forested hills around the city. One of the major 

road links between Gauteng and the Kruger National 

Park also passes through the area, providing excellent 

links for tourism and business. 

Vhembe District 

The Vhembe District borders Zimbabwe and 

Botswana. The district’s administrative capital is 

Thohoyandou. Vhembe’s vast bushveld supports 

commercial and game farming and the district has 

considerable cultural and historical assets. The major 

economic sector is agriculture, both in terms of 

commercial and subsistence farming. Game farming 

is a growing subsector, as is eco-tourism. De Beers’ 

Venetia Mine, situated just west of Musina, is South 

Africa’s largest diamond producer. 

Situated in the north-east of the province, fairly 

close to the Punda Maria Gate of the Kruger National 

Park, Thohoyandou is the administrative centre of 

Thulamela Local Municipality, Vhembe District 

Municipality and the University of Venda. 

The Tshivhase tea estates are not far from the 

town and a new project is cultivating exotic trees 

and ornamental shrubs. The town is on the Ivory 

Route and hosts the Venda Cultural Museum. Other 

attractions include an ancient baobab tree, the Dzata 

Ruins, the Museum of the Drum, the mystical Lake 

Fundudzi and Nwanedi Provincial Park. 

Waterberg District 

The mining sector is the largest contributor to regional 

GDP, while agriculture is also significant. Several towns 

in the district are located in the mineral-rich Bushveld 

Igneous Complex. 

The district also features the riches of the Waterberg 

Coal Fields, iron ore (at Thabazimbi) and tin and platinum 

at Mookgophong. The town of Lephalale is at 

the heart of the region’s coal-mining and powergeneration 

sectors. 

The area around Mokopane is one of the richest 

agricultural zones in South Africa, producing wheat, 

tobacco, cotton, beef, maize and peanuts. The bubbling 

hot springs of Bela-Bela market it as a popular 

tourism destination, and the district offers many luxury 

golf estates. 


The Limpopo Development Plan 

The Provincial Government of Limpopo’s Development Plan aims to carry through 

the spirit of South Africa’s development plans on a provincial basis. 

In these difficult economic times, hope is what 

people cling to, and the South African government’s 

National Development Plan (NDP) has provided 

a source of great possibility and hope for 

South African businesses as well as its citizens. Each 

of South Africa’s provinces have since adopted and 

planned their own strategies, taking the NDP as their 

guide and tailoring it for their own specific needs. 

The Limpopo Development Plan (LDP) has been 

designed to address the economic poverty and infrastructural 

issues that are currently being faced in 

Limpopo. The province has endeavoured to ensure 

that the plan is a reflection of their shared vision and 

strategic imperatives towards poverty reduction, 

and the elimination of social inequality in addition 

to the creation of sustainable jobs in the province. 

The LDP cuts across three areas that need extensive 

improvement, notably socio-economic, infrastructural 

and institutional development. These 

areas are essential to Limpopo, being a mainly 

rural province. 

The economic strategy required entails concentrating 

on the mining, agricultural and tourism 

sectors. The industrialisation of Limpopo is going 

to be concentrated around (but not limited to) 

Polokwane, Lephalale, Tubatse, Tzaneen and the 

Makhado-Musina corridor, which have been identified 

as the areas of priority in terms of integrated 

human settlements and economic development 

The entire strategy outline is, therefore, designed 

on the floorplan of the 14 development 

outcomes contained in the National Medium-Term 

Strategic Framework for 2015-2019. Development 

is defined as broad-based improvements in the 

standard and quality of life for the people living 

throughout the province, to which all institutions 

(including government, business, labour and citizens) 

contribute. Increasing the annual improvements 

in job-creation production, income, access 

to good public services and environmental management 

are the instruments or means to reach 

the goals of this development plan. 


20


This vision statement encapsulates the expectation 

that, by 2030, Limpopo will have a public 

service that meets the best standards of governance, 

citizens that are educated, skilled, healthy and 

self-reliant, and that there is a labour force that is 

fully productive and gainfully employed, with an 

infrastructure that is capable of promoting and sustaining 

an innovative local and regional economy 

for the benefit of all the province’s diversified communities 

in a responsible and sustainable manner. 

The LDP also acknowledges that a critical condition 

for job creation is improved levels of education 

and skills development, and human resource development 

has therefore been identified as one of the 

key priorities. The aim is to reduce the unemployment 

rate to 14% (down from 16.9% in 2016). Education is 

seen as an opportunity for the future generations to 

enjoy access to economic mobility and success. The 

LDP aims to achieve this by improving the educational 

quality in order to be globally competitive and to provide 

high-quality early childhood education by 2030. 

During the 2015 State of the Province Address 

(SOPA), Premier Mathabatha announced that the 

LDP would underpin 10 High Level Development 

Targets to be attained by 2020. These targets are: 

• The achievement of an economic growth rate 

of 3% revised in the light of the current performance 

of the global economy 

• The creation of 429 000 jobs 

• Increased access to basic water from 83% in 

2014 to 90% 

• Increased access to electricity supply from 83% 

in 2014 to 90% 

• Increased access to sanitation from 43% in 

2014 to 50% 

• Increased Matric Pass Rate from 72% in 2014 

to at least 80% 

• Increased Geographic Gross Product contribution 

to the national GDP from 7.15% in 2014 

to 9% 

• Reduction of the unemployment rate from 16.9% 

in 2014 to 14% 



• Increased average life-expectancy from 58.3 

in males in 2014 to 60, and 62.5 in females in 

2014 to 65 

• Reduction of inequality in terms of Gini coefficient 

from 0.61 in 2014 to 0.50 

The 10 targets of the LDP are what Limpopo will 

concentrate on in order to improve the state of the 

province. Each department in the province has been 

given tasks in order to fulfill the LDP’s objectives. 

Department of Education 

The slogan of the Department of Education in 

Limpopo is that “education is a precondition for 

development”. This slogan captures the spirit of 

the LDP and emphasises the context and role of 

education in the provincial strategy. With the largest 

budget share, the Department of Education 

is faced with some of the greatest challenges in 

the province. Significant financial backing is not 

enough without the greater commitment and 

change of the management approach from all 

members. Making creativity, innovation and choice 

their imperative, the aim is to be able to produce 

skills that are needed for industrial clusters and to 

serve as feeders for TVET colleges. The key targets 

for education are: 

• Expanding access to ECD programmes 

• Provision of access to training and education 

• Improvement of grade 12 results 

• Use an improved ANA for holding schools and 

districts accountable 

Department of Health 

The 2030 Vision of the LDP for the Millennium 

Development Goals (MDGs) is to create a health 

system that works for everyone, produces positive 

health outcomes, and is not out-of-reach. The 

outcomes expected are: 

• Average male and female life expectancy 

increased to 70 years 

• Tuberculosis prevention and cure rates progressively 

improved 

• Maternal and child-mortality rates reduced 

• Prevalence of chronic non-communicable 

diseases reduced by 28% 

• Health systems reforms completed 

• Primary health care teams deployed to provide 

care to families and communities 

• Universal health coverage achieved 

• Posts filled with skilled, committed and 

competent personnel 

The LDP also identifies the social determinants of 

health of individuals or communities. This covers 

factors such as where people live, the state of the 

environment, genetics, income, education levels and 

social support networks. 

Department of Social Development 

The LDP targets for social services are that all potential 

beneficiaries who qualify for social grants should 

receive them, that all legitimate non-profit organisations 

for social development should receive government 

support and that social development committees 

should be established in all wards throughout 

Limpopo. Indicators for social grants are the number 

of potential beneficiaries compared to the number of 

actual beneficiaries, and the source of this information 

is SASSA. The Limpopo Department of Social 

Development will create a database on non-profit 

organisations for social development and the support 

that they are given. The number of functional 

social development ward committees compared to 

the number of wards in each municipality will indicate 

the extent to which the third target is achieved. 

Department of Agriculture 

For the next five years the Department has called 

for a vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural community 

contributing towards food security for all. They 

intend to increase the percentage of productive 

land owned by previously disadvantaged individuals 

from 11.5% in 2013 to 20% by 2019. This would 

also help ensure that, by 2019, 7.2-million hectares 

of land will have been transferred to previously 

disadvantaged individuals and is also being used 

productively. Other goals include reducing the 

percentage of households vulnerable to hunger 

(from 11.5% in 2011 to less than 9.5% by 2019) and 

leading to the reduction of rural unemployment 

in Limpopo to less than 40% by 2019. 


22

Department of Public Works, Roads 

and Infrastructure 

The Department’s primary focus is to facilitate the 

provision of economic infrastructure in support of 

the selected development cluster value chains, as 

well as the community infrastructure required to 

provide household services. Several support agencies 

(ie municipalities and private businesses) need 

to be engaged in this process. Other major responsibilities 

include the building of internal professional 

capacity and the maintenance of existing infrastructure 

(and assets). 

Department of Transport 

The Department is planning to increase the subsidy 

rates of those operators who are still operating on 

very low rates, introducing additional trips on current 

subsidised routes where there is an increased 

demand for bus services, and to introduce an electronic 

bus monitoring system over the five-year period. 

With regard to transport regulation, the target 

is to decrease fatal road crashes by 2% per year over 

the MTSF period as well as to reduce traffic offences 

on public roads. The number and professional conduct 

of traffic officers will have to be improved for 

this purpose. An Accident Statistical Analysis Module 

will also be implemented. 

Department of Sport, Arts 

and Culture 

The Department wants to ensure that, through the 

LDP, Limpopo is able to have a diverse, socially cohesive 

society that enjoys a common national identity. 

They have already starting holding inclusive social 

cohesion summits in Limpopo, highlighting key issues. 

The province aims to raise the competitiveness 

of all contestants from Limpopo in national and international 

sport, arts and cultural events. They also want 

to create sports, arts and culture sub-communities in 

every ward of every municipality in Limpopo. 


Department of Safety and Security 

The aim is to establish and maintain effective 

Community Police Forums in every municipality in 

Limpopo. This is intended to help with the reduction 

of crime incidence across the spectrum of crime 

categories, as reported in the crime statistics of the 

National SAPS Department. The LDP will also put in 

place information systems to report on the progress 

with regard to the local community police forums. 

Provincial Treasury 

The Provincial Treasury is responsible for general risk 

mitigation relating to the LDP, primarily through the 

Provincial Risk Office, but also in collaboration with the 

risk managers of other departments. The compilation 

and management of a Provincial Risk Profile is urgently 

needed. Treasury is also responsible for the Financial Risk 

Mitigation Strategy, including the provincial value-formoney 

expenditure review. This review should be aimed 

at maximising the development impact of the provincial 

budget in terms of quality-of-life improvements and job 

creation for all citizens. 

Through the Limpopo Development Plan, 

Limpopo intends to revive itself from just being a 

rural province, and it has made sure that everything 

it does according to this plan benefits the provincial 

people and the nation as a whole. 

CONTACT INFO 

Contact person: Phuti Seloba 

Physical address: 40 Hans Van Rensburg 

Street, Polokwane 0699 

Tel: +27 15 287 6000 

Email: Selobap@premier.limpopo.gov.za 

Website: www.limpopo.gov.za 



Priority projects in Limpopo 

A range of high-impact projects in the province have the potential to substantially improve 

the Limpopo economy. 

A 

number of important projects are under 

way in Limpopo or have recently been approved. 

Together, they have the potential to 

significantly increase the economic output 

of the province and to create a large number of jobs. 

Projects range from a huge power-generation 

plant in the west to a mega-dam in the east. In 

the north, a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) aims to 

kick-start a range of economic investments and 

throughout the province there are programmes 

aimed at improving services to communities and 

making co-operatives economically sustainable. 


24


Special Economic Zones 

In July 2016 the national cabinet approved the 

Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ). 

Located in the far north of Limpopo in the Vhembe 

region, Musina is strategically located near the border 

of Zimbabwe and on the Great North Road, 

which links South Africa to the broader southern 

African region. 

Special Economic Zones are created in terms of 

the Special Economic Zones Act of 2014 (Act 16 

of 2014). The act defines an SEZ as “geographically 

designated areas of the country that are set aside for 

specifically targeted economic activities and supported 

through special arrangements and systems 

that are often different from those that apply to the 

rest of the country”. Lower corporate tax rates and 

duty-free imports are among the advantages that 

accrue to investors. 

Infrastructure at an SEZ supports the specific 

industry and attracts foreign investors with a strong 

focus on beneficiation of local produce or materials. 

Skills transfer is another stated aim behind the SEZ 

programme. 

The location of the Musina SEZ, with links to 

Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique, promotes 

the Trans-Limpopo Spatial Development Initiative. 

Logistics will be one of the key focus areas of the SEZ. 

Other sectors that will be concentrated on include 

agri-processing, energy and mineral beneficiation. 

De Beers’ giant Venetia diamond mine is nearby. 

The company’s most recent life-of-mine expansion 

project, worth about R30-billion, will result in the 

mine producing until 2046. 

The national Department of Trade and Industry 

(dti) is the lead agent in SEZ creation, which in turn 

feeds into the national Industrial Policy Action Plan 

(IPAP). SEZs are designed to attract investment, 

create jobs and boost exports. 

Soon after the announcement of the designation 

of the SEZ, the dti said that a consortium of Chinese 

investors, Sino, has agreed to put R40-billion into 

the Musina SEZ where they will operate the mineral 

beneficiation operations. 

The first phase of this is to build a power plant. 

The dti estimates that the completed SEZ could 

create more than 20 000 jobs. 

A second application for an SEZ at Tubatse is 

pending. Tubatse is in the Sekhukhune District 

Municipality and hosts a number of mining operations. 

The SEZ in Tubatse will focus on the beneficiation 

of platinum group metals and mining-related 

manufacturing. The province of Bashkortostan in 

Russia has also expressed an interest in the SEZs 

of Limpopo. More details on the SEZs follows on 

pages 26-31. 

Infrastructure 

In August 2016, Unit 6 of the Medupi power station 

came on stream. The Medupi power station project 

is one of the biggest engineering projects under- 



taken in South Africa. When complete, it will provide 

an additional 4 764 megawatts, which will massively 

enhance the country’s generation capacity. Medupi 

is located in Lephalale in the far west of Limpopo, 

and next to an existing power station where coal is 

abundant. Unit 5 is expected to come on stream in 

the first half of 2017. 

The De Hoop Dam across the Steelpoort River 

in the east of Limpopo has started supplying water 

to rural communities who previously had to walk 

to rivers to fetch water. These communities in the 

Waterberg, Capricorn and Sekhukhune districts are 

beneficiaries of a vast project that will also deliver 

water to towns and mining operations in the area. 

More than a million people will get water from the 

dam, which cost approximately R3.4-billion to build 

and has a capacity of 347 600 000m³. In terms of the 

broader scheme under which the De Hoop Dam 

falls, some 23 platinum mines stand to benefit. 

Water and sanitation 

In order to come up with a coordinated strategy in a 

time of drought, the Provincial Government of Limpopo 

convened a Provincial Water and Sanitation Summit in 

2015. A technical team from the national Department of 

Public Works is assisting the provincial entity in providing 

clean water in the Sekhukhune District Municipality, 

Polokwane City and Mogalakwena Local Municipality. 

These are seen as priority projects in response to the 

drought and to ensure that the economies of these 

municipalities can thrive. 

A vital project for schools is the Accelerated School 

Infrastructure Programme (ASIDI), 

which is run by the Mvula Trust 

on behalf of the national departments 

of Basic Education and Water 

and Sanitation and the Limpopo 

Department of Education. 

The Mvula Trust arose out of 

an initiative of the Independent 

Development Trust and the Kagiso 

Trust, and is the NGO responsible 

for rolling out various water and 

sanitation programmes for national 

government. 

The programme reached a total of 115 schools 

in all five of the province’s district municipalities: 

Capricorn District Municipality: (20 schools); Mopani 

(23 schools); Sekhukhune (46 schools); Vhembe (23 

schools); Waterberg (three schools). The governing 

bodies of all the schools were consulted, 17 contractors 

were hired to do the work, and various professionals 

such as a geohydrologist and occupational 

health and safety consultants were employed to roll 

out the project. 

New water supplies were created for 64 schools 

and 37 got new sanitation facilities. A total of 661 

temporary jobs were created in the process of drilling 

boreholes, excavating, laying pipes and cables, 

installing tanks and building new structures. A 

health and hygiene educational component was 

also included in the programme. 

Community and co-operatives 

Makotse is a small village in the Capricorn District 

about 40km from the provincial capital of Polokwane. 

Many people in the areas are unemployed but the 

Makotse Women’s Club is making a difference 

through a range of projects that are not only serving 

the community but providing income. The club 

has won several awards, including one awarded 

by the Independent Development Trust and the 

Department of Health and Social Development for 

exemplary management (of the Makotse Bakery). An 

off-shoot of the bakery business provides catering 

services from a menu that includes mealie-meal 

(bogobe), samp, chicken (kgogo) and beetroot. 


26


The Independent Development Trust delivers social 

infrastructure and manages social development programmes 

for the state. 

The Bakone Gardening Project (of the Makotse 

Women’s Club) provides vegetables such as onions, 

spinach and beetroot to local schools, a Drop-In 

Centre and a Day-Care Centre. Hydroponics have 

been a feature of the garden since the Department 

of Agriculture, the US Embassy and the Peace Corps 

combined to help install a system designed to 

improve efficiency. 

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) 

has an agreement with the Limpopo Department of 

Agriculture to promote and create co-operatives in 

the province. A number of these co-operatives have 

been launched since the partnership was founded. 

In Thohoyandou the Marula Co-operative uses 

the extract from the Marula plant to make beauty 

products such as lotions and soaps and cooking 

oil. This co-operative is a collaboration between 

members of six smaller groups. 

A similar alliance led to the establishment of 

the Nwanedi Co-operative in the far north of the 

province, east of Musina. The group received close 

to R500 000 from the NYDA to help them rent a 

tractor, to meet the costs of running the farm, but 

mostly to assist with transport of the butternuts 

they were producing to market. For small farmers, 

access to market is a huge challenge and the support 

of the NYDA will not be the end of the process: 

the Department of Agriculture will help them pool 

their resources at market. The department will also 

assist with further training. 


FOCUS 

Limpopo’s Special 

Economic Zones 

Two Special Economic Zones have been proposed for Limpopo Province. 

The Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment 

& Tourism (LEDET) and its agency LEDA are facilitating the establishment 

of the two Special Economic Zones (SEZs), one in Steelpoort 

(the Tubatse Platinum SEZ) and the other in Musina (the Musina SEZ), 

following the acceptance of proposals from Limpopo by the national 

Department of Trade and Industry (the dti). 

A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a geographic area of a country 

or region designated for targeted (strategic) economic activities, 

which are supported through special measures. It is one of the 

key instruments for industrialisation as articulated in the Industrial 

Policy Action Plan (IPAP), National Growth Path (NGP) and National 

Development Plan (NDP). 

Overview and purpose of the SEZs 

The SEZs have been established to: 

• Increase foreign and domestic investment in the two districts 

(Greater Sekhukhune and Vhembe districts) 

• Increase exports of value-added manufactured goods from the 

region 

• Build the required industrial 

infrastructure in both Greater 

Tubatse Municipality and 

Musina Municipality 

• Ensure employment creation, 

technology transfer and skills 

development 

• Ensure the spread of industrial 

development regionally and 

the promotion of industrial 

agglomeration in the region 

• Ensure the creation of economic 

linkages through supplier 

development 

• Promote coordinated 

planning among key 

government agencies 

SEZ incentives 

• Section 12R qualifying companies 

will be subjected to a 

reduced CIT tax rate of 15% 

• Taxpayers achieving SEZ status 

will retain the status for 10 

years 

• Section 12S qualifying companies 

within the SEZs will get 

extra accelerated allowances 

on buildings and improvements 

to buildings 

• Companies employing salaried 

employees earning (below 

R6 000 per month) will be 

given a wage incentives 

• Special customs and VAT 

incentives 


28

FOCUS 

Other allowances 

• Industrial policy investment 

projects 

• Depreciation allowance 

• Capital allowance on 

machinery and plant (manufacturing 

allowance) 

• Learnership allowance 

• Research and development 

allowances: 150% 

• Small business turnover tax – 

for businesses with turnover 

less than R1-million 

• Small business corporation less 

than R20-million turnover 

• Accelerated depreciation 

allowance – all year one 

• Improved tax rates – on graduated 

basis 

• Energy-saving incentives 

• Municipal rates rebates 

Legislative framework 

for SEZs 

The SEZs are established in terms 

of the SEZ Act of 2014. The Act 

provides for: 

• The Minister to determine 

policy for the designation, 

promotion, development, 

operation and management 

of Special Economic Zones 

• The SEZ Act provides for the establishment of an Advisory Board to 

advise the Minister of Trade and Industry on the following: 

• Designation of SEZs 

• Financing and support measures 

• SEZ Fund – applications and approvals 

• Support measures 

• Implementation protocols 

Roles and responsibilities 

of the SEZs 

The implementation of SEZs requires cordial relations between national 

departments, provincial and local government based on mutual 

respect between spheres of government and state agencies. 

The national departments that have a role in the SEZs are: 

• the dti: responsible for policy on the establishment and operation 

of SEZs 

• National Treasury: approval of funding and special waivers for foreign 

investors (capital movement and investments) 

• Mineral Resources: custodian of Mineral Beneficiation policy 

• Energy: implementation of different energy mix and technologies 

• Home Affairs: approval of work permits for foreign workers in SA 

• Science and Technology: support for technology transfer 

• Higher Education: custodian of skills development policy 

In the province, the key departments are: Treasury and Enterprise 

Development, Cooperative Governance, Roads and Transport 

National agencies include: SARS, Transnet, Eskom and the Industrial 

Development Corporation (IDC) 

Municipalities include: Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality and 

Greater Tubatse Municipality 


PROFILE 

Musina Special 

Economic Zone 

A multi-site SEZ has been designated for Vhembe District. 

Project location 

The Musina SEZ will be located in multi-sites found 

in two municipalities, namely Musina and Makhado 

in the Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. 

N 

Pont Drift Musina 

Beit Bridge 

Madimbo 

Musina Local Municipality is located in the northern 

part of the Vhembe District Municipality. The 

municipality is strategically placed between South 

Africa and Zimbabwe and therefore also linked to 

other SADC countries, such as Zambia, Mozambique, 

Tanzania, Malawi and Kenya. 

Musina Municipality is connected to the Kruger 

National Park in the east, Gauteng to the south and 

Botswana to the west. It is linked to the major centres 

in South Africa via the N1 route to Pretoria and 

Johannesburg. 

Cities/towns 

Roads 

Provincial Boundaries 

Local Municipality Boundary 

District Municipality Boundary 

Musina SEZ 

The Zimbabwe link is one of the busiest roads in 

Africa. This position and economic importance provides 

various opportunities to be explored by the SEZ. 

