THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE AT A GLANCE
The North West Province of South Africa is a land-locked province on the border of Botswana. The Province is bordered by Gauteng and the Limpopo Provinces in the east, the Northern Cape in the west, the Free State in the south and shares an international border with Botswana in the north. It is the sixth largest of the nine provinces in South Africa covering a total area of 116 320 kmē, making up 9,5% of the total surface area of South Africa.
Figure 1: Geographical location of the North West Province.
The climate of the Province is characterised by well-defined seasons with hot summers and cool sunny winters. The rainy season usually occurs from October to March. The climate and rainfall varies significantly from the more mountainous and wetter eastern region which receives between 600-700mm of rainfall per annum to the drier semi-desert plains of the Kalahari in the west with some areas receiving less than 300mm per annum. These figures are known to vary greatly from year to year. The province is almost malaria free with isolated cases occasionally being reported.
Geologically, the Province is comprised of the Bushveld Complex (north-eastern region); the Pilanesberg Complex (Pilanesberg); the Witwatersrand Super Group (east and south); the Dominion Group (between Ventersdorp and Klerksdorp); the Ventersdorp formation (Ventersdorp, Vryburg, Klerksdorp and Mafikeng, and Vredefort Dome); the Transvaal Sequence, made up of the Pretoria-Griquatown Group and the Olifants River-Campbell Rand Group (Ghaap Plateau and north of Ventersdorp, west of Mafikeng to the Rustenburg-Brits section); the Penge Formation (near Zeerust); the Pretoria Group (running westward from Lobatse).
In terms of soil types, large areas of yellow shifting sands occur in the north-west region, while a plinthic catena of yellowish-brown sandy loams can be found in the south and eastern regions. The central region has areas covered by red or brown non-shifting sands with rock. The south-western region also has areas characterised by undifferentiated rock and lithosols. The north-east has lithosols of arenaceous sediments. The southern and central regions have black and red clays as well as ferrisiallitic soils of sands, loams and clays. The western region is characterised by red and yellow arenosols while the south-west has calcareous sands and loams and arenaceous lithosols.
The Province is also the watershed of both the headwaters of the Limpopo River such as the Groot Marico River near Zeerust which flows east to the Indian Ocean and several tributaries of the Orange-Vaal River system such as the Molopo River which flow west towards the Atlantic Ocean. The North West Province is fortunate to have large groundwater reserves. The subterranean dolomitic compartments of the central region store large volumes of good quality water, which support the agriculture and domestic sectors. The arid western region also relies heavily on groundwater sources.
The variation in climate and landforms in the Province gives rise to rich tapestry of landscapes and vegetation types. This diversity ranges from the majestic Magaliesberg mountain range in the east to unique dolomitic springs, eyes and sinkholes dotted in the bushveld and savannah plains in the central region to the arid plains of the Kalahari in the far western region. Most of the Province (71%) falls within the Savannah Biome with its associated Bushveld vegetation. The remainder falls within the Grassland Biome, which contains a wide variety of grasses typical of arid areas. Within these two biomes, four distinct ecological zones have been identified: (i) highveld in the south-east, (ii) bushveld in the north-east, (iii) middleveld as a narrow zone between highveld and bushveld, and (iv) Kalahari desert in the west as a continuation of the middleveld. A total of ten different vegetation types are recognised, mostly belonging to the thornveld, bushveld or savannah grassland categories.
Biologically, the North West Province is home to a wide array of life forms, both aquatic and terrestrial. The impressive bird life of the savannah plains and the numerous species attracted to the seasonally inundated pans contribute to the rich avian diversity of the Province. Barberspan is the largest wetland, is an important breeding area for waterfowl and a declared RAMSAR site. The mountainous crags of the Magaliesberg provide nesting sites for several rare and endangered species such as the Cape Vulture. A wide variety of mammals are found in the Province such as leopards and roan and sable antelope. A number of reptile species are found in the Province, including the African Rock Python and Black Mamba. The plant life of the Province is equally diverse ranging from the rare Aloe peglerae in the Magaliesberg, a rich variety of grasses on the central plains and numerous arid adapted plants and acacias which make the Kalahari their home. The unique dolomitic ecosystems such as the Molopo and Groot Marico Eyes are home to several varieties of indigenous fish such as kurpers and aquatic invertebrates such as caddis and mayflies and seed shrimps that are found nowhere else in the world.
