SPECIAL FEATURE The Bureau of Market Research (BMR) has shown that Gauteng accounts for 35% of total household consumption in South Africa. The leading economic sectors are finance, real estate and business (21% of provincial GDP), manufacturing (16.5%), government services (16.3%) and wholesale, retail, motor trade and accommodation (12.8%). The so-called creative industries (including advertising and the film sector) employ upwards of 180 000 people and contribute more than R3.3-billion to the provincial economy. The provincial government’s Economic Development Plan sees this sector as one of the key drivers of future growth. In the provincial capital, Johannesburg, financial services and commerce predominate. The JSE, Africa’s largest stock exchange, is situated in the heart of Johannesburg’s business district, Sandton. Tshwane (which includes Pretoria) is home to many government services and is the base of the automotive industry and many research institutions. The Ekurhuleni metropole has the largest concentration of manufacturing concerns, ranging from heavy to light industry, in the country. The western part of the province is concerned mainly with mining and agriculture, while the south has a combination of maize farming, tobacco production and the heavy industrial work associated with steel and iron-ore workings. Gauteng is not just an important centre of economic activity, it is also an important launching pad for local and international businesses to enter the African market. The country’s biggest airport, OR Tambo International Airport, is at the core of the province’s logistical network. Other airports include
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Rand Airport (Germiston), Wonderboom (Pretoria) Lanseria and Grand Central (Midrand). The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality plans on building an “aerotropolis” in partnership with the provincial government and private investors. The intention is to link the airports of OR Tambo and Lanseria and expand logistics capabilities. The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa (which has seats in Pretoria and Johannesburg) is a superior court with general jurisdiction over the province. Johannesburg is also home to the Constitutional Court, South Africa’s highest court, and to a branch of the Labour Court and the Labour Appeal Court. The province has several outstanding universities, and the majority of South Africa’s research takes place at well-regarded institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Mintek, the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and several sites where the work of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) is done.
Geography The province is located in the Highveld region of South Africa, approximately 1 700 metres above sea-level. It is a landlocked province, surrounded by four other provinces. The Vaal River forms a natural border with the Free State, which lies south of Gauteng, while the North West province is located to the west, Limpopo