Location advantages 

• Close proximity to mineral resources required 

for the production of steel and petrochemicals 

• Proximity to the border between SA and 

Zimbabwe that results in good access to the 

SADC market and cross-border trade activity 

• Ideal location on the main north-south N1 corridor, 

which enables strong logistics drivers in support 

of the envisaged logistics cluster 

• High possibility for intermodal facilities involving 

road and rail, including transfer of cargo from 

road to rail 

• Agriculture support industries, including fertiliser 

plants based on the proximity to Foskor in 

Phalaborwa 


30

PROFILE 

• International logistics companies already use the 

Cape to Cairo route 

Musina SEZ opportunities 

The initial set-up of the SEZ involves the establishment 

of the metallurgical cluster zone, a dry 

port zone to handle various logistics activities 

and linking up with sea ports in the country and 

neighbouring countries, with a potential of adding 

a petrochemical cluster zone in the future. 

The following opportunities have 

been identified to attract 

investments: 

Light and medium industries 

• Vehicle export preparation and distribution centre 

• Import and export goods consolidation centre 

• Warehouses including cold-storage facilities 

• lntermodal facilities including container-handling 

facility 

• Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle service centre 

• Vehicle SKD assembly workshop 

• Electronic, chemical and other manufacturing 

and assembly opportunities 

Heavy industries 

• Coking plant 

• Thermal power plant 

• Ferrochrome plant 

• Ferrosilicon plant 

• Pig-iron metallurgy plant 

• Steel plant 

• Stainless-steel plant 

• Lime plant 

• Envisaged Musina Container Terminal (dry port 

operation) 

Petrochemical zone 

• Coke coal plant and power generation 

• Coal-to-liquids plant 

• Methanol plant 

• Synthetic bitumen plant 

• Small solar plant 

• Plasma waste gasification plant 

• Water treatment plant 

CONTACT INFO 

Limpopo Economic Development Agency 

(LEDA) 

Address: 29 Market Street, Polokwane, 


Contact: Richard Zitha (Project Executive) 

Tel: +27 15 295 5120 

Cell: +27 71 391 8188 

Email: richard.zitha@lieda.co.za 



PROFILE 

Tubatse Platinum Special 

Economic Zone 

A niche SEZ has been planned for a site close to Steelpoort. 

Project location 

The Tubatse Platinum SEZ will be located on the 

farm Spitskop 333KT, measuring 2 677ha, in close 

proximity to the town of Steelpoort and 25km out 

of Burgersfort in the Greater Tubatse Municipality 

(Greater Sekhukhune District). This will be the main 

hub for the SEZ. 

The first phase would be developed on a site measuring 

280ha and would consist of the following: 

• Mining input suppliers’ park 

• Light manufacturing 

• Heavy manufacturing 

• Logistics 

• Solar energy cluster 

• PGM downstream beneficiation cluster 

Tubatse Platinum SEZ opportunities 

The Tubatse Platinum SEZ will focus largely on PGMs, 

chrome, magnetite, vanadium beneficiation and the 

development of mining inputs supply. 

The following has been identified as presenting viable 

opportunities that need to be pursued: 

• Mining input supply 

• Capital goods (yellow metal assembly and maintenance 

and processing plants) 

• Disposables 

The following value chain is envisaged from 

beneficiation: 

• Catalytic converters (main opportunity for the 

Tubatse Platinum SEZ) 

• Hydrogen fuel cells 

N 

Moroke 

Madiseng 

Leboeng 

Tubatse 

Burgersfort 

Ohringstad 

Steelpoort 

Greater Tubatse 

• Chrome beneficiation to ferrochrome 

• Chemotherapeutic agents 

• Green energy (solar energy cluster) 

• Turbine blades 

• Magnetite to pig iron to steel 

• Magnetite to vanadium pentoxide 

• Waste to titanium 

• Logistics 

Investment opportunities 

and clusters 

Cities/towns 

Roads 

Provincial Boundaries 


District Municipality Boundary 

PGM downstream-beneficiation value chain cluster: 

• Platinum jewellery manufacturing 

• Catalytic converters 


32

PROFILE 

• Hydrogen fuel cell 

manufacturing 

Mining inputs supply park: 

• Heavy equipment assembly 

plant 

Green energy: 

• PV modules assembly plant 

• Solar energy plant 

CONTACT INFO 

Limpopo Economic 

Development Agency 

(LEDA) 

Address: 9 Market Street, 

Polokwane, Limpopo 

Contact: Bunjiwe Gwebu 

(Project Executive) 

Tel: +27 15 295 5120 

Cell: +27 76 521 5077 

Email: bunjiwe.gwebu@ 

lieda.co.za 



PROFILE 

Corridor Mining Resources 

The company focuses on the economic development of Limpopo 

Province through direct and indirect investment in mining. 

Corridor Mining Resources (Soc) Ltd (CMR) is a 

wholly owned subsidiary of the Limpopo Economic 

Development Agency (LEDA). Its primary responsibility 

is the execution of the resources development 

strategy of LEDA, through investment in mining 

opportunities and the empowerment of communities. 

CMR has various projects in different stages of 

development, some at an initial stage and some full 

mining operations. 

Purpose and mandate 

The purpose of CMR is to promote economic development 

in the province, directly or indirectly 

through mining, by: 

• Optimising the development of mineral resources 

• Driving economic growth 

• Facilitating opportunities for job creation 

• Promoting sustainable empowerment in mining 

Business model 

• All projects are executed through a “Special 

Purpose Vehicle (SPV)” company. 

• The SPV is formed by bringing together CMR 

with host communities and strategic partners 

including black economic empowerment (BEE) 

partners. 

• Exploration and feasibility studies are mainly 

outsourced. 

• Mining operations are managed by a third 

party (eg a mining contractor) under a Mining 

Management Agreement. 

• Cashflow is realised through annual declaration 

of dividends. 

• Host communities benefit from the mines 

through shareholding, business opportunities 

and jobs in the mining operations. 

Portfolio 

CMR boasts a diverse commodity portfolio that includes 

but is not limited to platinum group metals, 

chrome and gold. The table opposite indicates the 

mining investments and minerals in CMR’s portfolio 

and their location. 

CONTACT INFO 

Head ofice: 29 Market Street, Polokwane, 

Limpopo, South Africa 

Tel: +27 15 295 5120 


34

MINING 

INVESTMENTS 

Sefateng Chrome Mine 

Fumani Greenstone 

Tshepong Chrome Mine 

Khumong Chrome Mine 

Autumn Star Trading 

Mokopane Kodumela 

Rock Island 

ASA Metals* 

VanMag 

MINERAL 

Chrome 

Gold 

Chrome 

Chrome 

PGMs 

PGMs 

Gold 

Ferrochrome 

Vanadium and 

Magnetite 

LOCATION 

PROFILE 

85km SE of Polokwane on the R37 road (next to 

Jibeng, Ga-Phasha and Ga-Mampa Villages). Farms: 

Zwartkoppies 413KS and Waterkop 113KT 

115km east of Makhado and 2km west of Kruger National 

Park (next to Mtititi Village). Farms: Alten 221 LT and 

Plange 222 LT 

135km SE of Polokwane and 30km west of Burgersfort 

via R37 road (next to Ga-Selala and Ga-Maroga Villages). 

Farm: Twyfelaar 119 KT 

125km east of Polokwane on the R37 road, 19km NW of 

Steelpoort and 24km from Burgersfort (next to Modikwa 

Platinum Mine). Farm: Portion 5 of Maandagshoek 

125km east of Polokwane (next to ASA Metals). Farms: 

Mineral Areas 3 and 4 of Maandagshoek 254KT and portion 

of portion 1 of Mooihoek 255KT 

30km north of Mokopane in the Mogalakwena Magisterial 

District (next to Mapela and Backenberg Villages). 

Farms: Inhambane 802 LR, Molendraai 811 LR, 

Commandandodrift 228 KR and Gezond 235 KR 

Around Giyani (next to Hlaneki, Mabunda and Homu 

Villages). Mineral areas: Klein Letaba - 15km northwest 

of Giyani, Horseshoe – west of Giyani and south of Klein 

Letaba River, Birthday – 5km east of Giyani and north 

of the Klein Letaba River and Louis Moore – 8km north 

of Giyani 

125km east of Polokwane (next to Ga-Maroga Village). 

Farm: Maandagshoek 254KT farm 

30km north of Mokopane in the Mogalakwena 

Magisterial District. Farms: Inhambane 802 LR, Portion 

2 of the farm Mozambique 807 LR, Molendraai 811 LR, 

Commandandodrift 228 KR and Gezond 235 KR 

Attaclay* 

Bentonite and 

Attapulgate Farm Maandagshoek (next to Maandagshoek Villages). 

(Catlitter) 

Mahube Tameng* PGMs 

In the Capricorn District between 60km and 70km ESE 

of Mokopane. Farm: M’Phatlele 457KS 

Inca Mine 

Limestone 

In Mokopane Municipality (next to Zebediela). Farms 

Brakfontein (Portion 7 and 8 of farm No 152) and Malgas 

(Portion 2 of farm No 154) 

mining investments and minerals in CMR’s portfolio and their location. 

* THE SHARES ARE HELD BY LEDA AND CMR MANAGES THE OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE INVESTMENTS 


PROFILE 

Risima Housing Finance 

Corporation 

The corporation exists to improve access to housing for the citizens of Limpopo Province. 

The Risima Housing Finance Corporation (Pty) Ltd is 

a subsidiary company of LEDA, which is charged with 

the responsibility of providing housing finance and 

related services that enable the people of Limpopo 

to acquire decent homes. 

The organisation was established in 2000. Its core 

focus is providing access to home loan finance and 

property development finance for the residents of 

the province. Its current strategic plan includes an 

intention to investigate possible partnerships in the 

development of property and rental stock in the 

proposed Special Economic Zones in the Greater 

Tubatse and the Musina local municipalities. 

Product portfolio (finance categories): 

• Residential building construction – allows 

clients to build a house of their choice 

• Purchasing of existing residential houses – 

clients buy existing houses, either from owners, 

developers or through estate agencies 

• Purchasing of sites – enables clients to purchase 

vacant land with a view to build in the near future 


36

PROFILE 

and Title Deed, to purchase or build residential 

properties. 

Financial performance 

The most recent financials for Risima indicate 

that: 

• In the last financial year, the company recorded 

a total income of R37-million with a profit of 

R22.5-million against the targeted budget of 

R12.3-million. 

• The total loan book grew from R298.2-million to 

million loan impairment excluded. Despite the 

funding constraints, there was a positive variance 

of R26.6-million. 

• Total assets recorded for the year are currently 

R336.7-million. 

• Extensions and renovations – clients are assisted 

with financing for home improvements 

• Switch bonds – entails taking over a bond from 

another financial institution 

• Installation of solar-water-heating systems – 

assists existing clients who want to switch to 

energy efficient systems 

• Additional loans – clients who have equity on 

their properties can apply for additional loans 

• Access bond – available to clients who pay more 

than the required instalment on their home loans 

Official classification 

The company is classified under schedule 3D of 

the Public Finance Management Act as a provincial 

government business enterprise that deals with 

home-loan finance to the end-users who are permanently 

employed citizens of the Republic of 

South Africa, resident in Limpopo’s rural and urban 

areas and where property ownership is evidenced 

by the Permission to Occupy or Deed of Grant 

Risima stakeholder engagement 

The Department of Public Service and Administration 

established the Government Employees Housing 

Scheme (GEHS) to assist government employees 

with access to home-loan finance and Risima was 

selected as one of the implementing agents of the 

scheme. 

Risima is also appointed by COGHSTA to implement 

and administer the Financial Linked Individual 

Subsidy Programme (FLISP) in the province. 

CONTACT INFO 

Lebowakgomo (head office) 

Tel: +27 15 633 4732 or +27 15 633 4700 

Polokwane (regional office) 

Tel: +27 15 295 5120 

Ritavi (regional office) 

Tel: +27 15 303 1731 

Thohoyandou (regional office) 

Tel: +27 15 962 4900 


PROFILE 

Great North Transport 

Operating in all of Limpopo’s municipal districts, bus company 

Great North Transport provides public passenger transport services. 

About Great North Transport 

Great North Transport (GNT) is a premier bus passenger 

transport company in Limpopo that provides 

public passenger transport services within Limpopo 

and parts of Mpumalanga. It focuses on scheduled 

commuter transport, private hiring, scholar and employee 

transport, as well as inter-town and crossborder 

services. 

The company has a fleet of 540 buses operating 

on 280 routes, with 10 cross-border permits. GNT 

employs 1241 staff members. It has 11 depots 

(Seshego, Mokopane, Motetema, Marble Hall, 

Burgersfort, Tzaneen, Makhado, Giyani, Phalaborwa, 

Hoedspruit and Bushbuckridge) in six district municipalities: 

Vhembe, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Waterberg, 

Capricorn and Ehlanzeni (Mpumalanga Province). 

A wholly-owned subsidiary of LEDA (Limpopo 

Economic Development Agency), GNT has been 

in existence for more than 43 years and its core 

mandate is to provide reliable, safe, convenient and 

comfortable public transport passenger services 

to the public. GNT was one of the first companies 

to successfully operate negotiated contracts in 

South Africa. 


38

PROFILE 

Operations 

GNT operates 228 buses under 

negotiated contracts and 

238 buses on interim contract 

arrangements with the provincial 

departments of Roads 

and Transport of Limpopo and 

Mpumalanga provinces. There 

are also 67 buses that operate 

without any contract arrangements, 

from the provincial Roads 

and Transport Department 

(Bapedi and Phalaborwa 

depots). 

Business model 

Great North Transport (Soc) Ltd 

is a state-owned company, wholly owned by the 

Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA) 

and established in terms of schedule 3D of the 

Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA) 

as amended. 

In terms of this listing, Great North Transport (GNT) 

is a profit-driven subsidiary of LEDA. It operates 

according to business principles and practices. 

GNT sources its business partly from government, 

through a competitive open-market-tendering 

system, and from the private sector. 

The (Soc) Ltd listing of GNT warrants that any provision 

of the Companies Act that applies to a private 

company also applies to state-owned companies, 

including those provisions defining fiduciary and 

due care duties and responsibilities of directors of 

a company. 

To this end, GNT operates under the supervision 

of an independent Board of Directors whose nonexecutive 

members are appointed by the shareholder 

(LEDA). GNT strives at all times to comply 

with the principles contained in the King Code on 

Corporate Governance in South Africa (2009), the 

King III Report. 

Secrets to success 

Key attributes leading to Great North Transport’s 

success include: 

• Customer loyalty 

• Reliable service 

• A dependable and modernised fleet 

• Staff commitment 

• Effective maintenance 

• Sound financial partnerships 

We believe that with the support of the Board and 

committed staff, and the continued modernisation 

of the fleet and depots, performance will improve 

and lead to continued sustainability of the 

company. 

CONTACT INFO 

Physical address: Bonitas Building, 22 Hans 

van Rensburg Street, Polokwane 0700 

Tel: +27 15 291 2641 

Fax: +27 15 291 2648 

Email: marketing@gntpassenger.co.za 

Website: www.gntpassenger.co.za 


FOCUS 

A full range of 

business solutions 

Relevant financial and advisory services are offered to 

clients throughout Limpopo. 

Managing a business entails a range of challenges. As a business 

grows, different problems and opportunities demand 

specific solutions – what worked in the past might not be 

the best approach now. 

Nedbank Business Banking’s team in Limpopo offers a full range of 

financial and advisory services to businesses in and around the province. 

The bank’s expertise, combined with a deeper understanding 

of the local economy, allows us to provide you with relevant, timeous 

solutions that can make taking your business to the next level happen. 

Advantages of banking with Nedbank 

A single point of contact 

A relationship manager, located in your region and supported by a 

team of specialists, is dedicated to servicing your business and managing 

your banking needs, whether your business is just starting or 

established and growing. 

Industry-tailored solutions 

Specialist industries require specialist solutions. Nedbank has designed 

solutions that address the specific needs of the franchising, agricultural 

and government and public sector. Speak to our team of specialists 

with first-hand knowledge and experience in these industries. 

Transactional banking 

Nedbank Business Banking fully understands the importance of transactional 

banking requirements as the core of any business operation. 

Our transactional banking solutions integrate seamlessly into your 

business processes. 

Nedbank Business is a highly secure, world-class internet-based 

electronic banking system that will transform your business. Imagine 

your day-to-day banking, only 100% more efficient. Our incredibly versatile 

and easy-to-use structure will prove infinitely more functional and 

will improve the practicality of your company’s banking enormously: 

Loderick Lubisi, Nedbank’s 

Regional Business Head in 

Limpopo and Mpumalanga 

• First bank to use token 

technology 

• Segregation of duties and 

account permissions 

• Accurate transaction referencing 

on all channels 

• Multiple statement formats 

• Free statement downloads 

• Free five-year history online 

• Free online cheque and 

deposit slip images 

For more information about 

our specialised service offering 

please contact Loderick 

Lubisi, Nedbank’s Regional 

Business Head in Limpopo and 

Mpumalanga, at loderickl@ 

nedbank.co.za 


40

Making banking accessible 

to all and supporting 

small business 

Branch of the Future comes to Turfloop. 

FOCUS 

Nedbank prides itself in making things happen and is committed 

to making banking accessible to all in South Africa. 

As a bank, Nedbank repositioned its strategy to become 

a bank for all – and we continue to grow our footprint in 

communities where we were previously not represented. We have 

recently launched our new “Branch of the Future” in Turfloop in April. 

This is a client-centred branch engineered to provide a distinct client 

experience enabled through state of the art technology. Innovative 

features deployed in our new branches include video banking facilities, 

state-of-the-art cash-depositing ATMs, queue management that 

reduces waiting times, as well as internet banking facilities. 

From a small business perspective, Nedbank is a bank for entrepreneurs. 

We recognise the challenges of unemployment facing the 

country, and we have an extensive list of interventions to support small 

business as they are key in creating jobs, and boosting our economy. 

Providing solutions for entrepreneurs 

Nedbank has built a solid foundation and reputation as a bank for small 

businesses through national initiatives like: 

• Small Business Seminars — are held biannually and are free. The 

seminars provide practical advice and solutions on basic financial 

planning, cash flow management etc. 

• SimplyBiz — is an electronic platform which is free and used for 

networking and sharing of best practices for business owners in 

same industries. Check out the portal SimplyBiz.co.za 

• Nedbank sponsors and partners with external stakeholders, like, 

Raizcorp, who are holding workshops for entrepreneurs wishing 

to obtain advice on how to pitch their business ideas effectively. 

Nedbank also caters for business owners, households, young 

professionals and professional banking. 

Maki Mahlaba, Regional 

Manager Retail Relationship 

Banking 

For more information about 

our Small Business Services and 

Professional Banking call Maki 

Mahlaba +27 010 235 3007 or 

send an email to margaretma@ 

nedbank.co.za 

41 


INTERVIEW 

MASISIZANE FUND 

Boosting local business 

BUILDING SUSTAINABLE 

BUSINESSES THROUGH 

SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS 

The Masisizane Fund invests in SMMEs that have a 

registered business, in addition to a clear marketable 

product or service, and that create and retain jobs. 

What opportunities does Limpopo offer? 

There are vast opportunities in the province for SMMEs, as trading long in grain as and dairy prod 

focused on development of value 

they keep their ears and eyes on the ground and take the opportunities 

as they become available. There are areas in the partnerships province with Omnia, Gra 

mechanization, storage and micro 

without malls, therefore this creates opportunities for mall 

Association 

development 

and municipalities, th 

and franchising. Companies such as Broll, Twin City 

their planting significantly in 2014 

Maphala Mosomane 

channeled 

and the 

towards Grain Co as 

Moolman Group are expanding their property portfolio, within rural 

The Masisizane Fund (NPC), is an initiative towns of and Old this Mutual further South creates Africa, employment, established business opportunities Masisizane opera 

in 2007 following the closure of the Unclaimed and uplifts Shares Trust. the local This was economies. done in consultation 

nationally with it 

with the National Treasury of South Africa. The mandate of the Fund at inception was 

Agro-processing and manufacturing are other business sectors Gauteng and r 

and remains to contribute meaningfully to employment creation, poverty eradication 

with growth opportunities. We have an abundance of rain offices in the in KwaZu 

and reduction of inequality, economic growth and the attraction of investment. This is 

province and we’ve got good soil conditions, so agriculture Limpopo, offers Eastern 

done mainly through promotion of entrepreneurship, enterprise finance and support to 

many opportunities. For example Limpopo produces less than 10% 

small, 

BIOGRAPHY 

micro and medium enterprises (SMME’s). 

Western Cape. 

of its maize consumption and if we go back to the basics we can 

The process to follow when apply 

Maphala Mosomane is the reclaim our position as the bread basket of South Africa. from the Masisizane Fund is: 

The Fund provides loan finance in the following sectors: 

Provincial Manager: Limpopo 

Submit the following documents fo 

• Agriculture 

& Mpumulanga of the Old Mutual 

Masisizane Fund. Maphala There are parts of the province with high concentrated sun projections; heat 

What is the potential in terms of solar energy? relevant provincial office: 

• Manufacturing 

• Comprehensive business plan 

• Supply Chain 

• Franchising 

started his career at Ga-Segonyana 

and we should look at exploiting such opportunities and • linkages For established businesses – 

• Commercial Enterprise 

Municipality working as a to Eskom to provide solar energy. Areas like Phalaborwa, Giyani, 

three years) and the latest man 

Non-financial value adding services include capacity 

• For start-up businesses – financ 

Local Economic Development Vhenda, Moletjie and Matlala can play a catalystic role in the provision 

financial of solar education, energy. market development and product/ 

• Off take agreements and/or l 

development, business management and technical support, 

• Tax clearance certificate; 

Officer before joining ABSA 

Bank as an Enterprise Development 

service quality standards and compliance. A Business 

• Signed consent for a credit ch 

Consultant. From there he 

moved to Standard Bank as an 

Acquisition Manager. In 2013, 

Maphala joined the Masisizane 

Fund as Provincial Manager 

of Limpopo and Mpumalanga 

What are the hallmarks of a successful SMME? 

It’s important for entrepreneurs to be committed and focused, but 

managing your cashflow is essential, otherwise you will get into 

serious difficulties. It’s also important to continuously develop your 

product range and to keep on marketing your business. If you get 

that right you will make money and have a successful business. 

Provinces. He has a Bachelor 

of Commerce in Economics degree 

in addition to a Certificate 

in Project Management. 

Are there any clients you are particularly proud to have 

helped? 

Every funding proposal presented to us and approved gives me 

The target market is enterprises that are 51% or more owned 

by the previously disadvantaged individual(s) giving priority 

to rural and peri-urban/township areas. Masisizane funding 

is biased towards 51% plus owned women, youth and 

people with disabilities. Masisizane will target productive 

and labour absorbing sectors as approved by the Board of 

Directors from time to time. 

The Fund’s success is driven through a focused approach on 

high impact industry sectors, coupled with a comprehensive 

SMME finance solution that includes business support. 

Acceleration Program has been e 

clients receive training and suppo 

eligible to receive financial suppo 

The growth of the Masisizane Fu 

inception. Although the initial foc 

the fund has gradually grown to b 

fund with the vision of being able 

as a sustainable entity and thereb 

for many years to come. The fu 

R1b and it plans to invest R420 

SMME’s by the end of 2017. 

