SPECIAL FEATURE
Zoning in on fresh produce Mpumalanga’s mega-projects aim to attract investors in a wide range of sectors.
• Vast mineral resources, which
fire the province’s many coal-fired power stations and underpin the ferro-alloy complex around Middelburg, where Columbus Stainless runs the only stainless-steel mill in Africa.
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everal large private-sector investment projects are under way in Mpumalanga. These include the ongoing upgrades and conversions at the Ngodwana Mill by Sappi (forestry and paper) and the various plants of Sasol at Secunda (petrochemicals and liquid fuels), mining ventures in the coal sector (Anglo American coal, Sasol, Exxaro and Nkomati Anthracite are all spending heavily) and tourism (Thebe Tourism Group has multiple projects). These projects illustrate the diversity of the provincial economy which has large concerns in the sectors mentioned above and others in segments as different as stainless steel, sugar, ferro-alloys and potato chips. A provincial plan intends to use these strengths to further develop labour-intensive manufacturing industries and to encourage the development and localisation of supply chains. To achieve this, two major projects are being implemented: • the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone • the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market. Both big projects leverage the province’s main strengths. These include: • Unique location and logistical advantages: Maputo Development Corridor; Moloto Corridor; borders with Mozambique and Swaziland; major highways and rail links; proximity to South African industrial heartland and large population of Gauteng Province • Mpumalanga generates 80% of South Africa’s energy and several pipelines run through the province • Extraordinary agricultural riches, which can be exported or used in agri-processing MPUMALANGA BUSINESS 2018/19
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Nkomazi Special Economic Zone The Nkomazi Local Municipality has designated land for the SEZ which will be established 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”. Infrastructure at an SEZ supports the targeted sectors 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. Situated in the border town of Komatipoort, this multi-sector SEZ is the axis of economic integration between the provinces of Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo and the neighbouring states of Swaziland