Steelpoort, a town ringed by some of South Africa’s largest platinum and chrome operations, hosted an unusual kind of gathering this week. Residents and local stakeholders came together at the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zone, designated in May this year, to hear what the new industrial hub could mean for their futures: a projected 8 000 jobs in the short to medium term, and potentially 20 000 over ten years.
The ministerial engagement brought national government, provincial government, local stakeholders, industry representatives and traditional leadership face to face. For the people in the room, the discussion went beyond policy. It was about whether the minerals extracted around them can finally create lasting value in the communities where they are mined.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau told investors and stakeholders that the Fetakgomo-Tubatse zone is part of a wider national story. Across the country, Special Economic Zones are already home to 234 private companies with a combined investment value of more than R47 billion, and the programme has created 134 478 jobs, of which 32 904 are permanent. Looking ahead, 141 companies have committed to invest in various zones with a combined value of over R548 billion, expected to create more than 60 000 permanent jobs once operational.
That success, Tau said, has not gone unnoticed by investors, who have shown confidence both in the zones and in South Africa as a viable investment destination. He described the zone’s designation in May as an important milestone in the industrial development trajectory of Limpopo and the country.
For communities in Steelpoort, the geography of the zone matters. Tau explained that it sits between the Lion and Samancor ferrochrome smelters, surrounded by major platinum and chrome operations, and has been planned for a specific purpose: mineral processing, metal fabrication, manufacturing, renewable energy, and the logistics and services that support them. Few places, he argued, make the case for beneficiation better than Steelpoort.
The zone carries a R52.6 billion investment pipeline. In human terms, that figure translates into the prospect of work and skills development for people living in and around the Steelpoort industrial hub. Tau said the zone is positioned to support mineral beneficiation, manufacturing, renewable energy and related industrial activities.
Provincial government is also putting money behind the vision. Speaking on behalf of Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba, the MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, Dr Tshitereke Matibe, said the province has committed R445 million towards infrastructure development. That investment, he said, demonstrates a commitment to laying the foundations needed to attract investors and support industrial operations.
Matibe framed the zone as a way for Limpopo to keep more of the value of its own resources. The provincial government’s vision, he said, is to ensure that minerals extracted in Limpopo create greater economic value within the province, moving increasingly towards processing, manufacturing and producing goods that strengthen domestic supply chains, support industrial competitiveness and create sustainable employment.
He emphasised that the zone offers a chance to deliver on the provincial government’s broader strategy: building an economy that creates jobs, develops skills, supports local enterprises and expands opportunities for the people who live where the zone is located and beyond. The provincial government, he added, remains steadfastly committed to the zone as a strategic instrument for industrialisation, investment attraction, job creation and inclusive growth.
Meanwhile, the national picture behind these local ambitions is one of deepening industrialisation on the continent, in line with the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Tau noted that newer zones, including Nkomazi, Fetakgomo-Tubatse and Musina Makhado, are designated to drive cross-border initiatives and mineral processing, and have already begun work on the bulk infrastructure needed to lay the groundwork for investment.
Underpinning all of it, Tau said, is a straightforward industrial policy: South Africa must process more of what it mines, manufacture more of what it uses, and export more of what it manufactures. For the communities of Steelpoort and the wider Fetakgomo-Tubatse area, the measure of that policy will be felt in the years ahead, in the jobs, skills and opportunities that take root where the zone now stands.