The development of agri-clusters 

Masisizane Fund’s approach in 

entail the clustering of small sca 

the farmers benefit from economi 

on value chain financing, agro-p 

partnerships. 

In 2013 the Fund initiated a p 

Harry Gwala municipalities co 


42

INTERVIEW 

great joy, as we would have made a meaningful 

contribution to entrepreneurship, employment 

and have made an impact on the economy. 

Having said that, I’m happy for all my clients and 

happy to have facilitated change in their lives. 

What is the ideal SMME company or cooperative 

you would hope to be able to 

help over the next year? 

I want to leverage the agricultural clusters that 

are currently doing well in the province. There is 

a cluster of maize growers doing around 2 000 

hectares of maize, and my plan in 2016 is to get 

them to 5000 hectares and assist them to become 

commercial. 

For the 2016 and 2017 financial year I would like 

to help clients to develop a franchise group within 

the province and assist PDIs to gain ownership 

with the franchising space. 

There’s a lot of groundwork that needs to be 

done, you need to make sure that you’ve done 

your research and you are informed by the facts. 

Access to finance is much easier when you have 

thought it all through and based your numbers 

on facts. You need to have your ducks in a row if 

you want to take it to the next level. 

CONTACT INFO 

Limpopo & Mpumulanga 

Physical address: 5th Floor, Old Mutual 

Building, 70 Hans van Rensburg Street, 

Polokwane 

Tel: +27 15 287 4279 

Website: www.masisizane.co.za 



44

KEY SECTORS 

Overview of the main economic 

sectors of Limpopo. 

Agriculture 44 

Mining 48 

Transport and logistics 52 

Renewable energy 58 

Water 60 

ICT and telecommunications 62 

Tourism 74 

Banking and financial services 78 

Development finance 

and SMME support 80 

Education and training 89 


OVERVIEW 

Agriculture 

Limpopo’s avocadoes and macadamias are in big demand 

throughout the northern hemisphere. 

Some of South Africa’s biggest agricultural businesses are located 

in Limpopo, with the province’s fruit and vegetables 

forming a significant portion of the nation’s export offering. 

This is particularly the case with regard to avocadoes, 

mangoes, tomatoes and macadamia nuts, the last of which is a rapidly 

expanding subsector. 

About 1 000 new hectares are being planted every year, according 

to the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association 

(SAMAC), adding to the existing 19 000 hectares already under 

macadamias. 

The Kruger National Park was the venue for the 7th International 

Macadamia Symposium in August 2015, an indicator of Limpopo’s 

status. Production of nut-in-shell was nearly 5% up in 2015, at 

46 950 tons. About 45% of the previous year’s crop was exported, 

mostly to the USA and Europe. Growing conditions are ideal in the 

Levubu and Tzaneen districts. Neighbouring Mpumalanga is the 

other big macadamia province. 

There are about 450 farmers growing the nuts, but this includes 

several large farms, some of which have integrated operations in 

which the farms supply their own cracking factories. There are 14 

cracking factories in South Africa. 

The sector employs about 4 500 people, of which 1 500 are 

permanent employees. 

The macadamia nut has high protein, calcium and potassium 

content. Macadamia oil is popular and has a high Omega7 content. 

Ground macadamias can be used as a healthy substitute for flour. 

Location 

Limpopo’s location gives it a strategic advantage in terms of providing 

fresh produce to Gauteng, the densely urbanised economic 

centre of South Africa. 

Cattle and game ranching occur in the higher and drier areas of 

the province, while the lower-lying regions are rich in fruit, tea, citrus 

and vegetables. One of the best known products of the region is 

Amarula cream liqueur. 

SECTOR INSIGHT 

Investment in citrus is paying 

off. 

• Two recently reopened 

agricultural colleges have 

increased enrolment. 

• The Mooketsi Market’s 

strategic position is 

boosting trade in farm 

produce. 

• Limpopo hosted an international 

macadamia 

symposium in 2015. 

• Fish for Iran may be a jobbooster. 

Within Limpopo, the Mooketsi 

Market has used its very central 

position to boost trade in farming 

produce. Although the town 

itself is quite small, the market’s 

location north-east of Polokwane 

and north of Tzaneen, with access 

to the northern reaches of 

the province via the R36 and R81 

roads, has proved a winner since 

it opened in 2014. The market is 

owned by ZZ2, FGX (which facilitates 

transactions between buyers 

and sellers) and the RSA Group 

(which holds 30% representative 

market share of the fresh produce 

market in South Africa). 

The Limpopo growers from 

the Vhembe District in the far 

north and the Letaba Valley in 


46

OVERVIEW 

the eastern Mopani District contribute 

45% of the produce sold 

at Johannesburg Fresh Produce 

Market, Africa’s biggest market. 

They are also major contributors 

to the Johannesburg Fresh 

Produce Market. 

ZZ2 farms a collection of tomotoes, 

onions, avocadoes, apples, 

pears and cattle. It is the major 

brand of Bertie van Zyl (Pty) 

Ltd, and a world leader in tomato 

production, producing 160 000 

tons of tomatoes per year. The 

company’s product range appears 

under 12 different brand 

names. ZZ2 owns large farms in 

four areas of Limpopo Province: 

Mooketsi, Politsi, Polokwane and 

Musina; it also operates in the 

Western and Eastern Cape. The 

company provides employment 

to 8 000 people. 

Westfalia, part of the Hans 

Merensky Group, is the world’s 

largest avocado grower. It also 

produces significant quantities 

of mango, litchi, citrus and 

macadamia and has three agriprocessing 

plants in the province. 

Avocado oil is produced 

in Modjajiskloof near Tzaneen 

on the farm Westfalia estate, 

juice and guacamole (avocado 

purée) is processed in Politsi, also 

near Tzaneen, and mangoes are 

dried and packed at the factory 

in Hoedspruit. Westfalia is the 

leading mango supplier in Africa. 

In Limpopo, estate farms 

include Westfalia (Tzaneen), 

Macnoon (Modjadjiskloof), 

Agrivet (Morebeng) and 

Goedgelegen (Mooketsi 

Valley). Organic avocadoes are 

also farmed in KwaZulu-Natal 

Province. 

The Westfalia Nursery produces more than 100 000 avocado trees 

every year. Westfalia Technological Services is the research division of 

Westfalia Fruit , promoting development of new cultivars and superior 

avocado rootstocks 

Relatively new entries into commercial farming are former cooperatives, 

and they have proved very successful. The two most active 

in Limpopo are NTKLA (with its headquarters in Modimolle) and Afgri, 

South Africa’s biggest agricultural company, which has its headquarters 

in Centurion (Gauteng). 

NTKLA is a shareholder in Venda Roller Mills in Thohoyandou and 

operates 10 grain silos, 23 retail outlets, 28 flour depots and one coldstorage 

facility. 

Crops 

The Levubu Valley in the north is particularly fertile with guavas and 

macadamia nuts among the crops that thrive there. 

Valley Farms is a successful enterprise that grows fruits such as mangoes 

and guavas, and produces concentrates, purées and dried fruits. 

Afgri’s soya plant at Mokopane (Nedan) has increased annual production 

to 195 000 tons of soya beans and 60 000 tonnes of sunflower, 

the result of a capital injection of R180-million in 2011. 

Greenway Farms supplies about 45% of the fresh-market carrots 

consumed in Southern Africa under the Rugani brand. A R6-million 

carrot combine-harvester is the only one of its kind in South Africa. 

The revival of the Tshivhase Tea Estate has not only given South 

Africans a truly local tea, it has also boosted employment in Limpopo. 

A number of brands have been developed, including Midi Gold which 

is the premium blend of the estate. Like the other teas, it is processed 

locally at the Mukumbani Tea Factory. 

Letaba Citrus Processors is a part of the African Realty Trust, which 

also owns two large farms: Letaba Estates and Richmond Estates. 

The Rhodes Food Group has a canned vegetable facility near 

Louis Trichardt. 

Cotton is grown at Loskop, North and South Flats, Wiepe and 

Dwaalboom/Thabazimbi. There are 2 855 hectares under irrigation 

and a further 326 hectares of dry land operations. Limpopo provides 

about 32% of the national harvest. 

Citrus 

Most of South Africa’s citrus and subtropical fruit comes from the 

eastern part of Limpopo. Soft and time-sensitive fruits, like avocados, 

are exported out of the Port of Cape Town and transported to that city 

by truck. Citrus is taken to the ports of Durban or Maputo. 


OVERVIEW 

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is getting behind 

citrus farming in Limpopo. Falling under the IDC’s Agro-Industries 

Strategic Business Unit, a funding agreement has been signed with 

Naranja Packers that will see new farms established, established farms 

converted to different cultivars and the packing house expanded. The 

brands Clemengold and Sweet C are marketed under Indigo Fruit 

Farming, which is wholly owned by ANB Investments. The packing 

house in Burgersfort processes up to 600 large crates of fruit a day in 

season, with each crate containing about 350kg of fruit – or slightly 

more than 2 000 tons. 

Despite concerns about trade from within the EU about the socalled 

“black spot” on some fruit (which the South African farming community 

has explained is a purely aesthetic problem) citrus exports from 

South Africa to the EU grew 22% in 2015. South Africa’s citrus industry 

is valued at R10-billion. So valuable is the EU as a client (accounting 

for about 40% of citrus exports) that South Africa has, according to 

Business Day, spent close to R1-billion to solve the “black spot” issue. 

Citrus exports to the EU had grown at a rate of 22% from January 

to November 2015. In volume, exports to the EU accounted for 40% 

of total citrus exports (30% oranges, 66% mandarins, 24% lemons), up 

from 36% in the prior season. 

A new entrant to the export market is the GOGO Group, located in 

the Loskop Valley, where intensive citrus cultivation takes place. Exports 

will be sent to the USA through the parent company EKM Exports. 

The Zebediela Citrus Estate has been bought by the Bjatlhadi community 

with the support of the Limpopo Local Economic Development 

Programme, and the focus has shifted from bulk supply to producing 

smaller, consumer-friendly quantities. 

Livestock 

Government planning at provincial level includes the promotion 

of meat “clusters” along all the development corridors identified 

in the province. This includes the promotion of hygienic practices, 

the establishment of small-scale abattoirs and assistance in the 

marketing of products. 

The province has about one-million beef cattle, about 7.5% of the 

national herd. A new indigenous breed of cattle has been developed 

called the Pinz²yl, from breeding Pinzgauer and Nguni stock. This is an 

initiative of the same farming group that grows the ZZ2 tomato, with 

the name derived from the famous European breed and the name of 

the farmer who started it all, Bertie van Zyl. 

International demand for venison is in the region of 50 000 tons 

per year and South Africa only supplies about 2 000 tons of it – a 

clear opportunity for Limpopo entrepreneurs to grow their share 

of the market. 

Water 

Although parts of Limpopo are 

well-watered, many areas are 

dry, which means that irrigation 

projects take on enormous importance. 

Four irrigation schemes 

below the Flag Boshielo Dam 

have prospered (542 hectares 

in extent). All four schemes have 

potato crops with Krokodil also 

having a maize component. 

The long drought that has affected 

many parts of South Africa 

has had a big impact in Limpopo. 

The provincial government declared 

a disaster in November 

2015 and released funds to supply 

feed for livestock in areas where 

it is scarce. 

Amazingly, the demand for fish 

in Iran may mean that small water 

bodies in the Sekhukhune District 

will be devoted to cultivating 

fish. The Phethwane Integrated 

Aquaculture Project stalled after 

a bright start in 2011, but a Fishery 

Imbizo held at the Tompi Seleka 

College of Agriculture in Marble 

Hall aimed to resuscitate the project. 

The goal is to supply 500 tons 

of fish. 

The Tompi Seleka College is 

itself in the spotlight, having been 

reopened in 2015. Together with 

the Madzivhandila College (in 

the Thula-Thula Municipality in 

the Vhembe District), enrolment 

has increased from 140 in 2015 to 

222 in 2016. Limpopo is trying to 

skill its own farmers. 

Irrigation technology is at the 

heart of a project in Strydkraal 

in Sekhukhune, where MBB 

Consulting Engineers has designed 

a 300-hectare scheme 


48

OVERVIEW 

to produce maize and potatoes. 

An experienced commercial 

farmer will oversee the management 

of the scheme, which 

is funded by the Limpopo 

Department of Agriculture and 

Rural Development and is intended 

to benefit the community of 

Ikageng. 

Food security 

A national rural development 

strategy has been established 

by the National Department 

of Agriculture, Forestry and 

Fisheries (DAFF), the key component 

of which is food security. 

The entire value chain of agriculture 

is under scrutiny, with the 

aim to help small-scale farmers 

by improving infrastructure, creating 

new markets and assisting 

them to gain access to the big 

buyers such as supermarkets. 

In many areas, private companies 

such as South African 

Breweries, Woolworths and Pick 

n Pay are already active. Massmart 

has committed to creating opportunities 

for emerging farmers 

through its Direct Farm 

Programme. 

DAFF aims to increase the 

number of smallholder producers 

in the country. As the DAFF strategic 

plan says, “there is a need to 

coordinate and integrate all the 

support provided to smallholder 

and subsistence producers”. 

Memorandums of understanding 

have been signed with 

three Chinese provinces (Anhui, 

Jilin and Henan), and the province 

is in talks with the National 

Department of Agriculture about 

putting mangoes and avocadoes (two of Limpopo’s biggest products) 

on the priority list of exports to China. 

The Limpopo Economic Development Agency has identified specific 

investment opportunities: private partnerships to resuscitate 

state irrigation schemes, cut flowers, baby vegetables, almonds, table 

grapes and pork. Sunflowers, soya beans and maize are other crops, 

all of which hold great potential for growth. 

A R2.2-million project near Tzaneen aims to improve food security. 

The Limani Project is a joint undertaking of Pioneer Foods, Trees for 

Africa and the Dreamfields Foundation. Schools receive seeds, tools 

and lessons in how to grow organic gardens. 

TechnoServe, an NGO, and food-supply company Qutom are helping 

three emerging Limpopo farmers produce 700 tons of tomatoes 

for Woolworths and other markets. TechnoServe is handling the loan 

and has found an experienced farmer to mentor the three new farmers: 

the mentor’s remuneration will depend on the production levels 

of his charges. 

The Eskom Development Foundation acknowledges hard work 

in the agricultural sector through its Business Entrepreneurship 

Investment Competition Awards. The winners in 2015 was Greenland 

Landscaping (Thohoyandou) with first runner-up’s position going to 

Livhuki General Trading (Pty) Ltd (Makhado). 

ONLINE RESOURCES 

Agro-Food Technology Station, Limpopo University: 

www.ul.ac.za 

ARC-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops: 

www.arc.agric.co.za 

Citrus Growers Association: www.cga.co.za 

Deciduous Fruit Producers Trust: www.dfpt.co.za 

Food & Trees For Africa: www.trees.co.za 

Limpopo Department of Agriculture: www.lda.gov.za 

Limpopo Economic Development Agency: www.lieda.co.za 

Limpopo Local Economic Development Programme: 

www.limpopoled.com 

National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: 

www.daff.gov.za 

South African Fruit Farms: www.safruitfarms.com 

South African Macadamia Growers’ Association: 

www.samac.org.za 

South African Subtropical Growers’ Association: 

www.subtrop.net 


OVERVIEW 

Mining 

The Waterberg region is attracting mining companies. 


After several years of rising prices and increasing demand, 

the global commodities market experienced lower prices 

and shrinking demand in 2015. This had a lot to do with 

slower growth in China, but South African mining companies 

also had to deal with rising energy prices, labour upheavals and 

legislative uncertainty. 

There have consequently been some big changes to the mining 

landscape, and not just in South Africa. One of the most significant is 

the change of focus by Anglo American, one of the world’s biggest 

resource companies. It decided to focus sharply on diamonds, copper 

and platinum. This is not just in the company’s South African mines, but 

rather a global decision which will affect Anglo’s operations in North 

and South America, Australia and South Africa. In 2015 the Anglo group 

had 55 mines, employed 128 000 people and had revenue of $23-billion. 

The sale of Anglo’s iron-ore and coal assets has provided an opportunity 

for other mining companies that want to mine differently or 

acquire new assets. 

Sibanye Gold, going beyond the name it acquired when Goldfields 

was unbundled in 2013, bought platinum mines in Rustenburg 

Chinese companies have 

been very active in the 

Limpopo mining sector. 

• Sibanye Gold is buying 

platinum assets. 

• Hebei Iron and Steel and 

the IDC may build a steel 

mill in Limpopo. 

• A provincial mining roundtable 

was held to promote 

industrialisation. 

• A national Energy 

Metallurgical Base Project 

will anchor the planned 

Special Economic Zone at 

Musina. 

• Phalaborwa Copper will 

spend R9.3-billion on 

extending the life of the 

mine. 

• Anglo American is selling 

some assets, but investing 

more money in diamond 

mining in Limpopo. 

• Exxaro is investigating 

Underground Coal 

Gasification. 

from Anglo American Platinum 

(Amplats) in 2015 and has expressed 

interest buying coal assets, 

mostly to offset rising energy 

costs at its own mines. 

Anglo’s 16.8% share in the 

copper mine, smelter and 

refinery in Phalaborwa was dis- 


50

OVERVIEW 

posed of in 2013 (Rio Tinto was 

the majority shareholder). The 

main shareholders in the purchasing 

holding company are 

Hebei Iron and Steel (of China) 

and South Africa’s Industrial 

Development Corporation, holding 

35% and 20% respectively. 

The new shareholders have 

undertaken to spend R9.3-billion 

on the mine complex to extend 

the life of the mine which is South 

Africa’s only producer of refined 

copper. The mine produces 

about 80 000 tons of refined 

copper every year, and the refinery 

produces continuous cast 

rod for the domestic market and 

cathodes for the export market. 

Hebei and the IDC have 

jointly committed to spending 

a further $5-billion on building 

a new steel plant in South Africa. 

One of the sites being considered 

is Phalaborwa (the others 

are Witbank in Mpumalanga and 

Richards Bay). Other steel producers 

have been stressed by 

low prices and over-production 

on the global market, but the 

IDC believes that they can make steel cheaper and supply the 

African market. 

Mining activities at the Kumba iron-ore Thabazimbi mine ceased 

at the end of September 2015 and processing activities ceased on 31 

March 2016. 

In contrast to these pull-backs, Anglo American has announced a 

further investment of $20-million to expand production at its diamond 

mine near the town of Musina. Venetia Mine is by far the most important 

part of De Beers’ South African operation, accounting for 3.1-million of 

the 5.4-million carats recovered by the company from its six operations. 

Limpopo’s mineral riches 

Limpopo has a very rich and varied mineral asset base. Platinum occurs 

on both limbs of the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC), and the 

Waterberg district is seen as the answer to South Africa’s coal needs 

for the next several decades. 

The provincial government reports that the mining sector constituted 

26% of Limpopo’s gross domestic product in 2013. In 2015 a 

Mining Roundtable was held under the title “Limpopo’s Minerals for a 

Broad-Based Industrialisation Agenda” and attended by 250 delegates 

from the mining sector, universities, NGOs and government. A key focus 

area is to try to ensure that 20% of procurement in the mining sector 

goes to small businesses and co-operatives. 

Silicon Smelters (the largest charcoal producer in Africa) and Anglo 

Platinum’s smelting facility, one of three run by the company, are both 

located in Polokwane. 

Northam Platinum’s metallurgical complex at its Zondereinde mine 

processes Merensky and UG2 ores separately. 


OVERVIEW 

At the University of Limpopo, the Materials and Modelling Centre 

has a nationally-appointed Chair in Computational Modelling of 

Materials. The chair, which is funded by the National Department of 

Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation, is 

held by distinguished Professor Phuti Ngoepe. High-level research is 

undertaken into magnesium and titanium compounds and into issues 

such as the nanostructures of lithium-ion which are relevant to the 

electric-car industry. 

Platinum and coal 

Despite reduced global demand in the short term, Platinum Group 

Metals (PGMs) are very much linked to the modern global economy 

and high-technology products of every sort: catalytic converters 

and fuel cells are just two examples. Jewellery is another application. 

According to marketing agency Johnson Matthey, South Africa has, in 

percentages of world supply of Platinum Group Metals: 75% platinum; 

35% palladium and 86% of rhodium. 

Implats’ major Limpopo asset is a 73% holding in Marula (eastern 

limb) which is 50km north of Burgersfort. Jubilee is the minority 

shareholder. 

Lonmin runs the Limpopo mine near Polokwane on the eastern limb 

of the BIC but most of its mines are in North West province. Lonmin’s 

other Limpopo assets include the Baobab mine, a concentrator and 

a half share (with Mvelaphanda Resources) of the Doornvlei project. 

Northam Platinum has the mines Zondereinde (on the western 

limb) and Booysendal in the east and in 2015 acquired the Everest 

mine from Aquarius. The company is increasing production and made 

a profit in 2015 of R595.8-million. 

Junior mining companies active 

in Limpopo include Lesogo 

Platinum (the Phosiri Project on 

the eastern limb), Nkwe Platinum 

and Bauba Platinum. 

A new platinum project got 

underway near Mokopane in 

2015, where Ivanhoe Mines 

Platreef Project (64% owned by 

Ivanplats) will spend $1.6-billion. 

Limpopo contributes 4% 

of coal mining in South Africa, 

according to the National 

Department of Mineral 

Resources, but it seems likely 

that within the next three 

decades, the province will be 

supplying about half of South 

Africa’s coal. 

Coal is massively in demand 

because of South Africa’s urgent 

need for more electricity. 

Limpopo’s Waterberg coal field 

is estimated to contain about 

75- billion tons of coal. 

Supplying coal to power-producer 

Eskom has for many years 

been part of the bread-andbutter 

income for coal mining 

operators. In 2015, Exxaro supplied 

Eskom with nearly 30% 

of the coal it needed to run its 

power stations, about 33-million 

tons of coal. 

Exxaro spent several billion 

rand expanding its Grootgeluk 

mine in the expectation that it 

would supply coal to Eskom’s 

Medupi power station. However, 

construction of the giant power 

station has been severely delayed, 

with the result that Exxaro 

are now having to look to export 

their coal. The plan was for the 

mine to supply Medupi with 

14.6-million tons of coal every 

year for 40 years. 


52

OVERVIEW 

Exxaro is exploring new technologies 

at Lephalale, working on 

the possibilities of Underground 

Coal Gasification (UCG). 

Sibanye Gold has acquired 

a 51% stake in Waterberg Coal, 

further evidence that it intends 

looking after its own power 

supply, at least to some extent. 

Coal of Africa is active in 

Limpopo. Its subsidiary, Limpopo 

Coal, mines the Vele colliery in the 

far north of the province. 

Other minerals 

The Phalaborwa phosphate mine 

of Foskor has an annual capacity 

of 2.85-million tons. It uses 

the phosphate rock it mines to 

manufacture phosphate fertiliser 

and phosphoric acid. 

