Northern Cape mines, factories and renewables must pull together, Presidency says
A Presidency broadcast sets out a vision of mining, renewable energy, industry and logistics reinforcing one another in the province with the country's biggest land area and smallest population.
The Presidency wants the Northern Cape’s mining, renewable energy, industrial and transport projects treated as one programme rather than a set of separate initiatives, arguing that only coordination will unlock the province’s economic potential.
In a broadcast published by The Presidency of South Africa (YouTube) alongside the inaugural Vedanta Zinc International Gamsberg Phase II expansion project, the Presidency set out a vision of a province where mineral extraction, renewable energy, industrial production and modern logistics reinforce one another.
It described the Northern Cape as the country’s biggest province by area with its smallest population, and said the aim is to see near full employment there. The broadcast acknowledged that growth on that scale would draw people in from other provinces in large numbers, and called that a good problem to have.
The Presidency framed the province’s future around new mines, factory opportunities, renewable energy supporting competitive industrial production, and improved transport infrastructure connecting producers to the rest of the country.
The central argument in the broadcast was that these projects must not remain separate. They should advance at their own pace while connecting to one another, forming an integrated development programme with clear responsibilities, coordinated investment and efficient implementation.
National government, provincial government, municipalities and state-owned enterprises must work together with the private sector, including companies such as Vedanta, for that vision to be realised, according to the broadcast. It also called for deliberate efforts to build new centres of economic activity beyond the country’s traditional industrial areas.
The broadcast does not set out timelines, investment figures, procurement arrangements or the specific responsibilities assigned to each sphere of government. It also does not name the speaker delivering the remarks.
The source is the Presidency’s own broadcast, published on its YouTube channel, and can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHI1JkZU824.
