Dawid Kruiper Municipality
Munisipaliteit Dawid Kruiper
The Municipal Area is divided into 16 wards. The Municipal Council of Dawid Kruiper consists of 31 Councillors. Sixteen (16) represents wards and the rest are proportional representatives of political parties. The ruling party in Council is the ANC.
With 114 000 people, the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality housed 0.2% of South Africa’s total population in 2017. Between 2007 and 2017 the population growth averaged 1.75% per annum which is very similar than the growth rate of South Africa as a whole (1.56%). Compared to ZF Mgcawu’s average annual growth rate (1.55%), the growth rate in Dawid Kruiper’s population at 1.75% was very similar than that of the district municipality. . In terms of its share the DawidKruiper Local Municipality was slightly larger in 2017 (43.4%) compared to what it was in 2007 (42.5%). When looking at the average annual growth rate, it is noted that Dawid Kruiper ranked third (relative to its peers in terms of growth) with an average annual growth rate of 1.8% between 2007 and 2017.
Thrust : Transport and logistics: Road, Rail and Air Network
The Transport sector has a number of economic linkages with the agricultural, manufacturing, mining and finance and business services sector:
Upington is seen as the hub for all the Transport services, with the location of the airport and Upington being the centre of large transport corridors. The majority of the infrastructure development is taking place in and around Upington.
Thrust : Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector is focused on value adding of agricultural products, mining products, construction and renewable energy products. As indicated the Dawid Kruiper Municipality has a very well-established agricultural sector within livestock and high value produce as well as very rich mineral deposits within the area.
Manufacturing activities are dispersed throughout the ZF Mgcawu District Municipality with the highest concentration of manufacturing activities located within the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality in Upington. The three most prominent manufacturing firms in the Upington area in terms of agriculture are SAD Vine Fruit (Pty) Ltd and Orange River Wine Cellars Co-Op and in terms of the renewable industry and construction are MEAPSA.
Thrust : Agriculture and Agro-Processing
Agriculture is the base of developing economies and is still regarded as an important sector in South Africa as it is the sector that most people depend on for survival. Furthermore, it is the sector that offers the best potential for poverty and inequality reduction, as it provides sources of productivity from which the most disadvantaged people working in the sector can benefit. A healthy agricultural industry is also central to a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), food security, social welfare, job creation and ecotourism, while adding value to raw materials.
Thrust : Knowledge Economic
Knowledge economy is a system of consumption and production that is based on intellectual capital.
Most economies are composed of three major categories of economic activity in varying degrees: agriculture, manufacturing, and services. In the knowledge economy, products and services that are based on intellectual expertise advance technical and scientific fields, encouraging innovation in the economy as a whole.
Knowledge-based economies have the potential to stimulate economic growth, provide higher wages and greater employment opportunities, as well as enhance a country’s competitiveness within the global environment. The globalization of technology, however, presents new opportunities for development in developing countries, but deliberate efforts, which include government action, are required to stimulate innovation. It requires investment in human capital and a highly skilled labour force and the creation of infrastructure for high-technology industries.
Thrust : SMME Development
The definition for SMMEs encompasses a very broad range of firms, some of which includes formally registered, informal and non-VAT registered organisations (The DTI, 2008). Small businesses range from medium-sized enterprises, such as established traditional family businesses employing over a hundred people, to informal micro-enterprises. Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), also referred to as small business, play an important role in an economy. They can be key drivers of economic growth, innovation and job creation.
Government has prioritised entrepreneurship and the advancement of Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) as the catalyst to achieving economic growth and development. With the assistance of other government departments and institutions, the dti takes the lead in implementing SMME-related policies, to ensure that adequate financial and non-financial assistance is provided to the sector, for its long-term prosperity and that of the country as a whole.
Thrust : Construction
Construction is the process of constructing a building or infrastructure. Building construction is the process of adding structure to real property or construction of buildings.
The South African construction industry is a strategic sector that supports the government’s National Development Plan (NDP) and has reiterated its commitment to infrastructure development.
The Construction sector around the Dawid Kruiper Municipality area comprises of the following; Production of building materials, Production of renewable energy plants equipment, Assembly of steel pipes, Welding of storage equipment
Increased demand for housing in urban areas, construction of shopping malls and industrial space both within and beyond the municipality. Dawid Kruiper Municipality is responsible for nearly half of all construction related activities in the ZF Mgcawu District.
Thrust: Mining
The mining and quarrying sector is small economic sector in the Dawid Kruiper Municipality. The industry is mostly around the production of raw salt, gravel minerals and semi-precious tones. It is important that beneficiation take place in the Dawid Kruiper Municipality in order to promote job creation within the sector as well as to increase the benefits (mostly financial) of these products.
Thrust : Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources, which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Upington falls within the Northern Cape Solar Corridor and one of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs). The town experiences an ideal level of solar irradiation (power per unit area received from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation) for solar energy production. Renewable energy sources, other than biomass, are currently being optimally exploited in South Africa, especially in the Northern Cape.
The Dawid Kruiper Municipal area has a strong resource base that supports a variety of economic sectors, including agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and, lately, the renewable energy industry. The municipality is the acknowledged commercial, educational, military, agricultural, medical, transport and tourism centre of the area.
The Orange River stretches through the area, from the south-east to the north-west. The presence of perennial river water contributes to the establishment of table grapes, which are marketed and exported via the Upington International Airport to Western Europe.