The largest concentrations 

of chromite are found on the 

eastern limb of the Bushveld 

Igneous Complex where 

Samancor runs Eastern Chrome 

Mines at Steelport (with three 

concentrators) and ASA Metals’ 

upscaled smelting furnaces now 

produce 400 000 tons of charge 

chrome per year at the Dilokong 

Chrome Mine, located between 

Burgersfort and Polokwane. 

South Africa produces 39% of the 

world’s chromite. 

Andalusite, a vital component 

in spark-plug ceramics, is 

mined near Thabazimbi and at 

Maroelasfontein in the west of 

the province. The Consolidated 

Murchison Mine (ConMurch) 

at Gravelotte, just west of 

Phalaborwa, is the single biggest 

producer of antimony in the 

world outside China, producing 

about 20% of the world’s supply. Attapulgite is mined by G&W Base 

and Industrial Minerals at Dwaalboom. Sephaku Holdings is optimistic 

about tin, copper, fluorspar mineralisation at its site west 

of Mokopane. 

Investors in a new cement factory in Thabazimbi include the Jidong 

Development Group, the China African Development Fund and the 

South African Women Investment Holdings Portfolio. An amount 

of R1.6-billion was invested, creating 550 temporary jobs and 231 

full-time jobs. 


Chamber of Mines of South Africa: www.bullion.org.za 

Geological Society of South Africa: www.gssa.org.za 

Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA): www.mqa.org.za 

National Department of Mineral Resources: www.dmr.gov.za 

South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: 

www.saimm.co.za 


OVERVIEW 

Transport and logistics 

Transport and logistics are vital to Limpopo’s export trade 

Logistics is a vital feature of the Limpopo economy for two 

reasons: the province has huge volumes of raw produce to 

be transported to markets elsewhere, and the province is also 

strategically positioned on the great road to the north. 

All of South Africa’s major logistics companies have facilities in 

Polokwane, and some (like RTT, which also has offices in Makhado) have 

warehouses and forwarding capabilities in other parts of the province. 

Limpopo’s biggest exports (minerals, fruit and vegetables) require 

dramatically different levels of handling. Minerals are poured in great 

volumes into the freight trucks of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and taken 

onward to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, whereas some of the province’s 

fruits (for instance avocadoes) have to be handled with extreme 

care. They also have to be delivered to ports as quickly as possible as 

they are delicate and the deadlines for getting fruit to market in Europe 

can be extremely challenging. Companies such as Freezerlines, Fast 


Transnet Freight Rail wants 

to get freight off the roads 

and onto rail. 

• Roads Agency Limpopo 

has a budget of R737- 

million for 2016/17. 

• SA Express flies regularly 

to Eastgate airport near 

the Kruger Park. 

‘n Fresh and Cold Chain have developed 

specialist techniques for 

getting these fruits to market and 


54

OVERVIEW 

to port undamaged. Grindrod has 

a Perishable Cargo division which 

specialises in transporting cargo 

by air. 

The large national logistics 

company Value Group has only 

four major regional depots outside 

of Gauteng: in Cape Town, 

Durban, Nelspruit and Polokwane. 

This illustrates the importance 

of the Limpopo Province and 

its capital city in South Africa’s 

logistics chain. 

Logistics giant Imperial 

Logistics Southern Africa has 70 

companies in its group structure, 

including Kobus Minaar Transport, 

a concern that began in Tzaneen 

transporting fruit and vegetables. 

Other active companies 

in Limpopo include Dawn Wing Logistics, Kargo, F&R Logistics and 

Aramex SA. 

Outside of Polokwane, the towns of Tzaneen, Lephalale, Burgersfort 

and Musina (a border post with Zimbabwe) are all important in the 

field of logistics. 

There has been interest for some years in increasing rail volumes out 

of the coal-rich Waterberg area (TFR is conducting a feasibility study 

into building a major new rail link) but depressed commodity prices 

worldwide will make it more difficult to get this project up and running 

in the near future. An extension of 464km would cost about R37-billion, 

but it is possible that TFR will look for private partners to invest in the 

project. If more coal mines are developed then capacity could be 

ramped up in stages from the current four-million tons-per-year to 

around 80-million tons, which would all be delivered to Richards Bay 

via the line through Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Eskom’s huge 

new power station in western Limpopo (Medupi) will need massive 

supplies of coal but is experiencing long delays in construction. 

The N1 highway (“The Road to the North”) is an incredibly busy and 

sometimes overcrowded road, and growing mining operations are 

putting pressure on secondary routes throughout the province, which 


OVERVIEW 

is why it is good news for Limpopo that the stated aim of Transnet 

Freight Rail is to lead the country in getting larger quantities of freight 

moved from road back to rail. 

On the national scene, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa 

(Prasa) is set to spend about R123-billion on upgrading and modernising 

the country’s rail system and rolling stock. This would include 

an investment in the building of 360 new coaches every year for 

two decades. 

Roads 

The Roads Agency of Limpopo (RAL), of which the provincial government 

is the sole shareholder, accounts for about one-third of the 

budget of the Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and 

Infrastructure. In 2016/17, RAL has been allocated R737.3-million. 

The Department of Transport looks after transport infrastructure 

(other than roads) and public transport, and it has budgeted R1.9-billion 

for these facilities in 2016/17. A bus monitoring system is due to be 

purchased by the province. 

Since 2009 RAL has built 21 bridges, upgraded about 407km of 

gravel roads to tar and rehabilitated more than 170km of tarred roads. 

Roughly 30% of the roads in Limpopo are tarred and some provincial 

expenditure is allocated to ensure access to schools and clinics. 

Another project whereby households living along routes are tasked 

with maintaining roads has been rolled out, and 25 such projects will 

be supported to the tune of R278- 

million, led by local municipalities. 

The provincial transport department 

has also made bicycles 

available to some school pupils 

who live further than 10km from 

their school. 

National government has 

spent ever-increasing amounts of 

money on road allocations over 

the last five years, increasing at a 

rate of 16% every year. The South 

African National Roads Agency 

Limited (Sanral) has successfully 

raised several billion rand through 

bonds and capital markets in 

pursuit of its mandate to finance, 

manage and maintain the national 

road network. In 2014, several 

provincial roads in Limpopo were 

transferred to Sanral. 

Great North Transport has 

more than 500 buses, covers 

about 36-million kilometres every 

year, employs more than 1 200 

people and transports 37.6-million 


56

OVERVIEW 

passengers. A wholly-owned subsidiary 

of the Limpopo Economic 

Development Agency (LEDA), it 

operates on 279 routes with 11 

depots supporting the network 

of bus routes. These depots are 

located at: Seshego, Mokopane, 

Bapedi, Phalaborwa, Marble Hall, 

Giyani, Motetema, Hoedspruit, 

Tzaneen, Bushbuckridge and 

Makhado. 

In 2013, Great North Transport 

purchased 80 buses valued at 

approximately R140-million from 

MAN Truck & Bus. With an average 

round-trip distance of 100km 

on gravel roads, the Lion Explorer 

HB4 was judged to be well-suited 

to the robust local conditions. 

Air 

The Polokwane International 

Airport (PIA) is wholly owned 

by the provincial government 

and run by the Gateway Airports 

Authority Limited (GAAL), an 

agency of the Department of 

Roads and Transport. The airport 

has undergone a R35-million upgrade 

and been transformed into 

a regional hub. It has the potential 

to be an important regional cargo 

airport. 

SA Airlink caters mainly to the 

business market and offers 21 

flights to Johannesburg six days 

a week. The airline also provides 

links between Phalaborwa and 

Johannesburg, as well as between 

Hoedspruit, Johannesburg 

and Cape Town. 

Many game reserves have airstrips, 

while regional airports in 

the eastern part of the province 

provide easy access to the Kruger 

National Park. East Gate at Hoedspruit is situated within an airforce 

base and has the second-longest runway in South Africa, which is 

long enough to serve as an emergency landing area for space shuttles. 

The airport is served by SA Express. Phalaborwa’s airport is notable 

for its African-themed terminal, which includes a zebra-patterned 

floor. Musina, near the border with Zimbabwe in the north, hosts the 

province’s other regional airport. 


Air Traffic and Navigation Services: www.atns.co.za 

Civil Aviation Authority: www.caa.co.za 

Eastgate Airport: www.eastgateairport.co.za 

Great North Transport: www.limdev.co.za 

Gateway Airports Authority Limited: www.gaal.co.za 

Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport: 

www.ldrt.gov.za 

Railroad Association of South Africa: www.rra.co.za 

Roads Agency Limpopo: www.ral.co.za 

South Africa Bus Operators Association: www.saboa.co.za 

South African National Roads Agency Limited: 

www.sanral.co.za 

South African Rail Commuter Corporation Ltd: 

www.sarcc.co.za 

Transnet Freight Rail: www.transnet.net 


PROFILE 

Gateway Airports 

Authority Limited 

With a vision to be an optimally functioning airports authority and centre of excellence 

through Airport City Services in the Limpopo region, Gateway Airports Authority 

Limited is committed to unlocking maximum benefit for its stakeholders. 

Mandate and success 

GAAL’s mandate is to manage all non-private airports 

in Limpopo (including Polokwane International 

Airport) in compliance with various legislative and 

administrative ccts such as the South African Civil 

Aviation Authority (SACAA). GAAL currently manages 

Polokwane International Airport and has increased 

its tariffs as a result of benchmarking itself 

against other peer group industry partners. The 

agency has contributed to a much-needed injection 

of cash into the organisation and has contracted 

Air Traffic Navigation Services to collect approach 

fees (fees which they had not previously collected). 

The management of GAAL are confident that this 

intervention will assist the organisation to further 

address all the compliance and maintenance issues 

that the organisation faces. In addition, the airport’s 


58

PROFILE 

Thulani Zulu, 

CEO of Gateway 

Airports Authority 

Limited. 

maintenance is carried 

out, along with implementing 

projects that will 

lead to the construction 

of the Fire and Rescue 

Training facility, construction 

of a non-public parking 

management system, 

in addition to asset acquisitions 

such as the purchase 

of X-ray screening 

machines for passenger 

security screening. 

compliance status has been confirmed by the Civil 

Aviation Authority’s audit inspection during the year 

under review. As a result of this audit, the airport 

received International Airport status and has also 

being recognised as an institution that contributes 

significantly to economic growth and development 

throughout Limpopo. 

Driving revenue 

The organisation’s financial sustainability will be 

significantly improved by development and implementation 

programmes that will result in an increase 

in aeronautical fees (including landing, passenger, 

parking and baggage-handling fees) as well as fuel 

throughput and non-aeronautical revenue streams. 

These revenue streams include the rental income 

from office space, car parking fees, water and electricity 

tariffs, the sale of permits and sale of tender 

documents. Passenger statistics are the most important 

figure in terms of the business’ operations 

as they generate the key performances, and assist 

with budget target planning in addition to the actual 

achievements in the business. 

Infrastructural improvements 

The airport is in the initial stages of a supply 

chain process that will ensure that infrastructure 

Services and products 

Located within Limpopo’s Capricorn District, 

Polokwane International Airport offers access to 

one scheduled domestic airline, namely SA Airlink 

(connecting to OR Tambo International Airport). 

Economic opportunities 

The increase in domestic passenger movement 

and the introduction of the new scheduled private 

charter flights – with the corresponding development 

of new routes – is a breath of fresh air to the 

local economy. This is an initiative that is aligned 

with a number of others that are not only aimed at 

improving the provincial transport landscapes, but 

also contribute significantly to the socio-economic 

impact in the province. 

CONTACT INFO 

Physical address: Gateway Road, 

Polokwane 0700 

Postal address: PO Box 1309, 


Tel: +27 15 288 0122 

Fax: +27 15 288 0125 

Email: info@gaal.co.za 

Website: www.gaal.co.za 


OVERVIEW 

Renewable energy 

Solar and bio-mass have the greatest potential in Limpopo. 


Two big events have changed the energy landscape in Limpopo 

province: firstly, the giant Medupi power station started delivering 

power to the national grid in August 2015; secondly, Limpopo 

became the site of three projects that are part of the national 

programme to encourage independent power producers to build 

capacity in that field. 

At this stage the former event is much more significant than 

the latter: Unit 6 at Medupi on its own will generate 794MW and 

the plan is to have all six units doing the same. Compared to these 

volumes of energy, the amount so far allocated to Limpopo in the 

renewable energy field is really small. And there is no doubt that 

coal-fired power stations such as Medupi will mean that South Africa 

will continue to rely on coal for many years to come – but this means 

that the coal fields and power stations of Limpopo will also continue 

to remain significant. 

However, the shift away from a carbon-economy is happening, 

and it is happening at astonishing speed (and there is also the fact 

that Medupi and Kusile, the other big power station, have been 

delayed for a very long time and, at time of going to print, a date for 

full functionality remains, at best, a guess). 

The Matimba Power Station nearby will continue to hold its title as 

the world’s largest dry-cooling plant only until such time as Medupi 

is commissioned. Matimba functions close to 3 700MW capacity. 

Although Limpopo has only been allocated three projects so far, 

the national Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent 

South Africa’s independent 

renewable energy power 

producers’ programme has 

attracted R53.2-billion in 

foreign investment. 

• Medupi power station 

is feeding power to the 

national grid after long 

delays. 

• Nine biogas digesters are 

running as part of a pilot 

project. 

• Limpopo is home to a 

large silicon smelter and 

silicon is a component of 

solar panels. 

Power Producer Procurement 

Programme (REIPPP) has been 

astonishingly successful in a very 

short period of time. Local and 

foreign companies have been 

bidding in a “closed envelope” 

process to build renewable 

energy plants (solar, wind, biomass, 

hydroelectric) and the 

Department of Energy (DoE) selects 

the winning company or 

consortium, which then gets to 

build the plant and sell what it 

generates into the national grid 

at a competitive price. 

Over the four bidding “windows” 

to September 2015, a total 

of 92 contracts have been signed 

to supply electricity with a nameplate 

capacity of 6 327MW and 


60

OVERVIEW 

South Africa has received R53.2- 

billion in foreign investment. 

The overwhelming majority 

of projects approved have been 

solar and wind and there is now 

going to be a focus on finding 

ways to promote projects using 

biogas, landfill gas and small-scale 

hydro electric. 

Limpopo’s three REIPPP projects 

are all of the photovoltaic 

solar type, and together they will 

generate 118MW at full capacity. 

The provincial government’s 

Green Economy Plan has identified 

solar and biomass as the main 

kinds of renewable energy that 

the province can pursue. 

Nine biogas digesters have 

been installed in the Vhembe 

District and these will be controlled 

by young entrepreneurs 

trained by the University of 

Venda. A demonstration model 

is at the university. A group of 

31 students are studying Energy 

Management Systems as part of 

Limpopo’s Green Economy Plan. 

Energy generation is not the 

only component of the plan: with 

huge silicon reserves in the province, 

there is potential for the production 

of solar panels and solar 

chargers for cellphones. 

Alternatives 

The mining and agricultural sectors 

are the two biggest and most 

important sectors of the Limpopo 

provincial economy. They are big 

consumers of energy and hold 

the key to advancing alternate 

technologies. 

Many mines are looking increasingly 

at going off-grid and 

are therefore using renewable strategies to achieve that. The agricultural 

sector obviously controls all sorts of feedstocks that can be used 

to generate power. 

Anglo Platinum has launched an underground mining locomotive 

powered by a fuel cell. Platinum coating greatly enhances the hydrogen 

absorption capacity of fuel cells. The locomotive was developed 

together with Vehicle Projects, Trident South Africa and Battery Electric. 

Anglo Coal’s operations at Lephalale produce a huge amount of 

methane gas. A third of this gas is now being used to power fuel cells. 

Anglo Platinum is a 17.5% shareholder in Johnson Matthew Fuel 

Cells. Anglo Platinum bought the second-hand demonstration unit 

from UTC Power, a US company. It can produce up to 200 kilowatts 

of electricity. 

Bioethanol, biodiesel and methane gas from waste and renewable 

resources are among the types of biofuels being investigated. 

A new set of national government guidelines has shifted the emphasis 

towards finding fuel stock from crops that are unlikely to affect 

food security, like sugar cane, sugar beet, canola and sunflower seeds. 

Limpopo is well placed to exploit these crops and has several other 

advantages as a potential green economy: 

• Thousands of hectares of open space that could be traded in the 

carbon-trading market 

• High solar intensity 

• Relevant mineral deposits such as silica, which are useful in making 

solar products 

• A well-established and well-equipped agricultural sector, capable 

of producing crops for use as biofuel 

NGO Project 90x2030 has a demonstration site in Limpopo, showing 

off the latest technology in renewable energy. At Tshulu-HaMakuya, 

the 20-unit computer room of the Tshulu Trust is powered by a solar 

photovoltaic system, as is the lighting for the facility. More and more 

game lodges are moving off the grid through the use of solar panels. 

Mining group Exxaro is sponsoring the roll-out of alternative energy 

near its remote Tshikondeni mine east of Musina. The Alternative 

Energy Development Corporation (AEDC) has installed zinc air fuel cells 

in homes and in street lights. With this technology, oxygen and zinc 

combine in fuel cells to generate renewable energy. 


African Biofuels: www.africanbiofuels.co.za 

CDM Africa Climate Solutions: www.cdmafrica.com 

Mapfura Makhura Incubator: www.biodieselmmi.co.za 

National Department of Energy: www.energy.gov.za 

Southern African Biofuels Association: www.saba.za.org 

Sustainable Energy Africa: www.sustainable.org.za 


OVERVIEW 

Water 

A Limpopo Water Master Plan will be tabled during 2016. 


Limpopo in the site of two of 

South Africa’s largest infrastructure 

projects - Mokolo 

Crocodile Augmentationn 

Project and Oliefants 

River Water Resources 

Dvelopment Project. 

A 

Provincial Water and Sanitation Summit has resolved that a 

Limpopo Water Master Plan has to be urgently developed. 

Floods have been known in parts of Limpopo (and they 

have been serious), but the more pressing threat is drought: 

a disaster area was declared in late 2015 in response to the latest 

prolonged shortage of water. 

National and provincial government set aside budgets for the 

provision of feed to livestock farmers. In addition to this emergency 

aid, downward revisions also have had to be made to schemes that 

include irrigation, such as the Fetsa Tlala programme. 

The province’s two most important economic sectors (mining 

and agriculture) depend on a steady and sustainable supply of water. 

Several Limpopo towns have struggled to supply clean water to 

residents, and this has led to tension between residents and municipal 

officials. In response, the National Minister of Public Works has put 

together a technical team to support the municipalities. 

Limpopo’s three distinct regions attract very different levels of 

rainfall: the escarpment (sub-humid with annual rainfall of more than 

700mm); semi-arid middle veld and Highveld; and the arid and semiarid 

Lowveld. 

The province’s rivers are also 

under threat from the damaging 

effects of the mining industry, 

power stations, chemicals used 

in agriculture and from sewage 

treatment in catchment areas. 

Opportunities exist in this sector 

for innovative solutions. 

The National Department of 

Water and Sanitation (DWS) has 

attached a figure of R570-billion 

to the amount of investment 

needed in South Africa’s water 

supply chain in the years to 2022. 

Water resources infrastructure 

alone is said to need R162- 

billion. Limpopo is the site of 

two of the biggest of these 

projects: the Mokolo Crocodile 

Augmentation Project (west) 

and the Olifants River Water 

Resources Development Project 

in the east. 

Each of Limpopo’s five district 

municipalities function as a Water 

Service Authority and the Lepelle 

Northern Water company has a 


62

OVERVIEW 

strong presence in the central, 

eastern and southern parts of the 

province. 

North 

Parts of Limpopo’s most northern 

district are extremely dry. 

Surface water mainly originates 

in the mountainous areas and 

is regulated by several dams in 

the upper and middle reaches 

of the rivers. Over-exploitation 

of groundwater is a problem. 

An innovative water-catching 

project run by meteorology students 

of the University of Pretoria 

is providing a community in 

the Soutpansberg with clean 

drinking water. 

Instead of relying on tankers 

to bring water to their dry area, 

schoolchildren in the Tshiavha 

village collect water from giant 

sheets that trap the water that 

has gathered as fog. Threemetre-high 

nets set up around 

the school provide about 2 500 

litres per day. 

West 

The Mokolo Crocodile 

Augmentation Project is designed 

to supply water to Medupi, 

the new power station being built 

at Lephalale, and to the coal mining 

operations that will feed it. A 

pump station and a 45km pipeline 

between the site of the power 

station and the Mokolo Dam are 

being built by the Trans-Caledon 

Tunnel Authority. 

Mokolo Crocodile Consultants, 

a group of five consulting 

firms which includes Aurecon, is providing engineering services to 

this project. 

East and south 

When the Olifants River Water Resources Development Project is fully 

developed, it will be supplying water to 23 platinum mines. The De 

Hoop Dam is at the centre of the scheme. 

Water developments in the Sekhukhune district have not been 

restricted to the De Hoop Dam. Five water projects with 65 associated 

schemes had delivered other water infrastructure, including pipes to 

get water to Moutse from the Loskop Dam. 

A concerned group of water users (from mining, heavy industry and 

conservation circles) have formed the Olifants River Forum to monitor 

change in the big catchment area. The forum is funding a team of 

researchers from several universities and the Council for Scientific and 

Industrial Research (CSIR) to conduct tests on the quality of water and 

threats to the same in the upper reaches of the Olifants. 

Polokwane 

The Water and Sanitation Services branch of the Polokwane Municipality 

operates five water-purification plants and three sewage-purification 

plants. As part of its Regional Water Scheme programme, Polokwane provides 

water to the residents of the rural areas of Mothapo, Mothiba and 

Makotopong. A 600-kilolitre reservoir was built and new pipes were laid. 

The Capricorn District Municipality funds a water-testing laboratory 

on the campus of the University of Limpopo. 

Mocha Lab has been operating in Polokwane since 2008 and has 

the capability to provide services to the mining and engineering sector, 

as well as to water authorities. 


Limpopo Department of Economic Development, 

Environment and Tourism: www.ledet.gov.za 

National Department of Water and Sanitation: 

www.dwa.gov.za 

Olifants River Forum: www.orf.co.za 

South African Association of Water Utilities: 

www.saawu.co.za 

Water Institute of South Africa: www.wisa.org.za 

Water Research Commission: www.wrc.org.za 


OVERVIEW 

ICT and telecommunications 

Connecting rural areas is a priority for Limpopo authorities. 


Ten schools are piloting an 

Offline Content Solution. 

• The Limpopo ICT Youth 

Conference was held in 

2015. 

• An ICT Centre of 

Excellence is to be 

established in 2016. 

Connectivity is difficult to achieve in remote rural areas, and 

large parts of Limpopo are rural. One way of achieving 

higher connectivity is to focus on schools and libraries. 

The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa 

(USAASA) has as its brief to provide ICT services to public and private 

schools, hospitals and training colleges. Limpopo is one of five provinces 

that USAASA concentrates on with respect to school connectivity: 

more than R25-million has been spent since 2010 on this project and 

more than 400 smart devices distributed. 

