South African Business 2018 edition

REGION
fourth-largest wool-producing province based on
annual sale of producer lots.
The karakul-pelt industry is one of the most
important in the Gordonia district of Upington.
Agri-company KLK is the only organisation that
handles these pelts in South Africa, which are sorted
in Windhoek before being sent to Europe for
auction. Conditions around Colesberg are ideal for
horse breeding.
Major exports include fruit, especially table grapes
and meat. The Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme has supported
farming for decades. The newer Namakwa
irrigation scheme will link with the agri-parks being
established across the province. The plan is to increase
production of agricultural products, including
grapes and fish from aquaculture schemes and then
create new agri-processing plants.
Mining contributes 23.4% to the Northern Cape
economy and makes up nearly 7% of South Africa’s
total mining value. The mineral resource of the province
is wide-ranging and impressive with significant
deposits of iron ore, manganese, zinc, copper, lead,
titanium, pig iron, zircon and gypsum.
The majority of the world’s manganese comes
from the Postmasburg and Kalahari regions of the
Northern Cape. The province is responsible for 25%
of the world’s exports of the mineral.
The Northern Cape produces more than 84% of
South Africa’s iron ore. The province has two major
iron belts, from Postmasburg to Hotazel, and running
through Sishen and Kathu. Kumba Iron Ore has the
huge Sishen facility at Kathu and Kolomela.
Petra Diamonds continues to expand production
at Finsch mine. Indian giant Vedanta is putting R9.4-
billion into the Gamsberg Zinc project near Aggenys.
Economic future
Port Nolloth itself is today a small fishing harbour
and studies have shown that better potential exists
at nearby Boegoe Baai to develop deep-sea facilities.
There would be possibilities for linking the port to
the gas fields and developing ship-repair facilities.
A unit within the National Department of Public
Works, Small Harbours and Coastal Property
Development, is working with district and local
municipalities to create new economic opportunities.
Port Nolloth is earmarked as a “new harbour”
with other onshore developments such as aquaculture
to take place at Hondeklip Bay and Kleinzee.
Within the first four bidding periods of the national
Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer
Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), 92 projects were
approved – and 48 of these projects were in the
Northern Cape. Most of these were solar photovoltaic
projects, with seven employing the concentrated
solar power (CSP) technology.
The Northern Cape is also home to 12 approved
wind farms and one small (10MW) hydro-electric
project on the Orange River.
The Northern Cape has been earmarked as a
manufacturing zone for solar components. A good
opportunity exists to increase local content and the
creation of a Northern Cape Special Economic Zone
(at Upington) will promote this goal.
The 400ha site of the Upington SEZ in the
Northern Cape Province is close to the Upington
International Airport and is well served by access
roads. Khara Hais Municipality has agreed to transfer
the necessary land to the SEZ, and has approved
the infrastructure plan that has been put forward.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is a partner
in the project.
Upington International Airport’s 4.9km runway
allows it to land the largest aircraft. Airports Company
South Africa has allocated 55ha for the creation of
an aviation park to store and maintain aircraft, and a
further 30ha for commercial development.
ACSA’s research suggests that over the next
decade there will be a big demand for aircraft storage
and dismantling (a subsector of the broader
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul market).
Capital Kimberley
Population 1 185 600
Area 372 889km 2
Premier Sylvia Lucas (ANC)
Languages Afrikaans, Setswana, Xhosa
155 SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2018