North West
The North-West province has as its northern neighbour the Republic of Botswana. Rolling fields of maize, golden sunflowers and vast areas of bushveld covered in thorn trees stretch as far as the eye can see.
It is one of the smaller provinces and is completely landlocked. At present, it has no major airport, but has strong functional links with Gauteng.
Mafikeng, the capital of the province, boasts a variety of striking and contemporary African buildings which incorporate Tswana designs and colours. Other important towns in the North-West include Klerksdorp, Orkney and Stilfontein, which are the three most important centres of gold and uranium production; Potchefstroom, established north of the Vaal River in 1838, Rustenburg and Brits, an important irrigation agricultural area with its adjacent industrial growth point, Garankuwa.
The North-West falls almost entirely within the Savannah biome (Bushveld), with the exception of the southern part which is part of the Grassland biome.
Some of the biggest tourist attractions of the province are the Pilanesberg National Park, the Madikwe Game Reserve, Sun City and the Lost City.
The People
About 3,4 million people reside in the North-West on some 116 320 km² of land. The main languages spoken here are Setswana, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa. The human resource development levels in this province are low, with 22,7 per cent of adults never having received any schooling.
The North-West has two universities – Potchefstroom University and the University of the North-West.
Agriculture
The North-West is one of the most important food baskets of South Africa. The Bushveld areas are almost subtropical, while the western area is semi-desert. Maize, sunflower and groundnuts are the biggest crops. Some of the largest cattle herds in the world are found near Vryburg. Marico is also cattle country. The areas around Rustenburg and Brits are fertile mixed-crop farming land. Crops include tobacco, citrus, paprika, wheat, peppers, cotton and sunflowers.
This is a summer-rainfall region with violent thunderstorms and summer rainstorms are often coupled with hail.
Mining and industry
Mining plays a dominant role in the economy of the province, contributing some 55 per cent of its GGP and employing a quarter of the labour force.
Diamonds are mined at Lichtenburg, Koster, Christiana and Bloemhof, while Orkney and Klerksdorp have rich gold-mines.
The area around Rustenburg and Brits is the largest single platinum production area in the world. Marble is also mined here, but mainly in Taung, noted for its variety and high quality. Fluorspar is mined at Zeerust.
Industry in the area is centred around the towns of Brits, Klerksdorp, Vryburg and Rustenburg. The Brits industries concentrate mostly on manufacturing and construction, while those at Klerksdorp are geared for the mining industry, and those at Vryburg and Rustenburg for agriculture.
The North-West’s economy, with the exception of the mines, is characterised by small, medium and micro-enterprises.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capital: Mafikeng
Principal languages Setswana 67,2%, Afrikaans 7,5%, IsiXhosa 5,4%
Basic statistics
Population 3,355 million
% of total 8,3%
Area (km2) 116 320
% of total 9,5%
GGP* at current prices (1994) R21,252 million
% of total GDP** 5,56%
*GGP (gross geographical product) = GDP of a region
** GDP (gross domestic product)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Source: GCIS: South Africa Yearbook)