Private telecommunications companies also have community responsibilities 

in terms of the National Development Plan. They must 

help connect under-serviced areas to the telecommunications and 

Internet networks. 

A National Library of South Africa (NLSA) project, supported by 

Vodacom, will connect about 300 community libraries via VSAT and 

Vodacom ADSL services. The project covers South Africa’s three most 

rural provinces – the North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. 

When national libraries started using an open-source system known 

as Library Information Management System (LIMS), it was a good opportunity 

to upgrade the more remote libraries. Meso ICT Solutions was 

the company used by Vodacom and the NLSA to roll out the project, 

which will also give community members in those areas better access 

to the Internet (including teachers 

and students). Each library has 14 

work stations and Vodacom can 

carry both fixed-line and satellite 

connectivity. 

The state is a big factor in the 

ICT sector, both in terms of its 

regulatory role, the incentives offered 

to companies and in terms 

of its own purchasing power 

through national departments 

and agencies. 

The State Information 

Technology Agency (SITA) supports 

a wide range of national 

and provincial departments and 

municipalities across the province, 

and is working on establishing 

a comprehensive provincial 

network. SITA played a role in the 

NLSA/LIMS project. 

SITA has a client base of more 

than 5 000 offices and offers services 

in WAN support, support 

of the provincial mainframe, ICT 

training and website development, 

among others. A SITA initiative 

to help all of South Africa’s 


64

OVERVIEW 

teachers obtain laptops will have 

an impact on the sector. 

South African Vanguard 

of Technology (Savant) is a 

Department of Trade and Industry 

(dti) programme. It is the marketing 

and awareness programme 

for the South African ICT and 

electronics sector. The aim is to 

develop South African exports 

and to attract foreign investment. 

The National Department 

of Communications is responsible 

for the Independent 

Communications Authority of 

South Africa (ICASA, the regulator 

of communications, broadcasting 

and postal services), the SA 

Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), 

and three other agencies. 

The Telkom Foundation began 

supporting ICT at Manyangan 

High School and several others 

like it a decade ago. Schools in 

rural areas were given a wireless 

networked e-Learning 

Resource Centre consisting of 

20 computers, a server, a printer, 

all Microsoft-supplied software, 

insurance and a three-year maintenance 

plan. Internet access 

was included, powered by Vsat 

satellite technology. 

More than 800 young people 

attended the Limpopo ICT Youth 

Conference in 2015 where they 

and the owners and small and 

medium-sized ICT businesses 

shared ideas about the pitfalls 

and opportunities in the sector. 

An ICT Centre of Excellence will be 

established in 2016, taking into account 

the input of the delegates. 

Alternative and innovative solutions 

are also being followed. 

Ten schools have been identified 

by the ICT Internet Connectivity 

Project and the national Department of Education to pilot the Offline 

Content Solution. Tirelo Bosha will pay R1.4-million towards this project. 

Tirelo Bosha is a public service improvement grant administered by the 

national Department of Public Service and Administration. 

The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme 

(THRIP) is a programme of the National Research Foundation and supports 

an average of 235 projects per year. THRIP funding totals around 

R150-million (with approximately R240-million from industry per year) 

and supports initiatives that use science to bring benefits to wider 

society. This can relate to boosting distant rural computer literacy (as 

in a project in the Eastern Cape which will have relevance to Limpopo) 

or, for example, to scientists working at the University of Venda who 

have received THRIP funding relating to soil research. 

Intermediate computer-literacy classes are being provided at some 

Limpopo schools by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA), 

and the CoZa Cares project of Uniforum SA. Maths Centre has received 

funding from the Citigroup Foundation to help it expand the Anglo 

American project for maths and science using specially developed 

software. ICT company Edukite Learning Services is the developer. 

The sponsorship includes digital tablets and projectors to be used in 

the training of teachers. 

ISPA runs courses for teachers in all parts of South Africa. Since 

2004, ISPA and Uniforum SA awarded a Super Teacher of the Year award 

to the educator who has best imparted their newly acquired IT knowledge 

to pupils and members of their community when they return 

from these courses. These Limpopo teachers and schools were winners 

in 2009 (Lesibe Jimmy Rawane, Thomo Primary School), 2010 (Melia 

Moeketsi, Maribe Primary), 2011 (Phuthi Ragophala, Pulamadibogo 

Primary), 2012 (Sadike Welheminah Kekana, Toronto Secondary) and 

2013 (Mokhudu Cynthia Machaba, Ngwanamago Primary School). 


National Department of Communications: www.doc.gov.za 

National Department of Trade and Industry: 

www.thedti.gov.za 

National Research Foundation: www.nrf.ac.za 

Seda Technology Programme: www.seda.org.za 

South African Vanguard of Technology: www.savant.co.za 

Support Programme for Industrial Innovation: www.spii.co.za 

State Information Technology Agency: www.sita.co.za 

Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme: 

htttp://thrip.nrf.ac.za 

Technology Innovation Agency: www.tia.org.za 


PROFILE 

Getting the 

message through 

Vodacom is a leading African mobile communication 

company providing a wide range of communication services including 

mobile voice, messaging, data and converged services to over 61-million customers. 

From our roots in South Africa, we have 

grown our mobile network business 

to include operations in Tanzania, DRC, 

Mozambique and Lesotho. The mobile 

networks cover a total population of approximately 

200-million people. 

Through Vodacom Business Africa (VBA) we also 

offer business managed services to enterprises in 

over 40 countries across the continent. 

Vodacom is majority owned by Vodafone 

(65% holding) one of the world’s largest mobile 

communications companies by revenue. 

Our Strategies 

What we need to do? 

This is everything we need to do boiled down into 

five strategies: 

• Deliver the best customer experience 

• Grow data, enterprise, new services and 

grow internationally 

• Make our processes and businesses more 

efficient 

• Build a diverse and talented team 

• Transform society and build stakeholder 

trust 

Values and Vision 

Our Purpose 

Connecting you, creating possibilities, 

changing lives. 

Why we exist? 

Our reason to get up in the morning: knowing 

that what we do has the potential to change things 

for the better, and that we have the opportunity 

to do things better every single day by innovating. 

Our Vision 

Best network, best value, best service. 

Where are we going? 

We’re focusing on making our vision real, specifically 

through our brand promise of best network, best 

value, best service and everything that goes into 

keeping our promise. 

Our Way 

Speed, simplicity and trust 

How we need to do it? 

The Vodacom Way is the antidote to bureaucracy; 

if something fails this test we find another solution. 

CONTACT INFO 

Physical address: 93 Biccard Street, 


Tel: +27 82 277 5001 | 082 277 5001 

Web: www.vodacom.co.za 


66

Broadband Connect 

Wireless 

A Ready Business is connected 

wirelessly. 

Vodacom 

Power to you 

Super-fast 

Reliable 

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Convenient 

Internet access from 2Mbps up to 40Mbps. High availability - no copper lines required! Voice savings of up to 30% 

Terms and Conditions Apply 

For more information dial 082 277 0880

C S I & 

YOUTH 

Vodacom staff packing 

food parcels for their 

67 minutes for Mandela Day 

Children at Madiphatlakgomo 

school with their Mandela 

Day food packs 

Vodacom, in partnership with 

Sapa Yopa bikers, built a 

wendy house for a charity 

organisation 

Vodacom was part of awarding Limpopo’s top Matric students

Vodacom brought easy learning 

to Bakenberg as part of their 

e-School portal 

Vodacom Foundation in 

partnership with Oprah Winfrey 

Foundation takes technology to 

Vele School at Gogogo Village 

in Vhembe District 

Vodacom, together with LEDET 

at Students for the Advancement 

of Global Entrepreneurship 

Stationery Drive at Glansheil 

Vodacom empowering the youth of 

Nkowankowa together with GTFM 

Vodacom, in partnership with 

Sapa Yopa bikers, dug a borehole 

for a charity organisation 

Students of Malusi High School 

at Avon Village experience 

easy learning through the 

Vodacom e-School portal 

Vodacom donated blankets 

during National Science Week

INTERVIEW 

Chris Lazarus: driving 

Vodacom Limpopo 

Chris Lazarus is Vodacom’s dynamic and driven Managing 

Executive for the Limpopo region (home to 3.9-million 

customers) who is pushing the frontiers of the online 

revolution in Limpopo. 

Chris Lazarus, Managing 

Executive: Limpopo 

BIOGRAPHY 

Before joining Vodacom, Chris 

Lazarus was Head of Content 

Solutions for I-Net Bridge until 

2005, when he joined Vodacom 

as Executive Head Data Sales. 

In 2009 he established the 

Public Sector division and then 

moved to Enterprise Products/ 

Services. In 2011 he became 

Managing Executive Product/ 

Services, managing the enterprise 

business product suite. In 

2013 he started the Emerging 

Markets division and in 2014 he 

became Managing Executive 

Gauteng Region and successfully 

turned around the regional 

channel engagement plans 

and increased growth in data 

revenue, 3G devices and LTE. 

He holds an MBA from Henley 

Management College, UK. 

Vodacom is investing hundreds of millions of rands into 

its network to get as many people as possible connected 

around the province. Where do you see the greatest changes 

and benefits for Limpopo? 

The investment is about rolling out 

more sites to ensure we provide 

more base station coverage to 

areas where we have gaps but 

also investing to ensure that our 

customers have a better voice 

and data experience. There is 

also investment in the underlying 

transmission to ensure we have 

sufficient capacity to cater for 

current and future growth. 

Limpopo is the first Vodacom 

region to deploy overhanging 

fibre using concrete poles. As more 

customers obtain smartphones 

and other smart devices, this 

investment will ensure a richer 

user experience. 

What motivated your move from Managing Executive for 

Gauteng to Managing Executive for Limpopo? 

The opportunity for me was to manage a region end-to-end, covering 

all aspects of our business. The exciting part that I am thoroughly 

enjoying is the network side, learning lots about our technologies and 

seeing the benefit to our customers. Limpopo has so many untouched 

business opportunities. 

You will find in Limpopo we do a couple of things a bit faster and 

some things we do uniquely. For example, our fibre using concrete 

poles along the side of the road. Now it’s cheaper to do, and faster. We 


70

INTERVIEW 

literally lay the cables above ground as opposed to 

digging trenches. We finished the first fibre ring and 

now we are building three other rings. The demand 

for capacity in Limpopo is off the charts and it is also 

a migratory province, so for instance in December 

millions of people cross the border to come home. 

We have to ensure that customers returning from 

urban areas in Gauteng have the same or better user 

experience in rural areas. This is our goal even though 

we have made much progress with both 3G and 4G 

but the journey is not over, we still have work to do. 

PEOPLE IN LIMPOPO 

ARE STILL TALKING 

What are some of the innovations you 

have initiated? 

Vodacom is in the process of rolling out our CARE 

strategy, a programme that is going to transform the 

way we serve our customers, so here in Limpopo we 

have taken this to our retail stores as they deal with 

our customers daily. Every one of our Red stores has 

a process to record network complaints and then escalate 

to the regional office. Customers can also email 

us directly at limpopocustomercare@vodacom.co.za. 

Where are the opportunities for you in 

terms of the public sector? 

Given that our public sector wants to be more 

citizen-centric, we have a huge opportunity to use 

technology to enhance the lives of our people but 

also to make it easier for people to engage government. 

If we take one area such as education, 

Vodacom has already brought to market the 3G 

tablet, which retails for under R1 000. In addition, 

we have launched a free education portal. We have 

also partnered with the Department of Education 

to assist with managing the teacher centres around 

the country. 

In addition, Vodacom has invested in building the 

police car of the future to showcase what we are able 

to achieve using current technologies. We have also 

developed and implemented an application that is 

used by clinics and hospitals to manage their stock. 

What insight do you have in terms of how 

apps and cloud computing will increasingly 

become a game changer in terms of 

Limpopo’s development and growth? 

At all levels of the province we must firstly embrace 

both applications and cloud computing. I think we 

should encourage the young people in our province 

that have a passion for the development of applications. 

Cloud computing allows businesses and 

people in the province to access any content, even 

though it may not reside in the province. Small-tomedium 

businesses can have access to technologies 

that will make their businesses more efficient. Any 

business in Limpopo can now access the same tools 

as any other company across the country. There is 

one particular area (machine-to-machine) that is 

not receiving sufficient attention in the province, 

but we are working on changing this. This allows 

businesses to become more efficient and, in certain 

areas, even save money. 

What did you learn from your role overseeing 

the expansion of the distribution of 

the M-Pesa mobile payments platform in 

South Africa? 

The role you are referring to was not just about 

M-Pesa but also about balancing Vodacom’s distribution. 

We embarked on an exercise to understand 

what I refer to as the last mile of distribution, which 

is spaza shops. The first learning was developing 


52296-Prepaid Funeral - A1 Poster 2_rev02.indd 1 

2016/04/04 3:20 PM 

formal relationships with owners of these 

businesses, and this was not easy and was expensive. 

You have to be ready with the product 

and service you want to implement as keeping informal 

outlets updated is no easy task… and often 

they don’t understand the delays and so on. 

Vodacom 

Power to you 

What is most exciting thing for you about 

the big drive to add base stations and to 

connect sites with high-speed service? 

Adding more sites and increasing the performance 

of our network provides immediate benefit to our 

customers, and we see these benefits immediately. 

The vision is to provide people of Limpopo with 

the same level of connectivity as any other place 

in South Africa. 

What is the impact of this throughout the 

townships in Limpopo? 

We believe with certainty that our network overall 

is superior. We have more sites than any of our competitors 

and will continue to grow this. You can no 

longer stereotype and assume that our customers 

in the informal areas do not have access to high-end 

devices. They are already using Facebook, Twitter, 

WhatsApp and so on. In fact many of our customers 

use Twitter to inform Vodacom about network 

concerns they have from some of the rural areas. 

What have you seen as the greatest 

growth areas and major developments of 

which you are most proud during your 11 

years with Vodacom? 

The growth of 2G to 4G has to be a highlight. We also 

today market our own brand of Vodacom devices 

across 3G and LTE. The overall growth of data is 

amazing – people have adapted to new technologies 

so quickly and are using applications to perform so 

many things that they otherwise would not have 

done, or would have done differently. 

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It has been a bit hard from a personal perspective 

but in November I said to Shameel, our CEO, 

when he visited the region, that, after 10 years with 

Vodacom, this is probably the job with the most 

levels of satisfaction. 

The reason I feel this way is because I have almost 

complete autonomy and also, having been around 

for 10 years, my seniors know I will get stuff done. 

Overall it’s been really fulfilling. Another great positive 

is when you see the results – like any job, there’s 

nothing that beats the feeling when you have put the 

effort in, you’ve made your plan and implemented 

your strategy and you see it come to fruition. I don’t 

think anything beats that. 

You have been with Vodacom for a long 

time, so this opportunity must be a really 

interesting challenge for you? 

I’ve been with Vodacom for 11 years and they’ve 

been pushing me to consider a regional position, 

so this year I said to myself, “Let me give this a try.” 

The network has a huge responsibility for 

growth in Limpopo as it impacts on the 

lives and businesses of so many people. 

The vision for me is to leave Limpopo from a connectivity 

perspective in a better place than when 

I arrived. It is proven worldwide that access to 


72

INTERVIEW 

the Internet has direct impact on improving the 

lives of people. This is no different for Limpopo. 

In addition to that, there are a number of 

unique aspects to how we operate in Limpopo 

and what our market needs. For example, data usage 

is growing exponentially and we are still one 

of the fastest-growing data regions for Vodacom, 

even though we are coming off a smaller base. 

However, what I find fascinating is that voice has 

also been growing – so people in Limpopo are 

still talking. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. 

It’s good that people talk because we still make 

money from it, although not at the rate that we 

used to previously because there’s been so much 

of a reduction in the pricing, which most customers 

don’t believe but there has been, so that’s the 

one thing. And then the second thing is that we 

still have in the region of about four-million 2G 

devices on the network. Now that represents an 

opportunity – it’s an opportunity for customers 

to have a better experience, so we no longer roll 

out 2G –only base stations. Now we only roll out 

2G and 3G. Vodacom is pushing customers towards 

knowing the benefits of having improved 

technology at their fingertips in terms of data 

usage. We also educate customers on new 3G 

and LTE devices that range in price from R299 

to R1 399. You don’t have to go out and buy 2G 

phones because you’re scared that someone is 

stealing your data. Vodacom will make a substantial 

investment in customer education this year. 

How are you guys able to give work to 

SMMEs and what are the opportunities 

for businesses in Limpopo? 

There are three angles to the business we manage 

in Limpopo. The network is the underlying product, 

Consumer business relates to our retail customers 

and Enterprise business talks specifically to business 

customers and the public sector. On the network 

side there are tons of areas of opportunity, from the 

company that supplies the diesel to the company 

that has to survey the land and get permission from 

the local municipality to enable us to build a site, 

and the list goes on to areas such as maintenance. 

One of the companies that constructs sites for us 

in the region is called Boniswa, and it’s owned by 

an African black woman so I’m very proud of that 

relationship. She employs 150 people of which 75% 

are from Polokwane and has been so great that 

we’re one of the regions that made our accelerated 

site roll-out target. When you have suppliers 

who share your vision and passion to win then your 

job becomes easier. We give a lot of work to small 

and medium businesses and some of them are no 

longer small; they may have started off small but 

they’ve grown up and are flourishing, and that’s on 

the network side. We have in excess of 1 000 sites 

and 3.9-million customers to manage. Without the 

many small-medium businesses partnering with us, 

we would not be able to deliver to our customers. 

IF COMPANIES LIKE 

OURSELVES ARE 

NOT PUTTING IN THE 

INVESTMENTS IN RESOURCES 

AND INFRASTRUCTURE NOW, 

IN FIVE YEARS IT’S GOING TO 

BE TOO LATE. 

On the consumer side we have a massive distribution. 

We have 50 franchise stores in the province besides 

our national chain partners like PEP, Edgars, Game, etc. 

One of our local franchisees, Mohabi Mahape, is 

from Seshego. While he still owns the store there, 

he also owns 11 other stores including the store 

in the recently launched Mall of the South. So this 

thing has spread its tentacles, but underneath this 

whole Limpopo development is the fact that we are 

starting to have an influence on the greater business 

community. The company is also really committed 

to small/medium enterprise growth and Vodacom 

is really embracing the spirit of giving back to 

73 


communities, not just 

through our foundation work 

but also through commercial 

activities. 

Limpopo has had challenges 

with education over the 

years. Is Vodacom doing 

anything to assist? 

We now offer a free education 

portal, and this is so important 

because education is one of the 

areas which all of us have to focus 

on if we want South Africa 

to go forward. Limpopo has had 

its challenges in the education 

system, but we’re getting closer 

to the schools and are engaging 

with them, showing them solutions that are now 

available. We can today run a simulated class environment 

between two towns, two provinces, to 

anywhere in the world, as when you buy a tablet or a 

smartphone from Vodacom, you are given access to 

our free education portal. You will be amazed how 

many people still don’t know about this, so we’ve 

got to spread this message about education. There 

are also many solutions we’re working on in the area 

of health, and for me those two areas are critical. We 

are going to put a lot more effort in on the education 

side because if there is one area that we can 

make a difference in this province, it’s education. 

What is your employment footprint? 

Vodacom employs 70 people here in Limpopo. Our 

50 franchise stores also employ people that reside in 

Limpopo as well as the 100 field agents that work 

across the province. 

What excites you about the Limpopo story? 

I think underlying the Limpopo story is that we can 

only go forward from where we are. We also have 

a young population who we think is capable of 

making positive contributions to the province. We 

also employ a few interns from the province at our 

offices and when I see the impact these young 

engineers are doing, I am confident that there is a 

brighter tomorrow for Limpopo. 

You also cannot ignore the investment being 

made by government and the private sector –this 

too is ensuring we continue to grow and harness 

the natural resources we have. All this investment 

and growth has a direct link to the investment in 

telecommunications. 

WE STILL HAVE IN THE 

REGION OF FOUR-MILLION 

DEVICES ON THE 

NETWORK 

We believe that in three to five years Limpopo is 

going to be better, hence Vodacom has decided 

to be in the province and continue to expand the 

network. As for the four-million 2G devices, that’s another 

major opportunity, but remember that people 

are not going to go backward to the old Nokia 105, 

they are going to leap forward. I am not saying those 

phones won’t be around, but the new customers in 

particular are going to leap forward and I think that, 

through this improved experience for customers, 

people will be able to do things more efficiently. 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17 74

INTERVIEW 

things. There are lots of people 

who are not yet using Facebook 

and who have probably never 

heard of WhatsApp, so for me the 

upside is great. 

WE’RE PUTTING IN REAL AND 

PROPER INFRASTRUCTURE 

BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN 

LIMPOPO AND WE ARE 

READY TO PARTNER WITH 

CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES 

Describe Limpopo’s shortto 

medium-term growth 

prospects? 

Vodacom is going to continue to 

invest some R220-million into the 

network this year. We aim to cover 

all people in the province with 3G 

whilst we will also roll out LTE to 

keys areas. 

While Limpopo is not uniquely affected 

by the national economic 

pressures, we expect the investment 

projects like Lephalale to 

continue. 

Our view of the province is 

definitely not short term but we will this year seek 

out innovative ways of expanding the network by 

constructing sites that are less costly so we can do 

more. We’re putting in real and proper infrastructure 

because we believe in Limpopo and we are ready to 

partner with consumers and businesses, so that we 

make Limpopo a better place that can improve the 

lives for the people of the province. 

The next generation are going to realise that they 

can sit anywhere and manage their business and 

communicate with their clients and suppliers. They 

don’t have to go to the tender office in the future 

as these documents and the information would be 

downloaded off a website, even though they are in 

the middle of a rural district. You and I might take 

such facilities for granted from where we are sitting 

in the fancier parts of South Africa, yet in many other 

places they have still not heard of some of these 

CONTACT INFO 



Tel:+27 82 277 5000 | 082 277 5001 

Web: www.vodacom.co.za 

75 


OVERVIEW 

Tourism 

The Kruger National Park, which is partly situated in Limpopo, is a favourite destination for 

domestic and foreign tourists. 


The Marula Festival is growing 

in popularity every year. 

• Tourism contributes about 

3% to South African GDP. 

• Golf tourism is on the rise 

in Limpopo. 

• Limpopo is home to two 

World Heritage Sites, 

Mapungubwe Heritage 

Site and Makapans Valley. 

The Kruger National Park is the undisputed jewel in Limpopo’s 

tourism crown, but there are several other sectors that also offer 

major opportunities for investment and employment. 

The South African Golf Tourism Association says that up to 10% of 

visitors to the country are attracted by its golf courses, and Limpopo’s 

offering has been extended and improved in recent years. At the highend 

of the luxury offering are the Zebula Golf Estate and Spa (west of 

Bela-Bela) and the Legend Golf and Safari Resort, which has the single 

most dramatic golf hole in the world: a par three where golfers tee 

off from the top of a mountain and take aim at a green located on the 

plateau below, shaped like the African continent. 