Top reasons for investing in Upington
Investment opportunities in the Dawid Kruiper Municipality
The competitive and comparative advantages of Dawid Kruiper can be summarized as follows:
Dawid Kruiper Municipality is a Local (Category B) Municipality (NC087) located within the ZF Mcgawu District Municipality (DC8). The ZF Mcgawu Municipality is the second largest district (approximately 103 871 km2) in the Northern Cape. The Municipality is approximately 344 446 ha in extent and straddles the Orange River. Upington is the main town of the Dawid Kruiper Municipality and has, since its inception, been the hub of activities in the region. The municipality borders with Namibia in the west, the Kgalagadi-Transfrontier Park in the north and Botswana in the northeast. Dawid Kruiper is bordered by the other District Municipalities namely, John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Frances Baard District Municipality, Pixley kaSeme District Municipality and Namakwa District Municipality.
In 2017 the labour force participation rate for Dawid Kruiper was at 55.4% which is slightly lower when compared to the 58.8% in 2007. The unemployment rate is an efficient indicator that measures the success rate of the labour force relative to employment. In 2007, the unemployment rate for Dawid Kruiper was 25.6% and increased overtime to 26.2% in 2017. The gap between the labour force participation rate and the unemployment rate increased which indicates a positive outlook for the employment within Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality.
In 2017, the unemployment rate in Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality (based on the official definition of unemployment) was 26.19%, which is an increase of 0.582 percentage points. The unemployment rate in Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality is higher than that of ZF Mgcawu. Comparing to the Northern Cape Province it can be seen that the unemployment rate for Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality was lower than that of Northern Cape which was 30.52%.
The major challenges faced by the Northern Cape province include access to basic services, volatile economic growth and high unemployment rates particularly amongst the youth.
The tourism industry is a major growth sector in terms of investment, employment and the diversification of services. Less directly, tourism stimulates the property market – especially prime residential and cluster projects – and strengthens business contacts, often are the forerunners of trade, joint ventures and immigration plans.
The tourism industry also has strong linkages with the major routes (routes between Johannesburg and Upington, leading to Namibia) as well as with other countries such as Namibia and Botswana. The tourism section includes events, hunting and business tourism.
Upington truly epitomises the Northern Cape’s tagline of “the Province of Extremes”. Located on the northern banks of the Orange River, it is a contrasting region of lush, green irrigated vineyards juxtaposed with red semi-desert vistas. This oasis-meets-desert character has led to the area being dubbed the Green Kalahari.
Upington is well situated as a base for exploration of the region, and has an outstanding infrastructure in the form of accommodation.
The Kalahari Oranje Museum Complex has the status of a regional- and provincial museum. It conserves cultural items and is exhibited as a community-focus point. The following national monuments have been declared:
Mier is any hunter’s dream. The Mier municipality owns 30 000ha of game farms. These and other, privately owned game farms offer hunting opportunities and provide facilities for biltong making. Mier offers room to play for 4×4 enthusiasts. A 4×4 route stretches from Rietfontein to Pulai, while the red sands of the Mier town common are tempting.
CULTURAL TOURISM IN THE MIER AREA CONSISTS OUT OF:
!KHOMANI SAN
One of the world’s ancient tribes, the !Khomani San, own farms in the Mier area. Members of the !Khomani San produce and sell authentic San weapons like bow and arrow and curios like beads made out of the shell of ostrich eggs or bags made out of animal skins.
The San were the first people who lived in Southern Africa thousands of years ago. Archeological research shows that 25 000 years ago they were hunter gatherers that practices rock art, ostrich egg shell beads, stone tools and bow and arrows. Today some of them still practice it for an income.
Khomani San Living Museum
The Living Musuem of the Khomani San gives visitors an interesting insight into the life of the friendly San. The Living Museum is an authentic open –air musuem where guest can learn about the traditional culture and the original way of the San. Program is interactive allowing guest a chance to participate and try their luck at shooting an arrow, craft making and traditional games. Nature walks and medicinal plant tours are also offered
Augrabies Falls National Park
Visit the Augrabies Falls, which is the sixth largest waterfall in the world and see how game such as giraffe, springbok, gemsbok, eland, kudu red hartebeest, Hartman’s zebra and klipspringer survive in this unique riverine ecosystem. Fish eagles and black eagles are common residents whilst the Rest Camp is home to a variety of bird species.
For the adventurer add river rafting or abseiling onto your list available in RiemvasmaakHotspring and Augrabies Falls National Park.
KgalagadiTransfrontier Park
The Park was previously known as the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and was proclaimed in 1931 mainly to protect migratory game, especially the gemsbok. During the late 1990’s it was combined with the adjacent Gemsbok National Park in Botswana to form The KgalagadiTransfrontier Park – one of the first in the world and the first in Southern Africa.
The Kgalagadi comprises an area of over 3,6 million hectares which is one of a very few conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world. Red sand dunes, sparse vegetation and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob show antelope and predator species off at a premium and provide excellent photographic opportunities. Kgalagadi could be considered a haven for birders especially when interested in birds of prey.
Duin-in-die-weg : 054 741 0167
Sakkie se Arkie : 082 564 5447
Augrabies Falls National Park : 054 452 9200
Balloon on Augrabies : info@hotairballooningsa.co.za
Kalahari Water : 054 461 1521/2404
Augrabies Canoe Trails & River Rafting : 083 600 2360/083 519 5779
AugrabiesXstreamFlyfishing : 083 600 2360/083 519 5779
Bezalel Winery : 054 491 1325
Rekopane Wine Farm &Herbs : 082 492 4669
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