The Province is richly endowed with a long cultural and natural heritage, ranging from the Ramsar site of Barberspan, the Taung Skull child skull discovered in a limestone mine near Buxton in 1924, was identified as an early Australopithecus, evidence that modern day Homo sapiens evolved right here in Africa. Iron Age sites such as the Bahurutshe settlement of Kaditshwene near Zeerust bear testimony to the long history of trade amongst indigenous peoples dating back to pre-colonial times.
More recently, the first shots of the South African War of 1899-1902 were fired at Kraaipan in the North West Province. The Province has a number of other important battle sites from this conflict, such as the Elands River and the Province's capital is famous for surviving the six-month Siege of Mafikeng when the Boers besieged the town in October 1899. Renowned journalist and activist Sol Plaatjie played an instrumental role in assisting the British and Barolong people to victory.
The Province has a total population of 3.4 million (8,3 % of the national total). Demographically, the North West Province is home to a number of different peoples, possessing a rich variety of cultures and languages. Africans make up an estimated 91,2% of the population, with Batswana being the dominant people. The Batswana are comprised of a number of tribes namely the Barolong, Bakwena, Bahurutshe, Bafokeng and Bakgatla as well as a few other groups. People of European descent comprise 6,6%, while Coloureds and Asians make up 1,4% and 0,3% of the population respectively.
The North West Province is a predominantly rural province, with some 60% of the population living in rural areas, while the more populous industrial centres include Rustenburg, Brits and Ga-Rankuwa in the eastern region of the province. Mafikeng is the provincial capital and the seat of provincial government. Mafikeng was also the previous governing centre of the Bechuanaland Protectorate (prior to Botswana's independence from Britain in 1966), and later the administrative centre of the Bophuthatswana homeland (from 1978 to 1994). Other major urban centres include Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp in the south-east and Vryburg (Huhudi) in the west.
The North West Province currently comprises 4 new district municipalities and 21 local municipalities. This is a result of the recent local government restructuring, which has effectively reduced the number of districts and local municipalities by amalgamating the historically advantaged predominantly White municipalities with surrounding poor predominantly Black areas, many of which were previously homeland areas.
Figure 2: Map of the North West Province
The present status of land tenure is complex with the majority of land being privately owned. Approximately 10% is state-owned, and large areas are under tribal administration, particularly in the former Bophuthatswana homeland areas of eastern, central and Bophirima regions.
The North West Province is richly endowed with mineral resources such as platinum, gold, diamonds and chrome. The mining sector is dominated by large platinum mines and smelters in the Rustenburg area which produce an estimated 70% of the world's platinum as well as the gold mines of the Orkney and Klerksdorp areas. It is not surprising that mining forms the backbone of the provincial economy, contributing 42% to the GDP and 39% to the employment.
Agriculture is the next most important sector of the provincial economy, contributing 13% of the GDP and 18% of employment respectively. Crops such as maize, sunflowers and peanuts are extensively grown on the fertile plains of the central region. Cattle and game farming are prevalent in the western region of the Province.
Tourism in the North West Province is widely considered to have a major growth potential. The rich variety of natural and cultural heritage and a network of well managed national and provincial parks and nature reserves such as Pilanesberg and Madikwe, which boast the "Big Five", already attract large numbers of tourists from within the country and from the continent and further abroad.
However, despite being blessed with such a rich array of natural resources, the North West Province is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. The provincial gross geographic product (GGP) R 3 964 per person is well below the national average of R 6 498. The Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality, is above 0.6 in the Province, placing it among the most unequal regions in the world.
The estimated unemployment rate is 38%, slightly higher than the national average in South Africa. Unemployment rate among women is above 50%. Some 30% of the adult population are illiterate, the highest figure among all provinces in South Africa. Rural poverty and rural-urban income differences aggravate the social problems, which often break up in the form of violence, crime and high rates of HIV infection, estimated to be between 30-40% among some population groups. Urban poor and migrant labour of the mines is frequently lacking safe and healthy accommodation. Only 27% of African households in the Province have access to safe drinking water.
Poverty reduction through economic development and social programmes is a provincial priority. However, this necessary economic development may further degrade the environment if integrated environmental management (IEM) principles are not adhered to. Therefore, adequate environmental standards, respective licensing and permit systems (including Environmental Impact Assessments of economic development projects), adequate compliance monitoring and control are crucial environmental management requirements to ensure sustainable development.
National policy and legal frameworks are basically adequate and in place, although fragmented and difficulties in implementation at the local level have been experienced. The three-tier system of government comprising national, provincial and district and local municipalities is in place in the Province, with each sphere having separate, but sometimes overlapping roles and responsibilities.