The growth of the Marula Festival, held annually in February in 

Phalaborwa, caters more to the local market, although guests from 

Cuba, Venezuela, Mozambique and Namibia were spotted at the latest 

gathering. At least 13 000 litres of marula beer were brewed by the 13 

co-operatives that were on duty, and more than 14 000 people turned 

up for the outdoor music concerts that were a feature of the festivities. 

Limpopo Province has many varied tourism assets that include the 

bare bushveld of the north, misty mountains in the central highlands, 

hot springs, a unique cycad forest, great golf courses and the northern 

Kruger National Park. There are numerous private game reserves and a 

large number of provincial game 

and nature reserves. 

In 2015 the provincial government 

committed itself to enhancing 

the value of Limpopo’s 

two World Heritage Sites, 

Mapungubwe Heritage Site and 

Makapans Valley. This is also a priority 

programme in the National 

Tourism Sector Strategy. 

Adventurous visitors can 

choose from off-road biking, hunting, 

elephant rides and tough 4x4 

trails. A vast array of different cultures 

extend from the Rain Queen 

and her people in the central districts, 

to the myth-inspired art 

of the Venda in the north, to the 

bright geometric house designs 

of the Ndebele people in the 

Sekhukhune district. 

Although most of the province’s 

resorts and lodges remain 

in private hands, the province 

has three national parks, and 

the provincial government runs 


76

OVERVIEW 

54 nature reserves of different 

types. The combined land area of 

Limpopo’s national, provincial and 

private game and nature reserves 

is 3.6-million hectares. 

According to the Limpopo 

Premier’s office, the tourism 

sector employs in the region of 

22 414 people. The Limpopo 

Tourism Agency is pursuing a 

multi-national tourism strategy, 

with the Limpopo-Zambezi 

brand initiative one example of 

new approaches to marketing the 

province. 

Hotels and casinos 

Tsogo Sun runs the Garden Court 

Polokwane, which has 180 rooms 

ranging from executive suites to 

family rooms. 

The Protea Hotel group has 

three hotels in the province. In 

the capital city of Polokwane, the 

Protea Hotel Landmark has 80 

rooms and six conference venues, 

while just outside the city is the 

Protea Hotel Ranch Resort, where 

guests can walk with lions. The 

hotel is on a 1 000-hectare nature 

conservancy and specialises in catering 

for weddings. In Mokopane, 

the Protea Hotel The Park has 125 

rooms and can cater for up to 400 

conference delegates. The threestar 

hotel recently added 25 selfcatering 

units. 

The Rezidor Hotel Group will 

open a Park Inn by Radisson in 

Polokwane in 2016. This is the 

group’s third hotel in South Africa, 

with the others located in Cape 

Town and Johannesburg. 

The new hotel will be very 

close to the Peter Mokaba sports 

complex and near the local golf course. The Rezidor Hotel Group intends 

opening hotels in each of South Africa’s nine provincial capitals and the 

biggest economic centres. 

The Fusion Boutique Hotel in the provincial capital offers five-star 

quality in 30 en-suite rooms and two exclusive suites. Sun International 

runs the Meropa Casino and Entertainment World near Polokwane. In 

the province’s northern regions at Thohoyandou, there is the Khoroni 

Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort. This is a Peermont venture and 

there is a three-star Peermont Metcourt Hotel in the complex. 

Three new casino licences have recently been awarded in Limpopo. 

One of the recipients was Peermont Global Resorts for the official launch 

and operation of the Thaba Moshate Casino, Hotel and Conference 

Centre in the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality. During construction 

751 people were employed and a further 180 permanent jobs are 

expected when the casino is fully operational. 

There are now 237 limited pay-out gambling machines in the province, 

and licences of one sort or another generated R50-million for the 

provincial government in 2015. 

Nature 

The National Department of Tourism is facilitating the upgrade of a 

lodge in the Vhembe District. Wisani Lodge is about 20 minutes drive 

from the Punda Maria gate of the Kruger National Park and is in an 

area particularly rich in birdlife. This community-owned project is in 

need of a private investor with about R10-million to invest in upgrading 

the lodge’s six chalets and adding another 14. A master plan and 

environmental impact assessment report already exists. 

A number of resorts in a variety of climatic regions fall under the 

control of the provincial body branded as Limpopo Wildlife Resorts. 


OVERVIEW 

Fourteen of the province’s resorts have been targeted for refurbishment, 

creating 320 temporary and 120 permanent jobs. Annual revenue 

of R10-million is expected to be gained from these revamped resorts, 

which include these facilities in the Waterberg: 

• Nylsvley Birding Lodge, a registered RAMSAR wetland area 

• D’nyala Game Lodge 

• Mokolo Dam 

• Nwanedi Resort (Vhembe Region) 

• Modjadji Nature Resort (Mopani Region) 

• Blouberg Nature Reserve (Capricorn Region) 

• Tambotie River Lodge (Sekhukhune Region) 

Private game reserves, resorts and lodges 

The area adjacent to the Kruger National Park is particularly rich in 

private game reserves, some of which are regarded as among the 

finest luxury tourist offerings in the world. The Sabi Sands Game 

Reserve has several accommodation options within its 65 000 hectares, 

ranging from the luxurious to the ultra-luxurious. Like the Manyaleti 

Game Reserve to its north, Sabi Sands effectively forms the western 

boundary of the Kruger Park, with animals free to roam in and out of 

the private reserves. 

Legend Lodges, Hotels and Resorts has three properties in Limpopo. 

Both Entabeni Safari Lodges and the Legend Golf & Safari Resort are 

located within the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Waterberg district. 

The exclusive Jackalberry Lodge (16 guests at a time) lies to the 

east within the Thornybush Game Reserve which is a reserve of 10 500 

hectares of pristine bush just outside the Kruger National Park. 

Forever Resorts encompass the warm water springs of the southern 

Waterberg (Warmbaths at Bela-Bela), the exotic baobab trees of the 

north (Tshipise Resort), the adventurous offerings of the Blyde River 

Canyon (Swadini Resort) and the true bushveld experience on the edge 

of the Kruger National Park (Phalaborwa Safari Park at Phalaborwa Gate). 

All but the latter of these resorts have conference facilities ranging from 

130 to 700 delegates. 

Tourism routes and clusters 

The Bush to Beach Tourism Route covers sites and sights between 

Phalaborwa and the east coast of Mozambique, an example of 

Limpopo’s successful partnership with a neighbouring country. A 

grant of more than R600 000 from the Limpopo Local Economic 

Development programme aims to link the poorer rural communities 

along the route with the more mainstream economic nodes. Open 

Africa is the lead agent in developing community tourism. 

From game reserves in Limpopo 

(including the Kruger National 

Park) to the beaches of Xai-Xai in 

Mozambique, the route has been 

supported by private operators 

and investors and therefore is 

able to offer excellent products 

and services to complement the 

natural scenery. 

The Bush to Beach 

Tourism Route is one of several 

such routes in the province, 

including: 

• Kruger to Canyon, linking 

Phalaborwa to the Blyde 

River Canyon through the 

Kruger National Park 

• Seraki Blouberg, in the 

Blouberg mountain range, including 

two nature reserves 

and encompassing the land 

of the 160 000 people living 

in 117 traditional settlements 

• Land of Legends, in the land 

of the VhaVenda (northern 

Limpopo). Thohoyandou is 

the hub for exploring the area 

around the Soutpansberg 

mountain range that contains 

more than 500 species 

of trees. Features include the 

sacred sites of Lake Fundudzi, 

the Thathe Vondo Forest 

and the Phiphidi Waterfall. A 

3 000-year-old baobab, 43 

metres around, is found near 

Sagole Spa. 

Other tourism routes in the 

province include: the African 

Ivory Route, the Golf Route, 

the Limpopo Valley Route, 

the Mapungubwe Route, the 

Ribolla Open Africa Route, the 

Soutpansberg-Limpopo Birding 

Route, the Valley of the Olifant 

Route and the Waterberg 

Biosphere Experience. 


78

OVERVIEW 

Outdoor pursuits 

National parks: The Kruger 

National Park covers nearly 

20 000 square kilometres and attracts 

more than a million visitors 

annually. It has six ecosystems, 

1 982 species of plants, 517 species 

of birds and 147 species of 

mammals – including each of the 

“Big Five”: lion, leopard, African 

elephant, African buffalo and 

rhinoceros. 

The Marakele National Park 

is situated on the Waterberg escarpment 

in the south-west of 

the province, relatively near to 

Gauteng. The Sterkstroom River 

runs through it and it is home to 

elephant, rhino and rare vultures. 

Adventure tourism: The 

mountains of the Waterberg, the 

Soutpansberg and the northern 

reaches of the Drakensberg offer 

opportunities for abseiling, caving, 

kloofing and rock-climbing. 

White-water rafting and tubing 

are other popular activities, especially 

in the Limpopo Valley and 

in the Olifants and Blyde canyons 

in the east of the province. 

Mountain biking is a favourite 

pastime in the Magoebaskloof 

area, while quad-biking can 

be found in several parts of 

the province. 

Hunting: The centre of hunting is the north-western town of Lephalale, 

with other northern towns like Alldays, Vivo, Musina and Dendron near 

to private game farms on which hunting is undertaken. This lucrative 

activity is strictly controlled by the Professional Hunters’ Association 

(PHA), with certain restrictions in place to protect the long-term future 

of the environment. The PHA estimated the value of the industry in 2010 

at R7.6-billion. A Thabazimbi game auction in 2012 achieved a turnover 

of R69.8-million, but the individual price achieved in 2009 for a single 

buffalo bull (R3.4-million) is an indication of the potential of this market. 

Birding: The Blouberg Nature Reserve is an excellent site for Cape 

Vultures, containing one of the largest breeding colonies. Four birding 

routes criss-cross the province, illustrating the diversity of birds 

found in the province’s varied terrain. More than 600 bird species have 

been recorded. 

ANNUAL EVENTS 

Limpopo Marula Festival, Phalaborwa (February) 

Polokwane Show and Music Festival (March) 

Kiwifruit Festival, Magoebaskloof (April) 

Zion Christian Church gathering, Moria (Easter) 

Thabazimbi Tourism & Game Expo. Potato Festival, Vivo (May) 

Ellisras Bushveld Festival. Polokwane Arts Festival (June) 

Musina Show (July) 

Oppikoppi, music festival, Northam. Trout Festival, Haenertsburg 

(August) 

Magoebaskloof Spring Festival (September) 

Biltong Festival, Mokopane (October) 

Mapungubwe Arts and Cultural Festival, Polokwane (December) 




Limpopo Tourism and Parks: www.golimpopo.com 

Limpopo Wildlife Resorts: www.lwr.co.za 

Open Africa. www.openafrica.org 

Polokwane Show: www.polokwaneshow.co.za 

South African Golf Tourism Association: www.sagta.co.za 

South African National Parks: www.sanparks.co.za 

South African Tourism: www.southafrica.net 

Tourism Enterprise Partnership: 

www.sahiddentreasures.co.za 

Tourism Grading Council of South Africa: 

www.tourismgrading.co.za 


OVERVIEW 

Banking and financial services 

Limpopo is a rural province and so the challenge of getting formal banking services to the 

population are greater than in most other provinces. 


Farmers can get access to finance 

through NTK and Afgri. 

• Capitec has massively 

expanded its Limpopo 

branch network. 

• Most of South Africa’s 

banks have linked up with 

cellphone companies. 

The “Big Four” banks–Nedbank, Standard Bank, Absa and FNB 

are active in Limpopo province. 

Relative newcomer in the retail banking sector, Capitec, seems 

to be working harder than most on building infrastructure in 

Limpopo. In 2012 the bank had 40 branches in the province; as of March 

2016 there were 59 branches/ATMS. This included the small town of 

Swartklip (population 3 517, according to Wikipedia), although there 

is a mine in the area. Capitec is clearly not convinced that cellphones 

are the only way to increase its client base. 

In the same month Capitec came out top of the world in a new 

global banking survey (Bank Quality Ratings) compiled by international 

banking advisory group Lafferty. In 2015 the bank had 6.7-million 

clients, up from 3.7-million just three years earlier, and it has 11 000 

employees. 

The two most active agricultural companies in Limpopo are both 

registered to participate in the financial sector. NTK, a subsidiary of the 

Free State-based VKB, has access to lending for farmers and insurance 

products. Afgri offers the same services under the brand Unigro, and it 

has another service called Gro Capital Financial Services, which offers 

more sophisticated products such as trade finance, foreign exchange 

and currency and interest rate hedging. 

Limpopo has its own bank, 

VBS Mutual Bank, which grew 

out of the Venda Building Society 

and operates mainly in the northern 

parts of the province. The 

Public Investment Corporation 

holds 34% equity. The head office 

is in Makhado and the credit 

department operates out of 

Thohoyandou. 

Reaching the unbanked 

Finscope’s 2014 survey of South 

African banking and financial 

surveys shows that between 

2004 and 2014 a remarkable 

eight-million people were connected 

to the financial system 

in some way. Overall, the 

“financially included” reached 

31.4-million (up from 17.7-million 

in 2004). In a category called 

“formally served” which includes 

services other than formal banks 


80

OVERVIEW 

with branch networks, the percentage 

of South Africans so 

served grew from 50% to 80%. 

In the “banked” category (more 

traditional but including new devices), 

the percentage grew from 

46% to 75%. 

With cellphone access in that 

time having grown from 42% to 

90%, one would expect that to 

have been the main reason for 

this growth, but that is not the 

case. James Francis, writing for 

Brainstorm, points out that of 

the nine-million South Africans 

who use mobile money, only 3% 

fall in the LSM 1-4 category (ie, 

poorer members of the population). 

He writes that “mobile 

money in South Africa has been 

catastrophic”. However, the South 

African banking sector’s excellent 

infrastructure (plus the efforts of 

the Big Four and Capitec to reach 

out to new markets) has made up 

for this failure. 

Banks and cellphone companies 

continue to believe that 

they need one another. Vodacom 

and Bidvest are working on the 

mobile money M-Pesa scheme, 

Standard Bank and MTN collaborate 

on mobile banking and 

there have been recent moves 

linking Old Mutual and Telkom, 

and Sanlam and African Bank. 

(The “good” African Bank that is, 

with the bank having been split 

up into two entities after taking 

on too much unsecured debt). 

Sifiso Skenjana has noted in the 

Sunday Times that African Bank 

still has 400 branches and 150 000 

people per month going through 

these branches, so this represents 

a huge potential market for a 

financial services company. 

Telkom is apparently hoping that its link-up with Old Mutual will prove 

attractive to customers wanting funeral insurance. 

Skenjana also points out that South Africa has a ‘stokvel’ (savings club) 

market valued at R44-billion, and Sanlam recently launched new products 

aimed at tapping into that market. 

Among other recent innovations designed to reach the unbanked 

were Teba Bank’s initiative that allows customers to deposit money at 

supermarkets, Pick n Pay Go Banking (a division of Nedbank), the fact that 

70% of Absa’s new ATMs (400 in one year) were visited in poorer areas and 

the launch of two mobile banks, FNB also created mobile branches and 

most of Standard Bank’s new sites were planned for townships (Finscope). 

Absa’s partnership with Thumbzup allows shops to accept card payments 

with smartphones and tablets. Introduced in 2012, the device 

turns phones into terminals. In the same year, Absa took over Edcon’s 

card portfolio, massively increasing the bank’s reach (Edcon brands 

include Edgars, CNA and Jet). 

Absa’s Entry Level and Inclusive Banking (Elib) branches have proved 

popular, accounting for an increasingly high percentage of the bank’s 

loans, despite still representing quite a small number of actual branches. 

Nedbank has Approve-it, which allows customers to accept or 

reject an Internet transaction by cellphone. 

FNB has a wide range of cellphone-banking options and a Facebook 

application whereby cellphone vouchers can be posted on the socialnetworking 

site. The eWallet application converts the voucher into 

cash or airtime. 

Standard Bank’s community-banking initiative offers a low-cost 

cellphone-banking service. Retailers can act as agents for the bank, 

even in remote rural areas. Shops such as Shoprite, Pep and Spar are 

connected, as are certain spazas. 

Ubank is owned by a trust that is managed by the Chamber of 

Mines and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). It has about 100 

branches and an important presence in Limpopo because of its strong 

focus on the mining sector. Ubank has about half-a-million clients. 


Banking Association South Africa: www.banking.org.za 

Financial Services Board: www.fsb.co.za 

Institute of Bankers in South Africa: www.iob.co.za 

National Credit Regulator: www.ncr.org.za 

Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa: www.agsa.co.za 

Ombudsman for Banking Services: www.obssa.co.za 

Public Investment Corporation: www.pic.gov.za 


OVERVIEW 

Development finance and 

SMME support 

Mining supply chains can boost SMMEs in Limpopo. 


Seda’s jewellery and biogas 

incubators are supporting 

entrepreneurship. 

• The South African Bureau 

of Standards (SABS) is 

helping small business 

develop good products. 

• Anglo American’s Zimele 

initiative has six funds to 

support SMMEs. 

There are a number of bodies that support small, medium 

and micro enterprises in Limpopo, and development-finance 

institutions are making it easier for new businesses to start up. 

The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) is a 

subsidiary of the National Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and 

is one of the most active agencies in supporting entrepreneurs. Seda is 

not a financial agency, focussing rather on training and administrative 

support, although the agency will help small-medium and microenterprises 

(SMME) in getting in touch with financial bodies. 

The Seda Limpopo Jewellery Incubator (SLJI) develops entrepreneurship 

among jewellers in Limpopo. In the south-east of the province 

the Biofuels Incubator promotes skills in that important sector. 

In 2014/15, Seda trained 696 business people in skills they need and 

the support for the national incubator programme created 1 963 jobs. 

Seda has initiated a national programme designed to make cooperatives 

and jointly owned enterprises stronger. As part of the 

Cooperatives and Community Public Private Partnership (CPPP) 

programme, Seda is supporting a project in Tarentaal. 

A new initiative on the part of the Limpopo Department of 

Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) trains 

women in working with and developing products for the textile and 

clothing sector. The aim is to see the establishment of home-based 

enterprises in rural areas and townships, as well as co-operatives. 

The construction by the provincial government of market stalls 

is aimed at supporting small-scale farmers and traders. Market stalls 

have been erected in Mopani 

District and will be put up in Elias 

Motsoaledi Local Municipality 

in the Sekhukhune District and 

Molemole Local Municipality in 

the Capricorn District. 

In 2016 the national 

Department of Small Business 

Development will jointly host a 

Limpopo Province SMME summit, 

which will also deal with issues relating 

to co-operatives. One of the 

best ways of supporting SMMEs 

in Limpopo is through the supply 

chain for the province’s mines. 

The provincial Premier has challenged 

mines to achieve a 20% 

SMME procurement target. 

A private initiative that has 

used the supply chain to extraordinarily 

good effect in creating 

employment is Anglo American’s 

Zimele. It has launched more 

than 1 800 businesses with a 


82

OVERVIEW 

combined annual turnover approaching 

R6-billion and employment 

numbers rising to 38 000. 

Zimele has established 29 small 

business hubs in areas such as 

Mokopane and Burgersfort. 

Quality issues in the SMME 

sector in Limpopo are being 

addressed through the support 

of the South African Bureau of 

Standards (SABS), which has undertaken 

to help SMMEs ensure 

that their products are up to 

scratch. Similarly, Productivity SA 

is involved in Limpopo: in 2014 

Ximambane Brickmaking Cooperative 

won the Productivity 

SA provincial award. 

The city of Polokwane was 

South Africa’s fastest-growing 

urban area between 2005 and 

2010, with a growth rate that 

was higher than 5%. The South 

African Cities Network study 

that came to this conclusion also 

noted that further research was 

needed to establish the reasons, 

but a growing economy is a good 

incubator for entrepreneurship. 

The services sector inevitably 

grows as cities grow. 

According to research done 

by Absa, SMMEs were supporting 

60% of the country’s employable 

population in 2011, against a 

figure of just 18% in 1998. 

Finance 

The LEDET approved about R20- 

million in 2014 in financing youth 

businesses in the province. In 

presenting his 2015/16 budget, 

The Limpopo MEC for Economic 

Development, Environment 

and Tourism, Seapora Sekoati, 

pledged R30-million to support co-operatives and an additional 

R80-million for SMME debt and equity financing and R10-million for 

non-financial support. This programme is a joint venture with various 

national state-owned enterprises, which all have a presence in 

Limpopo: the Small Enterprise Development Agency (an allocation 

of R10.3-million for non-financial support to SMMEs and cooperatives); 

Small Enterprise Finance Agency (R45-million for SMME financial 

support); and the Industrial Development Corporation, (which normally 

spends about R400-million in Limpopo). The IDC’s annual overall 

budget for financing is R20-billion. 

The IDC often takes shareholdings in companies to provide the 

capital required for these companies to scale up production or to offer 

new products. Some 48% of the 45 900 jobs created or saved by IDC 

initiatives are created in rural areas. 

Limpopo projects attracting the funding support of the IDC include 

an Nguni-cattle breeding scheme, a new hospital in Lebowakgomo, 

the development of a ferrochrome smelter and a facility for making 

coking coal briquettes. 

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is another major 

funder of public projects. It announced in 2012 that it planned to invest 

heavily in public health (R20-billion), water, sanitation and energy 

(R40-billion) and transport infrastructure (between R30-billion and 

R50-billion). 

All of the major banks have SMME offerings. Absa Bank’s SME Fund is 

driven by its Small Business Division, Standard Bank runs a Community 

Investment Fund and Nedbank offers an enterprise development 

product for businesses with turnovers of up to R35-million. The commercial 

division of FNB has sections that deal with Start-up Funding 

and BEE Funding. 

Business Partners disbursed R966.2-million in SME funding in the 

2015/16 financial year. 


Business Partners: www.businesspartners.co.za 

Development Bank of Southern Africa: www.dbsa.org 

Industrial Development Corporation: www.idc.co.za 

Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa: 

www.landbank.co.za 



National Empowerment Fund: www.nefcorp.co.za 

Small Enterprise Development Agency: www.seda.org.za 

Small Enterprise Finance Agency: www.sefa.co.za 

Zimele: www.anglozimele.co.za 


INTERVIEW 

Seda Limpopo 

Koenie Slabbert is the Provincial Manager for Seda 

Limpopo, which provides business development 

and support services for small enterprises. 

Koenie Slabbert 

BIOGRAPHY 

Koenie Slabbert is the Provincial 

Manager of Seda Limpopo, 

having previously been 

the Chief Operations Officer 

of Seda’s Enterprise Development 

Division. His previous 

work experience includes being 

responsible for implementing 

the South African government’s 

national manufacturing 

programme in Limpopo, as well 

as being the General Manager 

and an Industrial Advisor for 

Limac, assisting and developing 

small and medium enterprises 

in the manufacturing sector in 

Limpopo province. 

What is Seda Limpopo’s competitive advantage for your 

target market? 

The scope of our work is non-financial support in all sectors through 

the entire business life-cycle (360-degree). Our competitive advantage 

is our ability to comprehensively diagnose businesses and ideas in 

order to provide holistic guidance towards sustainability and growth 

interventions in all stages of business, from informal, survivalist, micro, 

small to medium businesses. Secondly, to bring expertise through 

seasoned professionals to enterprises which, under normal circumstances, 

would not have afforded or realised the value thereof. Seda 

provides business development services to small and medium enterprises 

throughout the province, with a network of branch offices in 

all five districts of the province, in partnership with other role-players. 

