The Provincial Mining Agenda
The North West Development Corporation (NWDC) will be repositioned to serve as the Provincial Mining Agenda Implementer to ensure that mining procurement takes place in line with the new envisaged VTSD Preferential Procurement Act. (VTSD is a strategy designed to improve the economies of Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies.)
Current geological information illuminates vast amounts of minerals that are yet to be quantified. These include the salt fields that span Delareyville, the limestone that covers Taung, through Mothibi to Severn as well as the Morokweng and Lichtenburg, the tigers eye that spans Mothibi, Severn and Vorstershoop, the untapped alluvial and alluvial diamond fields, as well as manganese and iron ore.
These initiatives will be coordinated by the Office of the Premier working together with the national Department of Mineral Resources through:
- Expanding small-scale mining
- Mining beneficiation
- Mining procurement
- New venture mining.
New interest from investors
The North West Development Corporation, working with the Rural, Environment and Agricultural Department (READ), will implement the following strategic mandates:
- Acceleration of VTSD Agro-Businesses to build small scale agro-hubs
- Establishment of Special Economic Zones in addition to the existing one, the Platinum Valley SEZ
- Implementation of the Mahikeng Airport Logistics Hub strategy will be intensified through strategic partnerships. New interest has been shown by investors from United Arab Emirates
- Implementation of the VTSD Industrial Hubs in strategic areas
- Finalisation and implementation of the Provincial Industrialisation Action Plan.
The Industrialisation Strategy will use the allocation for learner support materials to set up a stationery manufacturing factory in the province to supply all schools and government departments, working together with existing retailers. In addition, the province will:
- Accelerate the establishment of the People’s Economic Growth Agency (PEGA) through smooth integration of existing State-Owned-Enterprises
- Work with the construction industry with a view to establishing a provincial construction hardware factory with VTSD branches to support small enterprises through the housing budget
- Coordinate Local Economic Development efforts across all municipalities in order to build strategic partnerships with the private sector.
The Executive Council has mandated the NWDC to proceed with the implementation of core elements of the Mahikeng Rebranding, Repositioning and Renewal Programme, the Government Precinct and Stadium projects and plans to upgrade the Mmabatho Convention Centre to international status.
Discussions are at an advanced stage to secure a strategic partner to invest R10-billion in these projects.
Road partnerships
The province is exploring possible Public-Private-Partnerships to deal with the effects of mining haulage or heavy mining transport machinery on the roads network. We have to redouble efforts to secure private-sector funding for the building of roads. No contractor in the province will be allocated a road tender which is more than 20 km with effect from the beginning of 2017/18 financial year.
The Adjusted Provincial Allocation for Infrastructure in the current financial year is
R5.8-billion.
For more information, contact the North West Development Corporation.
