Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
North West
South Africa
Sector
Agriculture & Agri-processing
Chemicals
Delivery Services/Logistics
Education
Food & Beverages
Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
ICT - Information & Communication Technology
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
Sectors identified as having key growth potential
The following sectors have been identified within the municipality as having high potential for growth and economic investment. Specific opportunities exist within each of these sectors.
To read about a specific success story from the municipality click here:
Investment success story in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality
Tourism
The tourism sector is offering high growth potential, especially sports, educational and cultural tourism, and all places in the district are ideally situated next to the Vredefort Dome (200-million year old impact crater), close to the Cradle of Man World Heritage Site and close to the largest gold mines in the world. The N12 route from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Namibia runs
through Potchefstroom and has recently been declared a Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) – the so-called 'Treasure Route'.
1. Specific tourism investment opportunity: Treasure Route aims for new tourist attraction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The ICT sector is likewise full of potential and the City of Potchefstroom has declared as its objective to be Africa’s first Cyber City by 2010. Partnerships with the local university offers excellent scope for research and development (R&D) in the sector and offering IT services to the whole African continent.
Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceutical sector is earmarked for rapid growth. The pharmaceutical research and training facility at
the Potchefstroom University is unique in the north of South Africa, and is already a World Health Organisation-accredited testing facility.
Manufacturing
In manufacturing, the region has a growing food-processing industry, with significant expansion potential. The district is in the agricultural heartland of South Africa and at the cutting-edge of agricultural R&D and technological innovation in agriculture. Furthermore, the local university is owner of a large and growing number of patents that the university is eager to commercialise. Areas include, amongst others, composite materials, aviation, chemicals and plastics, pharmaceutical and other health care, and IT.
1. Specific investment opportunity: Real opportunities in rural pig farming project in the North West
Environment
Environmentally friendly technologies. The City Council of Potchefstroom is a leader in environmental conservation and environmental management in Africa. The city joined the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) programme of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives in 2001. There is a wide scope for the manufacturing of energy and environmentally friendly products, which can find commercial applications in, for instance, lighting, construction, water and waste management and ecological rehabilitation.
Transport and logistics
The Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality has an important location along the N12 Highway, running from Johannesburg down to Cape Town, and westwards towards Namibia and Botswana. As a result it receives large volumes of through-traffic. It is also an important rail transport
centre, especially for the transportation of bulk products related to the agriculture and mining sectors. Two good airfields, both of excellent design standards, offer unexploited potential for efficient and cost-effective air cargo services. Entrepreneurs in the transport and logistic service sectors are encouraged to investigate the market potential offered by the municipality to provide various supply-chain services. The need for break-bulk facilities, storage space and a distribution centre due to the rapid growth of trade in Southern Africa offers exciting opportunities.
For more information on key investment sectors in the municipality contact Dr Monty Mongake on +27 18 473 8000 or email mongake@sdm.org.za