We also implement programmes targeted at business development 

in areas prioritised by government. 

In what ways does Seda Limpopo help clients with their 

specific business needs and objectives? 

To assist our clients, we have created a number of key programmes 

that are tailored to guiding smaller businesses through their individual 

problem areas as well as giving them support for growth and 

advancement. 

For instance, our Franchise Support Programme promotes franchising 

businesses to new and current entrepreneurs, offering them advice 

about potential franchisee and franchisor opportunities, while our 

Export Development Programme plays a key role in helping to develop 

export-ready small enterprises that are globally competetive and are 

thus able to grow local as well as international markets. 

We have a Trade Fair Programme that forms part of a wider network, 

and this is aimed at helping local small and medium enterprises to 

participate in global trade. 

Our Seda Technology Programme seeks to stimulate economic 

growth and development through facilitating technology transfer, in 

addition to increasing the access to and use of technologies, as well 

as offering technical support to small enterprises. 


84

INTERVIEW 

The Co-operatives and Community Public Private 

Partnerships (Co-ops and CPPP) Programme promotes 

the establishment and growth of viable, 

sustainable co-operatives and collectively owned 

enterprises, while the Women Owned Enterprise 

Development Programme plays a role in developing 

women-owned enterprises through a number 

of capacity-building programmes. 

The EMPRETEC Programme promotes the use 

of entrepreneurial competences, while the BESD 

Programme’s approach utilises one-on-one coaching 

as an innovative methodology to facilitate 

and reinforce business skills transfer and developmental 

support to emerging entrepreneurs. The 

latter programme is conducted by formerly unemployed 

individuals and especially trained so-called 

Entrepreneurial Development Practitioners (EDPs). 

What individuals or organisations should 

contact Seda Limpopo for assistance? 

Seda is able to assist anyone with innovative ideas 

who wants to start a business in any sector. In particular 

we give preference to value-adding ventures 

(manufacturing and processing), as well as wholesalers 

and retailers who have the necessary market 

access that can enable them to take locally produced 

content nationally and/or internationally. Agriculture 

and agro-processing are two other sectors on which 

we place a high priority. 

What challenges do businesses in the 

province of Limpopo face? 

The main challenge we have noticed is in terms of 

access to markets, as this is made more difficult as 

a result of competitveness that arises due to the 

distance we are located away from major markets 

as well as suppliers. Raw material (input) and distribution 

costs greatly increase in comparison with 

businesses in the metros (closer to sources/markets). 

Skills/knowledge management, especially in the 

agricultural sector: an example of this is land reform 

initiatives that have not gone to plan as well as skills 

transfers that just did not happen at the scale and/ 

or pace originally envisaged. 

Access to funding is a challenge as the requirements 

to qualify for funding are very tight, whether 

this be from DFIs or private banking. 

What are the major opportunities in the 

province for SMMEs? 

• Exporting of primary produce 

• Value-adding through agro-processing initiatives 


INTERVIEW 

Any advice or insight for co-operatives 

operating (or looking to operate) in 

Limpopo? 

• That they should be run as a business and not 

as an NPO 

• Keep your operation lean as large groups have 

too many dynamics to manage which can result 

in a lot of conflict 

• When forming/establishing a co-operative, look 

to include value-adding members 

• Secondary co-op formations can assist with highlevel, 

focused negotiations with the market and 

suppliers, strengthening production capabilities 

through resource and experience sharing (bulk 

buying of inputs, etc) 

The Co-operatives and CPPP Programme supports 

non-traditional organisational forms of business 

and focuses on creating opportunities in rural 

areas. Seda’s Co-operatives and Community Public 

Private Partnership Programme (Co-ops and CPPP) 

was formed at the end of 2008 and combines the 

previous Sector Development and Co-operatives 

Programme and the revived CPPP Programme 

The programme supports non-traditional enterprise 

organisational forms with a special focus on 

rural areas and uses of local resources. By creating 

the programme, Seda’s ability to satisfy the needs 

of rural clients is enhanced. The programme focuses 

on the following sectors: 

• Agri-business 

• Cultural tourism 

• Mining and mineral beneficiation 

• Trading and auxiliary services 

The vision was to provide leadership in the establishment 

in addition to growth of viable, sustainable 

co-operatives and collectively owned enterprises 

in various sectors, and to facilitate their successful 

participation in the economy. 

Purpose 

• Promote the establishment of co-operatives and 

collectively owned enterprises, in partnership 

with other stakeholders 

• Establish linkages with other government initiatives 

that support co-operatives and collectively 

owned enterprises 

• Increase access by co-operatives and collectively 

owned enterprises to information, business skills 

and markets 

• Foster a culture of cooperation among co-operative 

beneficiaries 

Offerings 

• Development of a viable business plan 

• Development of marketing and feasibility studies 

• Due diligence 

• Capacity building 

• Facilitation of access to markets 

• Facilitation of access to finance 

• Promoting value additions 

• Ensure compliance to statutory requirements 

• Conduct market research 

How has Seda Limpopo made it easier for 

SMMEs to utilise your services? 

SMMEs have ready access to our services through 

our BESD Programme as well as our many satellite 

offices. We have also taken the innovative step 

of deciding that all of our Business Advisors (BAs) 

are certified on the Growth Wheel International, as 

this will ensure that Business Advisors will not just 

be comparing themselves with Business Advisors 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016 

86

Seda contacts 

Provincial Office 

Koenie Slabbert - Provincial Manager 

Tel: +27 15 287 2940 

Fax: +27 15 297 4022 

Email: kslabbert@seda.org.za 

2nd Floor Suite 6, Maneo Building, 73 Biccard Street, Polokwane 0700 

Postnet Suite 32 Private Bag X 9307 Polokwane 0700 

Seda Vhembe Branch 

Mr Marcus Mukumela - Branch Manager 

Tel: +27 15 960 8700 

Fax: 086 634 8964 

Email: mmukumela@seda.org.za 

Old Mutual Building, Old Group Scheme Offices, Mphephu Road, Thohoyandou 7950 

Seda Capricorn Branch 

Mr Peter Maredi - Branch Manager 

Tel: +27 15 290 8720 

Fax: +27 15 290 8736 

Email: pmaredi@seda.org.za 

1st Floor Pharmarama Building, 68 Hans van Rensburg Street, Polokwane 0699 

Seda Waterberg Branch 

Mr Steve Botha - Branch Manager 

Tel: +27 15 492 9600 

Fax: +27 15 491 7361 

Email: sbotha@seda.org.za 

Old Nedbank Building, 40 Retief Street, Mokopane 

Seda Mopani Branch 

Martin Rafferty - Acting Branch Manager 

Tel: +27 15 306 6400 

Fax: +27 15 307 2233 

Email: mrafferty@seda.org.za 

27 Peace Street, 1st Floor, Prosperitas Building, Tzaneen 0850 

Seda Sekhukhune Branch 

Mr Sabelo Ntshangase - Branch Manager 

Tel: +27 13 262 9430 

Email: sntshangase@seda.org.za 

Bareki Mall, Shop No. 20B, Cnr Chris Wild and Van Riebeek Street, Groblersdal 0407 

For more information contact us at: 015 287 2940 or visit our website: www.seda.org.za 

TOGETHER ADVANCING SMALL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

INTERVIEW 

internationally but they will also be able to interact 

and link with the best Business Advisors in the 

world, who are certified users of the tool. One of the 

most important aspects of the Growth Wheel is the 

360-degree screening, as this helps our Advisors to 

quickly create an overview of all the challenges that 

might be relevant to the entrepreneur in question. 

The Advisor and the entrepreneur will be able to 

draw up a visual profile of how the business is doing, 

and this will assist them in identifying future growth 

opportunities and obstacles. 

The framework will be able to assist the parties to 

ascertain where they are in terms of their business 

development and provide a roadmap for where they 

could be going. The Advisor and the entrepreneur 

will be able to create a common language and offer 

ideas for new directions. This process will inspire 

entrepreneurs to set their agenda in terms of which 

decisions to make. 

The worksheets will help them to make decisions 

faster because they contain graphic checklists 

to quickly understand alternative options so they 

can get ideas for new ones. The 30 – 60 – 90 day 

plan is the tool that is ideal for entrepreneurs to 

keep track of their decisions and actions. It will 

also help the BA to keep track of actions that the 

entrepreneur had to undertake. The entrepreneur 

will then be able to focus on getting things done 

and who should do it. 

Can you share some examples of successful 

SMMEs that Seda Limpopo has 

helped over the past few years? 

The greatest impact we have had has been in terms 

of increased turnover and net profit. We don’t aim 

to make an impression in terms of employment opportunities, 

as most businesses always target minimum 

labour in order to reduce production costs and 

increase efficiency. 

Companies we have had particular success 

with include PCS (Polokwane Chemical Supplies), 

Goodlife, Rosika Trading, Tshedza Concrete Art, 

Sasekisani Co-operative, Mofamadi Bed and 

Breakfast, TKY Trading, Mogalaletsi Trading, Twins 

Trailers, Limpopo Ceramics, Pavecon, Bellstein 

Trading and Are Hudisaneng Agricultural Primary 

Co-operative. 

What message would you like to send to 

more established businesses and investors 

in terms of how they can help to support 

SMMEs and what the long-term benefits 

of offering such support are for the 

regional and national economy? 

It is very important to assist SMMEs where possible 

by providing access to markets. I would also 

recommend that it can be wise to invest in SMMEs 

as innovation usually forms the basis of their business. 

It is also a good idea to partner with Seda for 

development of our current BEE suppliers. 

Seda, in collaboration with the Department of 

Small Business Development (DSBD), has embarked 

on the Gazelles Programme, which seeks to change 

the landscape in the SMME sector of South Africa. 

Gazelles are found in all sectors of the economy 

and a common characteristic is that they are usually 

fast-growing entities. This growth occurs at a 

specific phase in a businesses development, after 

which they revert to the industry norm in terms 

of their continued growth, although this does 

not preclude the possibility of future fast growth. 

While these fast-growing companies are known as 

Gazelles, researchers also identified the “elephants” 

which are the big and ponderous companies that 

do not necessarily employ much (if any) staff. Lastly, 

researchers also speak of “mice”, which are the small 

and micro companies that will either not grow or 

whose owner-managers are not necessarily growth 

driven. For the purpose of this programme, South 

African “Gazelles” will be formal entities that grow 

exponentially and have an annual turnover of at least 

R1-million and are subject to definitions in terms 

of the Small Business Act of 1995 as amended. 

CONTACT INFO 

Physical address: Suite Number 6, 

2nd Floor, Maneo Building, 73 Biccard Street, 


Tel: +27 15 287 2940 

Fax: +27 15 297 4022 

Website: www.seda.org.za 

LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016 

88

Global Africa Network 

Promoting business, trade and investment in SA’s nine provinces 

www.gan.co.za 

www.southafricanbusiness.co.za 

www.easterncapebusiness.co.za 

www.freestatebusiness.co.za 

www.gautengcompanies.co.za 

www.kwazulunatalbusiness.co.za 

www.limpopobusiness.co.za 

www.mpumalangabusiness.co.za 

www.northerncapebusiness.co.za 

www.northwestbusiness.co.za 

www.westerncapebusiness.co.za 

Tel 021 657 6200 

Email sales@gan.co.za 

Web www.gan.co.za

PROFILE 

Polokwane Chamber 

of Business 

The Chamber seeks to support and develop local businesses 

and encourage investment in the city. 

Vision 

To be the home that advocates 

the voice of business. 

Mission 

• To create value for members. 

• To unlock business opportunities 

for members. 

• To facilitate a platform for best 

business practice. 

• To promote sound governance 

principles by maintaining high 

business ethics. 

• To encourage socially responsible 

corporate citizens in business. 

• To provide a platform for dialogue and partnership 

within business and public sector. 

Policy 

The policy of the chamber is to, without reference 

to colour of skin, race, gender, culture or religious 

conviction: 

• Attend to the interests of its members as an 

a-political, non-racial organisation 

• Effect, maintain and promote an optimum free 

market system in a predominantly capitalist 

system 

• Promote and protect free enterprise and protect 

the interests of its members as business persons 

and to act as a representative for its members 

Strategy 

The overall strategy for 2016 is to: 

Polokwane Chamber of Business 2016 Exco. 

• Reposition the Chamber as a respected contributor 

to the Limpopo economy through active 

engagement of key stakeholders for the promotion 

of Chamber interests and benefits for its 

members. 

• Enhance value-add to its members through 

effective networking opportunities. 

• Engage on pertinent business issues within the 

province. 

• Enhance closer working relations between the 

Chamber and its members and stakeholders. 

CONTACT INFO 

Physical address: No 47, 19th Industria 

Street, Polokwane 

Tel: +27 15 297 8057 

Fax: 086 513 2644 / 015 297 8058 

Email: admin@pcob.co.za 

Website: www.pcob.co.za 


90

Education and training 

South Africa’s newest medical school opened in Limpopo in 2016. 

OVERVIEW 


A new tool, dye and mouldmakers 

programme has been 

launched. 

• Limpopo’s mining companies 

run training 

programmes. 

• Students can study 

Nature Management at 

Lephalale TVET College. 

A 

total of 60 students proudly enrolled at the School of Medicine 

at Turfloop in January 2016. This forms part of the reconstituted 

Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Limpopo. 

The decision to have this medical school (the country’s ninth, 

and the first to be opened in the democratic era), reverses the merger 

of the Turfloop and Medunsa campuses of a decade ago. 

The curriculum for the undergraduate programme has been approved 

by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and 

the Council for Higher Education accrediting committee. Post-graduate 

medical students will continue to study in Polokwane. The national 

Department of Health has invested R10-million in bursaries to assist the 

first intake of students and enrolment is expected to rise to 80 in 2016. 

The Nedbank Chair of Accounting was an important part of the 

University of Limpopo’s strategy to get national accreditation for its 

accounting classes, which has been achieved. Other major contributions 

came from: 

• FASSET, the financial sector SETA (R10-million in bursaries) 

• Absa Bank, R3-million in staff salary subventions 

• Thuthuka Project supported by the National Skills Fund, R97-million 

The University of Venda for Science and Technology (Univen) is situated 

in Thohoyandou, in the far north-eastern part of the province. Univen 

has eight schools, with Environmental Sciences, Agriculture and Rural 

Development and Forestry illustrating the practical emphasis of the 

institution. 

The School of Environmental 

Sciences is planning to establish a 

mining-engineering programme. 

The University of South Africa 

(Unisa), which mostly has correspondence 

students, has a regional 

support centre in Polokwane and 

agencies at Makhado and Giyani. 

The Turfloop Graduate 

School of Leadership is based 

in Edupark, Polokwane, and 

offers three masters degrees. 

These are the Master of Business 

Administration (MBA), the Master 

of Public Administration (MPA) 

and the Master of Development 

(MDev). There are also short-term 

management certificate courses, 

which range in duration from six 

to 12 months. 

The Development Facilitation 

and Training Institute (DevFTI) is 

housed in the Graduate School 

of Leadership. DevFTI has an outward 

focus, with training provided 

for NGOs and government departments 

in various parts of Africa. 


OVERVIEW 

Training 

National and provincial government 

are investing heavily in 

training. The Limpopo Provincial 

Government has a national 

pilot project in training for Tool, 

Dye and Mould-Making. In 2015 

Limpopo’s first 20 trainees qualified. 

There is a plan to establish a 

Manufacturing Support Centre to 

make sure that the right skills are 

being taught to support industry. 

Involved parties will be the 

Limpopo Tooling Initiative Advisory 

Board, the Technology Information 

Agency and universities. 

During 2014/15 the provincial 

government made R12-million 

available for internships, bursaries 

and learnerships. The allocation 

for 2015/16 was 50 bursaries and 

a commitment to employ 98 interns 

with a view to helping them 

train for the job market. A specialist 

programme to develop skills in 

the green economy has 31 young 

people supported by the provincial 

government studying Energy 

Management Systems. 

There is a National Student 

Financial Aid Scheme, which is 

under pressure following a concentrated 

protest across South 

Africa against high university fees. 

Bursaries are also available under 

the National Skills Fund. 

The Medupi Power Station 

Joint Venture (MPSJV: Grinaker- 

LTA, Murray & Roberts and 

Concor) has a training facility 

where about 1 300 local people 

have been trained to qualify for 

jobs on this complex building site. 

Far in the north of the province, 

De Beers has established a 

Skills Development Centre, linked to its Venetia Mine. The centre caters 

not only to mine employees, but also for local school pupils and adults 

from the community of Alldays. 

Impala Platinum (along with its Limpopo subsidiary Marula Platinum) 

has a partnership with the National Department of Mineral Resources 

and the Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management, which focuses 

on the training of black women in the mining industry. A Master of 

Science degree in Technology and Innovation is available to candidates, 

several of whom are now in management positions at Impala Platinum. 

Anglo Platinum (Amplats) has a new Mining Training Centre (Eastern 

Limb) at its Twickenham mine, and this will also deliver training and 

assessment to staff of other operations. 

What for several years were known as Further Education and Training 

Colleges (FET) have now been re-branded as Technical and Vocational 

Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. There are seven TVET colleges 

in Limpopo: Capricorn College, Lephalale College, Mopani East College, 

Mopani South College, Sekhukhune College, Vhembe College and 

Waterberg College. 

Capricorn College has three campuses, each of which has a slightly 

different focus. The city campus in Polokwane offers business studies, 

engineering and National Curriculum Vocation (NCV) subjects. Seshego 

(outer Polokwane) has an engineering focus while Senwabarwana is 

situated in a rural area and concentrates on teaching hospitality and 

hairdressing. 

At Lephalale TVET College, students can study Business Studies, 

Hospitality, Engineering Studies, Nature Management and Computer 

Science. The college has a satellite campus at Modimolle. Murray 

& Roberts is training hundreds of artisans at the Tlhahlong training 

centre in partnership with the college and the merSETA. Siemens has 

supported this centre with significant capital investment. 

Waterberg College operates as five business training centres across 

two municipalities, namely Lepelle-Nkumbi and Mogalakwena. 


Capricorn TVET College: www.capricorncollege.co.za 

Council of Higher Education: www.che.ac.za 

Lephalale TVET College: ww.lephalalefetcollege.co.za 

Mining Qualifications Authority: www.mqa.org.za 

Sumbandila Scholarship Trust: www.sumbandila.org 

Turfloof Graduate School of Leadership: www.ul.ac.za 

University of Limpopo: www.ul.ac.za 

University of South Africa: www.unisa.ac.za 

University of Venda for Science and Technology: 

www.univen.ac.za 

Waterberg College: www.waterbergcollege.co.za 


92

FOCUS 

Skills development a 

priority of youth-focused initiatives 

The Provincial Government of Limpopo is determined to improve the prospects of young 

people in the region. 

Given the South African demographic profile, with an estimated 

36.2% of the total population between 15 and 

34 years of age, youth development is a priority issue for 

government entities nationwide. This includes the provincial 

government of Limpopo. With 2016 marking 40 years since the 

Soweto uprising, projects undertaken during this year have taken on 

a particular significance. 

The Youth Directorate in the Office of the Premier is involved with 

a number of interventions to improve the prospects for young people 

in Limpopo Province. A number of these programmes and projects 

relate to education. 

Improved opportunities for education 

and skills development 

In 2015 the Limpopo provincial government announced the re-opening 

of the Madzivhandila and Tompi Seleka agricultural colleges. These 

colleges have already begun to make an impact in skills development 

in the agricultural sector. 

A particular highlight for 2016 was the opening of the first medical 

school in the province. Sixty students were enrolled for the first 

year of training at the medical school attached to the University 

of Limpopo and these students were offered full bursaries by the 

provincial government. 

In order to encourage the development of skills of a different kind, 

the provincial government has identified a site for the location of a 

theatre, which will provide a platform for young people to showcase 

their talents and acquire performing arts skills. 

Promoting entrepreneurship 

Young people in the province are also encouraged to develop entrepreneurial 

and business skills. In June 2016, the Office of the Premier 

partnered with local commercial radio station, Capricorn FM, in hosting 

a youth seminar. The seminar highlighted opportunities for young 

people in the agri-business sector. 

During an address to young 

people participating in 2016 

Youth Day celebrations, Premier 

Mathabatha reminded those present 

of the national interventions 

designed to assist youth-owned 

businesses. He made particular 

reference to the Department of 

Small Business Development, 

which is implementing a variety 

of programmes to uplift small 

businesses, particularly those 

that are owned by young people. 

Youth-owned co-operatives 

can access financial support up 

to R350 000 through the Cooperative 

Incentive Scheme 

in the Department of Small 

Business Development. 

Access to information 

As part of Limpopo’s Youth Month 

activities, MEC Ramathuba officially 

opened the fully equipped 

Eldorado Youth Centre outside 

Senwabarwana. This centre will 

enable members of the community 

to access the Internet and 

valuable information such as 

employment opportunities and 

bursaries or details on applying 

to tertiary institutions. 


LISTING 

South African National Government 

An overview of South Africa’s national government departments. 

