Over the past ten years, since the advent of local government, the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) has undertaken with its partners to grow the local economy and create income opportunities for the poor. The economy has experienced good growth over the last 5 years and the strategic location of Capricorn has given the district an added advantage to maximize development.

Being centrally located in Limpopo and within the SADC region, the district provides a convergence point for development projects in South Africa and the region more broadly.  The high mobility of people and cargo has helped the district become a regional hub of economic development. The concentration of provincial, district and local government services in the district also enhances positive spin-offs for the district and its people. These positive spin-offs will benefit not only people in the Polokwane Municipality but also in the rest of the district because the district is the administrative capital of the entire Limpopo province.

Many of the road networks designated as Spatial Development Initiatives converge in Polokwane. These networks form part of a relatively well developed multi-modal transport infrastructure including the airport, rail, trucking and bus interchanges. This, in turn, positions the City of Polokwane as a logical location for a logistics cluster and enhances the status of the city as a gateway to Southern Africa and beyond. Whereas Polokwane may exhibit many of the prerequisites for economic growth, the rural municipalities (Aganang, Blouberg, Molemole, Lepelle-Nkumpi) in the district are still lagging behind in many instances.

Another competitive advantage that Capricorn District Municipality has is the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition) cluster.

There are numerous developments that CDM can be proud of:

• Polokwane boasts a modern visitors information centre;
• There are plans to build an international conference centre that can accommodate 2000 guests;
• The construction of the Mall of the North, covering an area of 75 000m2 is scheduled to be completed in 2011,
• CDM is home to the biggest citrus farm in the southern hemisphere - the Zebediela Citrus Estate;
• CDM is home to the University of Limpopo (formerly Turfloop) – that  produced many struggle heroes who shaped the history of this country.

The district is well endowed with favorable conditions that allow agricultural products to flourish and the citrus industry is testament to this. The CDM also has the potential for agri-business development.

CDM’s other competitive advantages include its proximity to African markets; an emerging industrial base in Polokwane; and mining deposits in Lepelle-Nkumpi and Blouberg.

The district also boasts a number of Natural Heritage Sites such as Brackenhill and Goedehoop, Makgabeng Rock Art and the ZCC pilgrimage (Moria). The ZCC pilgrimage attracts over 4 million people to the district every year. Plans and funding are afoot to refurbish Mafefe Tourist Camp and Motumo Trading Post in order to highlight their appeal as tourist attractions.

CDM’s economic growth rate reached 6% in 2008/2009, thus exceeding that of the province and the country. This was despite the impact of recession, which put a strain on some of the economic sectors, particularly the mining sector. The resurgence of the tourism industry and manufacturing sectors helped drive the economic growth in the district. The CDM’s contribution to the provincial economy grew by 22.4%, while the district recorded inward investment of R6 billion in 2008.

The municipality is currently reviewing the Local Economic Development (LED) strategy and is also finalising an investment study to explore more growth opportunities. LED will get a major boost from the development of the Capricorn District Economic Agency (CEDA). CEDA will focus on the municipality’s LED Strategy, attract additional investments and create 9 000 job opportunities. This will be an annual target and the aim is to reduce the 27% unemployment rate.

The municipality also made significant advances in reducing this unacceptable rate of unemployment by, amongst other things, compiling a database of unemployed graduates as a skilled labour pool to utilise when needed. In partnership with the University of Venda, the municipality has also assisted 304 small traders, operating in the informal economy, through a capacity-building programme.

In support of entrepreneurship, the municipality offers support to SMME’s and co-operatives in order to reduce barriers to entry and make small enterprises aware of market opportunities, such as exporting. The district also makes use of ‘preferential procurement’ to help SMMEs breakthrough and take up larger corporate and public service contracts. This helps build capacity among predominantly previously disadvantaged people to overcome past imbalances and become competitive in the marketplace.

Based on growth expectations associated with the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the CDM has done a lot of work with the host City of Polokwane to explore ways of maximising returns for all needy people in the district. This includes marketing the district to potential investors. This tournament will provide everyone with an opportunity to showcase Capricorn to the world and build its profile as an attractive location for investors and tourists.

A tournament of this magnitude is not only about soccer, the fans or participating teams, but it is also about people interested in networking, conducting business, touring, enjoying themselves, exploring our towns and cities, our district, the province and the country. Therefore, we have faith in the capacity of our local entrepreneurs to ready themselves for the event. Ke Nako! Feel it. It is here!

Re Soma Le Setshaba

For information, please contact one of the following people:

Jabu Masondo
Communications Manager
Emial: masondoj@cdm.org.za

Ellen Mashakoe
Manager - LED
Email: mashakoee@cdm.org.za

Sello Maebela
Dep. Tourism Manager
Email: maebelas@cdm.org.za

Tel: 015 294 1000