South African Business 2018 edition
Welcome to the sixth edition of the South African Business journal. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za. Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties. South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. The e-book editions can be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties. South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. Visit www.globalafricanetwork.com for more business and investment news, opportunities and events.
Welcome to the sixth edition of the South African Business journal. First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za.
Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties.
South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. The e-book editions can be viewed online at www.globalafricanetwork.com.
First published in 2011, the publication has established itself as the premier business and investment guide to South Africa, supported by an e-book edition at www.southafricanbusiness.co.za
Regular pages cover all the main economic sectors of the South African economy and give a snapshot of each of the country’s provincial economies. Feature articles on topical issues such as sustainability and African trade provide unique insights, together with an interview with the newly elected chairman of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr Thomas Schaefer. Another special feature focusses on an exciting project to transform South Africa’s small harbours and coastal properties.
South African Business is complemented by nine regional publications covering the business and investment environment in each of South Africa’s provinces. Visit www.globalafricanetwork.com for more business and investment news, opportunities and events.
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SPECIAL FEATURE<br />
The Orange and Vaal rivers play important roles in<br />
water schemes and irrigation and the Limpopo River<br />
defines the country’s northern boundary. A number<br />
of rivers run strongly from the Drakensberg to the sea<br />
but <strong>South</strong> Africa has no navigable rivers.<br />
Maize is produced in large quantities in the interior.<br />
The dry interior mostly supports livestock in the<br />
form of sheep and cattle. <strong>South</strong> Africa is the world<br />
leader in mohair production. Wines and fruit are specialities<br />
of the Western Cape while KwaZulu-Natal<br />
and the low-lying areas of Mpumalanga are known<br />
for sugar cane and tropical and subtropical fruits.<br />
Limpopo is a major vegetable producer.<br />
History<br />
One of <strong>South</strong> Africa’s premier museums and tourist<br />
attractions is known as the Cradle of Humankind,<br />
pointing to the fact that what is now <strong>South</strong> Africa<br />
has been home to the human species for thousands<br />
of years.<br />
Each of the country’s nine provinces presents<br />
its official documents in the relevant regional languages<br />
so the Western Cape, for example, presents<br />
material in Xhosa, Afrikaans and English. The most<br />
widely spoken languages are Zulu and Xhosa. Other<br />
languages, in order of the number of people who<br />
speak the language as a home language, are Pedi,<br />
English, Setswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Tshivenda<br />
and Ndebele.<br />
Historically, the Nguni-speaking people (Zulu,<br />
Xhosa, Swazi and Ndebele) settled along <strong>South</strong><br />
Africa’s east coast (and what is now Swaziland) while<br />
Venda and Tsonga people made their homes south<br />
of the Limpopo River. The Mapungubwe cultural<br />
landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in northern<br />
Limpopo Province illustrates a highly sophisticated<br />
kingdom that flourished between 900 and<br />
1300AD. The central regions of <strong>South</strong> Africa (and<br />
Lesotho) were populated by Sotho and Tswana.<br />
The Cape was colonised first by the Dutch, by<br />
the Batavian Republic and by the British. Prolonged<br />
British rule began in 1806. By the late 19th century<br />
there were four territories in what is now <strong>South</strong> Africa:<br />
two British colonies (Cape Colony and Natal) and two<br />
independent Boer republics. The Anglo-Boer War was<br />
fought between 1899 and 1901 and ultimately led<br />
to the creation of the Union of <strong>South</strong> Africa in 1910,<br />
uniting the four territories but ignoring the wishes of<br />
the black population. <strong>South</strong> Africa became a republic<br />
in 1960 and severed ties with Britain soon afterwards.<br />
After Nelson Mandela was released and a series of<br />
negotiating conferences were held, <strong>South</strong> Africa held<br />
its first democratic elections in 1994. <strong>South</strong> Africa reentered<br />
the Commonwealth after 1994.<br />
PROVINCE CAPITAL PREMIER POPULATION AREA GRP BILLION RAND<br />
Eastern Cape Bhisho<br />
Phumulo<br />
Masualle<br />
6 916 200 168 966km 2 R289.9<br />
Free State Bloemfontein<br />
Elias Sekgobelo<br />
"Ace" Magashule<br />
2 817 900 129 825km 2 R189.1<br />
Gauteng Johannesburg David Makhura 13 400 000 18 178km 2 R1 305.6<br />
KwaZulu-<br />
Natal<br />
Pietermaritzburg Willies Mchunu 11 919 100 94 361km 2 R610.1<br />
Limpopo Polokwane<br />
Stanley<br />
Mathabatha<br />
5 800 000 125 754km 2 R271.5<br />
Mpumalanga Mbombela David Mabuza 4 283 900 76 495km 2 R284.2<br />
North West Mahikeng<br />
Supra<br />
Mahumapelo<br />
3 707 000 104 882km 2 R249.5<br />
Northern Cape Kimberley Sylvia Lucas 1 185 600 372 889km 2 R79.9<br />
Western Cape Cape Town Helen Zille 6 200 100 129 462km ² R518.1<br />
Snapshot of <strong>South</strong> Africa’s provinces<br />
SOURCE: STATSSA, 2016.<br />
SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS <strong>2018</strong><br />
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