President 

Address: Union Buildings, Government Avenue, Arcadia, Pretoria 0001 

Postal address: Private Bag X1000, Pretoria 0001 

Tel: +27 12 300 5200 | Fax: +27 12 323 8246 

Website: www.thepresidency.gov.za 

Website: www.economic.gov.za 

Deputy President 

Address: Union Buildings, Government Avenue, East Wing, 

1st Floor, Arcadia, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 300 5200 | Fax: +27 12 323 8246 


Minister in the Presidency 

Address: Union Buildings, Government Avenue, East Wing, 

1st Floor, Arcadia, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 300 5200 | Fax: +27 12 300 5795 


Ministry in the Presidency responsible 

for Women (Minister of Women in the 

Presidency) 

Address: East Wing, Union Buildings, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 359 0011 / 0013 | Fax: +27 12 326 0473 

Website: www.women.gov.za 

Minister for Public Service & Administration 

Address: 123 Poyntons Building, West Block, cnr Schubart and Church 

streets, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 307 2934/2884 | Fax: +27 12 323 4111 

Website: www.dcs.gov.za 

Dept of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 

Address: No 20, Agriculture Place, Block DA, 1st Floor, cnr Beatrix Street 

and Soutpansberg Road, Arcadia, Pretoria 

Postal address: Private Bag X250, Pretoria 

Tel: +27 12 319 7319 | Fax: +27 12 319 6681 

Website: www.daff.gov.za 

Department of Arts and Culture 

Address: 10th Floor, Kingsley Centre, 481 corner Steve Biko & Stanza 

Bopape streets, Arcadia, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 441 3000 

Fax: +27 12 440 4485 

Website: www.dac.gov.za 

Department of Basic Education 

Address: Sol Plaatje House, 222 Struben Street, Pretoria 0001 

Postal address: Private Bag X9034, 8000 

Tel: +27 12 357 3000 

Fax: +27 12 323 5989 

Website: www.education.gov.za 

Department of Communications 

Address: Tshedimosetso House, 1035 Frances Baard (Cnr Festival 

Street), Hatfield, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 473 0000 | Fax: +27 12 462 1646 

Website: www.doc.gov.za 

Department of Cooperative Governance and 

Traditional Affairs 

Address: 87 Hamilton Street, Arcadia, Pretoria 0083 


Tel: +27 12 334 0705 | Fax: +27 12 326 4478 

Website: www.cogta.gov.za 

Department of Correctional Services 

Address: 123 Poyntons Building, West Block, 

cnr Schubart and Church streets, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 307 2934/2884 | Fax: +27 12 323 4111 

Website: www.dcs.gov.za 

Department of Economic Development 

Address: Block A, 3rd Floor, 77 the dti Campus, cnr Meintjies & 

Esselen streets, Sunnyside, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 394 1006 | Fax: +27 12 394 0255 

Website: www.economic.gov.za 


94

LISTING 

Department of Defence and Military 

Veterans 

Address: cnr Delmas Avenue & Nossob St, Erasmuskloof, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 355 6101 | F ax: +27 12 347 0118 

Website: www.dod.mil.za 

Department of Energy 

Address: 192 cnr Visagie and Paul Kruger St, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 406 8000 

Fax: +27 12 319 6681 

Website: www.energy.gov.za 

Department of Environmental Affairs 

Address: Environment House, 473 Steve Biko and Soutpansberg Road, 

Arcadia, 0083 


Tel: +27 12 310 3537 | Fax: +27 086 593 6526 

Website: www.environment.gov.za 

Department of Finance 

Address: 40 WF Nkomo Street, 

Old Reserve Bank Building, 2nd Floor, Pretoria 


Tel: +27 12 323 8911 | Fax: +27 12 323 3262 

Website: www.treasury.gov.za 


Address: 20th Floor, Civitas Building, cnr Struben and Andries Streets, 

Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 395 8086/80 | Fax: +27 12 395 9165 

Website: www.doh.gov.za 

Department of Higher Education 

and Training 

Address: 123 Francis Baard Street, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 312 5555 | Fax: +27 12 323 5618 

Website: www.dhet.gov.za 

Department of Home Affairs 

Address: 909 Arcadia Street, Hatfield 0083 


Tel: +27 12 432 6648 | Fax: +27 12 432 6675 

Website: www.dha.gov.za 

Department of Human Settlements 

Address: Govan Mbeki House, 240 Justice Mahomed, 

Sunnyside, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 421 1310 | Fax: +27 12 341 8513 

Website: www.dhs.gov.za 

Department of International Relations and 

Cooperation 

Address: OR Tambo Building, 460 Soutpansberg Road, Rietondale, 

Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 351 1000 | Fax: +27 12 329 1000 

Website: www.dirco.gov.za 

Department of Justice and Correctional 

Services 

Address: Salu Building, 316 cnr Thabo Sehume and Francis Baard 

Streets, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 406 4669 | Fax: +27 12 406 4680 

Website: www.doj.gov.za 

Department of Labour 

Address: 215 Laboria House, cnr Francis Baard and 

Paul Kruger Streets, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 392 9620 | Fax: +27 12 320 1942 

Website: www.labour.gov.za 

Department of Mineral Resources 

Address: 70 Meintje Street, Trevenna Campus, Sunnyside 0007 


Tel: +27 12 444 3000 | Fax: +27 86 624 5509 

Website: www.dmr.gov.za 

Department of Police 

Address: Wachthuis Building, 7th Floor, 231 Pretorius Street, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 393 2800 | Fax: +27 12 393 2812 

Website: www.saps.gov.za 

Department of Public Enterprises 

Address: Infotech Building, 1090 Arcadia Street, Hatfield, Pretoria 0001 

Postal address: Private Bag X15, Hatfield 0028 

Tel: +27 12 431 1000 | Fax: +27 12 431 1039 

Website: www.dpe.gov.za 


LISTING 

Department of Public Service and 

Administration 

Address: Batho Pele House, 116 Johannes Ramakhoase Street, Pretoria 


Tel: +27 12 336 1700 | Fax: +27 12 336 1809 

Website: www.dpsa.gov.za 

Department of Public Works 

Address: 7th Floor, CGO Building, cnr Bosman and Madiba Street 


Tel: +27 12 406 21978 | Fax: +27 086 276 8757 

Website: www.publicworks.gov.za 

Department of Rural Development and 

Land Reform 

Address: 184 Old Building, cnr Jeff Masemola 

and Paul Kruger Streets, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 312 9300 | Fax: +27 12 323 3306 

Website: www.ruraldevelopment.gov.za 

Department of Science and Technology 

Physical address: DST Building, Building No 53, CSIR South Gate 

Entrance, Meiring Naude Road, Brummeria, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 843 6300 

Fax: +27 12 349 1041/8 

Website: www.dst.gov.za 

Department of Small Business Development 

Physical address: The dti, Block A, 3rd Floor, 77 Meintjies Street, 



Tel: +27 12 394 1006 | Fax: +27 12 394 1006 

Website: www.dsbd.gov.za 


Physical address: HSRC Building, North Wing, 

134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 312 7479 | Fax: +27 086 715 0829 

Website: www.dsd.gov.za 

Department of State Security 

Physical address: Bogare Building, 2 Atterbury Road, Menlyn, 

Pretoria 0001 

Postal address: PO Box 1037, Menlyn 0077 

Tel: +27 12 367 0700 

Fax: +27 12 367 0749 

Website: www.ssa.gov.za 

Department of Sport and Recreation South 

Africa 

Physical address: Regent Place, 66 cnr Madiba and 

Florence Ribeiro Street, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 304 5000 | Fax: +27 12 323 7196 / 086 644 9583 

Website: www.srsa.gov.za 

Department of Tourism 

Physical address: 17 Trevena Street, Tourism House, 



Tel: +27 12 444 6780 | Fax: +27 12 444 7027 

Website: www.tourism.gov.za 

Department of Trade and Industry 

Physical address: The dti, 77 Meintjie Street, Block A, Floor 3, 



Tel: +27 12 394 1568 | Fax: +27 12 394 0337 

Website: www.thedti.gov.za 

Department of Transport 

Physical address: Forum Building, 159 Struben Street, 

Room 4111, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 309 3131 | Fax: +27 12 328 3194 

Website: www.transport.gov.za 

Telecommunications and Postal Services 

Physical address: Iparioli Office Park, 399 Jan Shoba Street, 

Hatfield, Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 427 8000 

Fax: +27 12 427 8016 

Website: www.dtps.gov.za 

Department of Water and Sanitation 

Physical address: Sedibang Building, 185 Frances Baard Street, 

Pretoria 0001 


Tel: +27 12 336 8733 | Fax: +27 12 336 8850 

Website: www.dwa.gov.za 


96


Provincial Government 

A guide to Limpopo’s provincial government departments. 

Visit: www.limpopo.gov.za 

LISTING 

Office of the Premier 

Premier: Mr Chupu Stanley Mathabatha 

Physical address: Mowaneng Building, 40 Hans van Rensburg Street, 


Postal address: Private Bag X9483, Polokwane 0700 

Tel: +27 15 287 6515 

Fax: +27 15 291 3911 

Website: www.limpopo.gov.za 

Department of Agriculture and 

Rural Development 

MEC: Ms Joyce Matshoge 

Physical address: Temo Towers, 69 Biccard Street, Polokwane 0699 


Tel: +27 15 294 3147 | Fax: +27 15 294 4506 

Website: www.lda.gov.za 

Department of Co-operative 

Governance. Human Settlements 

and Traditional Affairs 

MEC: Ms Makoma Makhurupetje 

Physical address: 20 Rabie Street, 

Hensa Building, Polokwane 


Tel: +27 15 284 5060 

Fax: +27 15 291 3988/086 576 4784 

Website: www.limpopo.coghsta.gov.za 

Department of Economic 

Development, Environment 

and Tourism 

MEC: Mr Charles Seaparo Sekoah (Acting) 

Physical address: Evridiki Towers, 20 Hans van Rensburg Street, 



Tel: +27 15 290 7600 | Fax: +27 15 297 0885 

Website: www.ledet.gov.za 

Department of Education 

MEC: Mr Ishmael Kgetjepe 

Physical address: Department of Education Building, cnr Biccard and 

Excelsior Streets, Polokwane 0700 


Tel: +27 15 290 9301 | Fax: +27 15 297 0885/086 531 0539 

Website: www.edu.limpopo.gov.za 


MEC: Dr Phophi Ramathuba 

Physical address: 18 College Street, Polokwane 0699 


Tel: +27 15 293 6000 

Fax: +27 15 293 2836 

Website: www.doh.limpopo.gov.za 

Department of Public Works, 

Roads and Infrastructure 

MEC: Mr Jeremiah Ndou 

Physical address: 43 Church Street, Polokwane 0699 


Tel: +27 15 284 7000 

Website: www.dpw.limpopo.gov.za 


MEC: Happy Joyce Mashamba 

Physical address: 18 College Street, Polokwane 0700 


Tel: +27 15 293 6027/04 

Fax: +27 15 293 6170/50 

Website: www.dhsd.limpopo.gov.za 


LISTING 

Department of Sport, 

Arts and Culture 

MEC: Ms Nandi Ndalane 

Physical address: Olympic Towers, 21 Biccard Street, Polokwane 0700 


Tel: +27 15 284 4009/8 | Fax: +27 15 284 4500 

Website: www.sac.limpopo.gov.za 

Department of Transport, 

Security and Liaison 

Provincial Treasury 

MEC: Mr Rob Tooley 

Physical address: Ismini Towers, 46 Hans van Rensburg Street, 



Tel: +27 15 298 5361 

Fax: +27 15 295 8873/7010 

Website: www.limtreasury.gov.za 

Premier: Mapula-Mokako Phukwana 

Physical address: 32 Schoeman Street, Polokwane 0699 


Tel: +27 15 290 7600 | Fax: +27 15 295 8979 

Website: www.dssl.limpopo.gov.za 

0 50 km 

Beitbridge 

LIMPOPO PROVINCE 

0 25 miles 

Musina 

Evangelina 

Palapye 

Pafuri 

Motorway 

Alldays 

Tshipise 

Main Road 

Railway 

Oorwinning 

Waterpoort 

Tom Burke 

Thohoyandou 

Mahalapye 

Makhado 

BOTSWANA 

North West 

Sun City 

N 

R81 

Kruger 

N11 

N1 

Senwabarana 

National 

Monte Christo 

Steilloopbrug 

Giyani Park 

Morebeng 

R81 

Lephalale 

Gilead 

Modjadjiskloof 

Seshego 

Groesbeek 

Tzaneen 

Elmeston 

Gravelotte Phalaborwa 

POLOKWANE 

Mokopane 

Ofcolaco 

Sentrum 

Vaalwater 

Zebedelia 

N1 

Lebowa Kgomo 

Mookgophong 

Thabazimbi 

Crecy 

Modimolle 

Bela-Bela 

N11 

Burgersfort 

Gauteng 

Marble Hall 

Lydenburg 

Groblersdal 

Stoffberg 

R40 

Hoedspruit 

Klaserie 

Pilgrim’s Rest 

Graskop 

White River 

ZIMBABWE 

Sabie 

Mpumalanga 

Hazyview 

MOZAMBIQUE 


98

Limpopo Local Government 

LISTING 

A guide to the district and local municipalities in Limpopo. 

South African local government has undergone 

considerable transformation 

over the past decade, as outlined in the 

Constitution of South Africa (1996). The Local 

Government: Municipal Structures Act of 1998 

reduced the total number of municipalities in the 

country from 843 to 284 (now 283) and laid out criteria 

for determining whether an area should have a 

Category A Municipality (Metropolitan Municipalities), 

a Category B Municipality (Local Councils or 

Municipalities) or a Category C Municipality (District 

Municipalities). 

Six Metropolitan Municipalities were created, 

namely the City of Cape Town Metropolitan 

Municipality in the Western Cape, the City of 

Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Ekurhuleni 

Metropolitan Municipality and the City of 

Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in 

Gauteng, eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu- 

Natal and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in 

the Eastern Cape. 

Forty-seven District Municipalities were identified 

(Limpopo has five district municipalities, 

namely Capricorn District Municipality, Mopani 

District Municipality, Vhembe District Municipality, 

Waterberg District Municipality and Greater 

Sekhukhune District Municipality), as well as 230 

Local Municipalities (with 24 in Limpopo). 

In July 2008, the Municipal Demarcation 

Board proposed that Mangaung (Free State), 

Buffalo City (Eastern Cape) and Msunduzi 

(KwaZulu-Natal) municipalities change from 

Category B local municipalities to Category 

A metropolitan municipalities. Mangaung 

and Buffalo City were subsequently granted 

metropolitan status. 

Capricorn District Municipality 



Postal address: PO Box 4100, 


Tel: +27 15 294 1000 

Fax: +27 15 294 1292 

Email: mayor@cdm.org.za or 

Website: www.cdm.org.za 

Local municipalities encompassed: 

Aganang Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 295 1400 

Fax: +27 15 295 1401/1447 

Website: www.aganang.gov.za 

Blouberg Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 505 7100 | Fax: +27 15 505 0296 

Website: www.blouberg.gov.za 

Lepelle-Nkumpi Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 633 4500 | Fax: +27 15 633 6896 

Website: www.lepelle-nkumpi.gov.za 

Molemole Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 501 0243 | Fax: +27 15 501 0419 

Website: www.molemole.gov.za 

Polokwane Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 290 2100 | Fax: +27 15 290 2106 or 

086 608 0290 (SA only) 

Website: www.polokwane.gov.za 


LISTING 

Sekhukhune District Municipality 

Physical address: 3 Wes Street, Groblersdal 0470 

Postal address: Private Bag X8611, Groblersdal 0470 

Tel: +27 13 262 7300 

Fax: +27 13 262 5849 

Website: www.sekhukhune.gov.za 


Elias Motsoaledi Municipality 

Tel: +27 13 262 3056 

Fax: +27 13 262 2547/4530 

Website: www.eliasmotsoaledi.gov.za 

Ephraim Mogale Municipality 

Tel: +27 13 261 8400 

Fax: +27 13 261 2985 

Website: www.ephraimmogalelm.gov.za 

Fetakgomo Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 622 8000 

Fax: +27 15 622 8026 

Website: www.fetakgomo.gov.za 

Greater Tubatse Municipality 

Tel: +27 13 231 1000 | Fax: +27 13 231 7467 

Website: www.tubatse.gov.za 

Makhudutamaga Municipality 

Tel: +27 13 265 8645 

Fax: +27 13 265 1975/1076 

Website: www.makhuduthamaga.gov.za 

Mopani District Municipality 

Physical address: Government Building, Main Road, Giyani 0826 

Postal address: Private Bag X9687, 

Giyani 0826 

Tel: +27 15 811 6300 

Fax: +27 15 812 4301 

Website: www.mopani.gov.za 


Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 780 6300 

Fax: +27 15 781 0726 

Website: www.ba-phalaborwa.gov.za 

Greater Giyani Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 811 5500 

Fax: +27 15 812 2068/1683 

Website: www.greatergiyani.gov.za 

Greater Letaba Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 309 9246 Fax: +27 15 309 9419 

Website: www.greaterletaba.gov.za 

Greater Tzaneen Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 307 8000 

Fax: +27 15 307 8049/48 

Website: www.tzaneen.gov.za 

Vhembe District Municipality 

Physical address: Old Parliament, Government Complex, Tusk Venda 

Street, Thohoyandou 0950 

Postal address: Private Bag X5006, Thohoyandou 0950 

Tel: +27 15 960 2000/2008 | Fax: +27 15 962 0904 

Website: www.vhembe.gov.za 


Makhado Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 519 3000 | Fax: +27 15 516 1195 

Website: www.makhado.gov.za 

Musina Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 534 6100 | Fax: +27 15 534 2513 

Website: www.musina.gov.za 

Mutale Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 967 9600 | Fax: +27 15 967 9677/9654 

Website: www.mutale.gov.za 

Thulamela Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 962 7500 Fax: +27 15 962 4020 

Website: www.thulamela.gov.za 

Waterberg District Municipality 

Physical address: Harry Gwala Street, Modimolle 0510 

Postal address: Private Bag X1018, 

Modimolle 0510 

Tel: +27 14 718 3300 

Fax: +27 14 717 2931 

Website: www.waterberg.gov.za 


100

Thabazimbi Municipality 

Thabazimbi Municipality is located in the southwestern part of Limpopo 

Province, has Botswana as its international neighbour, and is a mere 

two hours’ drive from the city of Tshwane. 

PROFILE 

Thabazimbi is known as the “mountain of iron”, 

which is the Tswana name for this peaceful, productive 

town. The name refers to the highly lucrative 

iron-ore reef first discovered in the municipality 

in 1919. Iron and steel production started in 

1930 and the town was proclaimed in 1953. 

Today, Iscor Steelworks in Tshwane still draws 

much of its raw material from Thabazimbi Kumba 

Resources (iron-ore mine). Apart from iron ore, the 

Thabazimbi Municipality is surrounded by platinum-producing 

mines such as Northam Platinum 

Mine and Anglo Platinum Mines (Amandelbult, 

Tumela, Swartklip Union Section). Other minerals 

produced in the area include andalusite (mined 

by Rhino Mine) and limestone for the production 

of cement (mined by Pretoria Portland Cement). 

The municipality falls within the Waterberg District 

municipal area and the boundaries of Thabazimbi 

Municipality incorporate areas such as: Thabazimbi; 

Northam; Leeupoort; Rooiberg and Dwaalboom. 

Main industries 

Thabazimbi has demonstrated strength in the tourism, 

agriculture and mining sectors, with the latter 

showing tremendous growth potential. The mining 

sector has huge potential to absorb many skills within 

the municipality. There is also a need to establish 

opportunities in small-scale mining. Agriculture has 

also proven to be a strong economic sector in the 

municipality. Agricultural commodities produced 

include wheat, beans and maize. 

Main attractions 

Thabazimbi Municipality boasts one of the country’s 

most sought-after tourist attractions. The 

municipality’s main attraction is the Marakele 

National Park, which is a subsidiary of South 

African National Parks and of the same standard 

as the Kruger and Mapungubwe national parks. 

The game lodges scattered around the municipal 

area help to promote the environmental sustainability 

of the region as a tourist destination. Other 

attractions include the Atherstone Nature Reserve 

and Ben Alberts Golf Course. 

CONTACT INFO 

Key personnel: 

Molatelo Mabitsela, HOD: Planning and 

Economic Development 

Email: mmabitsela@thabazimbi.gov.za 

Molatlhegi Peter Motlhabane, LED Manager 

Email: motlhabanemp@thabazimbi.gov.za 

Tel: +27 14 777 1525 Ext 107 

Fax: +27 14 777 1531 

Physical address: 7 Rietbok Street, 

Thabazimbi 0380 

Postal address: PO Box 90, Thabazimbi 0380 

Website: www.thabazimbi.gov.za 

Thabazimbi Tourism Centre 

Tel: 014 777 1011 / 014 777 1062 

Email: info@infothabazimbi.co.za 

Email: office@infothabazimbi.co.za 


LISTING 


Bela-Bela Municipality 

Tel: +27 14 736 8000 

Fax: +27 14 736 3288 

Website: www.belabela.gov.za 

Lephalale Municipality 

Tel: +27 14 763 2193 

Fax: +27 14 763 5662/086 534 3440 

Website: www.lephalale.com 

Modimolle Municipality 

Tel: +27 14 718 2000 | Fax: +27 14 717 4077 

Website: www.modimolle.gov.za 

Mogalakwena Municipality 

Tel: +27 15 491 9630 

Fax: +27 15 491 9755 

Website: www.mogalakwena.gov.za 

Mookgophong Municipality 

Tel: +27 14 743 6600 

Fax: +27 14 743 2434 

Website: www.mookgophong.gov.za 

Thabazimbi Municipality 

Tel: +27 14 777 1525 

Fax: +27 14 777 1531 

Website: www.thabazimbi.gov.za 

MUNICIPALITIES IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE 

Musina 

Musina 

ZIMBABWE 

Metropolitan/District Municipality 

Boundary 


District Municipality 

Waterberg 

Local Municipality 

Lephalale 

BOTSWANA 

Thabazimbi 

Lephalale 

Lephalale 

Thabazimbi 

Waterberg 

Modimolle 

Bele-Bela 

N11 

Mogalakwena 

Mookgophong 

Bela-Bela 

Mokopane 

N1 

Modimolle 

Alldays 

Blouberg 

N11 

Mookgophong 

N1 

Makhado 

POLOKWANE 

Polokwane 

Makhado 

Molemole 

Aganang 

Capricorn R81 

Lepele-Nkumpi 

Fetakgomo 

Vhembe 

Tshipise 

Greater Letaba 

Tzaneen 

Greater Tzaneen 

Sekhukhune 

Makhuduthamaga 

Greater 

Tubatse 

Ephraim 

Mogale 

Thohoyandou 

Thulamela 

Kruger 

R81 

National 

Area 

Greater Park 

Mopani 

Mutale 

Giyani 

Ba-Phalaborwa 

R40 

Maruleng 

Kruger National 

Park District 

Management 

Phalaborwa 

Bushbuckridge 

MOZAMBIQUE 

Bohlabela 

(Cross-border 

Municipality) 

Kruger National 

Park District 

Management 

Area 

North West 

Greater Groblersdal 

Mpumalanga 

Gauteng 


102

LISTING 

INDEX 

Capricorn District Municipality ................................................................................. 101 - 103 

Corridor Mining Resources ...................................................................................................32 

Gateway Airports Authority Limited (GAAL) ........................................................................56 

Great North Transport ...........................................................................................................36 

Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) ......................................................................OBC 

Limpopo Economic Development Corporation (LEDA) .................................IFC, 10, 26 - 37 

Limpopo Office of the Premier .........................................................................................8, 18 

Masisizane Fund ....................................................................................................................40 

Musina Special Economic Zone ...........................................................................................28 

Nedbank .................................................................................................................................38 

Polokwane Chamber of Business ........................................................................................88 

Risima Housing Finance Corporation ..................................................................................34 

Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) ....................................................... 5, 82 - 86 

Thabazimbi Municipality .......................................................................................................99 

Tubatse Platinum Special Economic Zone ..........................................................................30 

Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) ....................................................................................3 

Vodacom .................................................................................................................64 - 73, IBC 


106

10001033SM/LIMP 

75 YEARS OF INDUSTRIAL 

DEVELOPMENT 

OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 

SINCE 1940 

For 75 years, the IDC has been committed to leading industrial 

development in South Africa. It is this commitment that has 

enabled us to grow key industries and facilitate job creation, 

ensuring a positive contribution to the growth of our economy. 

If you’re an entrepreneur and have a business plan that is 

relevant to an industry that the IDC supports and require funding 

of R1 million or more, take the lead and make history. Call the 

Polokwane office on 015 299 4080 or visit idc.co.za to learn more 

about the funding criteria for the sectors that the IDC supports.

Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

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