John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality

The John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality is the municipality formerly known as Kgalagadi.

The District Municipality, which comprises three local municipalities and 186 towns and settlements of which the majority (80%) are villages, was officially renamed after John Taolo Gaetsewe, the late freedom fighter and trade unionist on 6 December 2008. The boundaries of this district were demarcated in 2006 to include the once North Western part of Moshaweng and Olifantshoek and surrounds into the Gamagara Local Municipality.

The John Taolo Gaetsewe Municipal Area is characterised by a mixture of land uses of which agriculture and mining are dominant. The district was declared a rural node in 2000.

Main industries

Mining
This district was the richest mining region in the Northern Cape until a decline in mining employment and the near extinction of the asbestosmining industry in the 1980s. Today, minerals mined include manganese ore, iron ore and tiger's eye. The Sishen iron-ore mine is one of the largest open-cast mines in the world and the iron-ore railway from Sishen to Saldanha is one of the longest iron-ore carriers in the world.

Agriculture
The rural land in the district is used extensively for cattle, sheep, goat and game farming. The area is well known for its good commercial hunting in the winter.

Tourism
The district holds potential as a viable tourism destination. Attractions include:

  • The Eye: the biggest natural fountain in the southern hemisphere, procliamed a national monument in 1992.
  • Wonderwerk Cave: one of the longest-inhabited caves in the world, with San rock paintings in areas near its mouth.
  • Sishen Golf Club: Kathu is home to one of the most attractive golf courses in the country.
  • Khai Apple Recreation Resort: situated in the Gamagara Municipality, the resort offers outstanding accommodation, camping and caravanning facilities, fishing and horse riding.
  • Game hunting: old limestone farmsteads, a feature of the Kalahari landscape, have been converted into hunting lodges with excellent accommodation and game-processing facilities.
  • Moffat Mission: established in 1820 by Scottish missionary, Robert Moffat, in Kuruman, the mission church was declared a national monument in 1993.

District Growth and Development Strategy
The District Growth and Development Strategy (DGDS) aims to provide a framework for sustainable growth and economic development for the district over the next 10 years. The strategy establishes the basis from which the District Programme of Action is negotiated in collaboration with other stakeholders in the district. It forms a yardstick from which progress and achievements are monitored and evaluated.

The DGDS is guided by national- and provincialpolicy thrusts, identified for the next 10 years. It seeks to achieve balanced development of economic sectors and spatial localities in accordance with the needs and potential of the people. It is also aimed at targeted investments in the second economy in the district, with the aim of offering opportunities to people in skills development, employment and an improved quality of life.

At the DGDS summit that took place in March 2007, the district declared its commitment towards the national and provincial targets and objectives as contained in Vision 2014. These targets are part of the objectives of the districts 2008/09 Integrated Development Plan. They are as follows:

  • Maintain an average provincial annual growth rate of between 4% and 6%
  • Halve the unemployment rate by 2014
  • Reduce the number of households living in absolute poverty by 5% per annum
  • Improve the literacy rate by 50% by 2014
  • Reduce infant mortality by two thirds by 2014
  • Reduce maternal mortality by two thirds by 2014
  • Provide shelter for all by 2014 o Provide clean water to all in the district by 2008
  • Reduce crime by 10% by 2014
  • Stabilise the prevalence of HIV and Aids and begin the reverse by 2014
  • Redistribute 30% of productive agricultural land to historically disadvantaged individuals by 2015
  • Conserve and protect 6.5% of the district's valuable biodiversity by 2014
  • Provide adequate infrastructure for economic growth and development by 2014

Expanded Public Works Programme
For the 2008/09 financial year, the refurbishment of schools in the district will receive priority under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The Department of Transport, Roads and Public Works allocated a total of R5-million for this purpose.

It is expected that, as in past financial years, funds will be allocated halfway through the financial year for the cleaning of roads and government properties. An estimated R500 000 will be allocated to this.

Also, all the road-upgrade projects done by the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality are within the principles of the EPWP and are also considered EPWP projects.

Key facts and figures
Local municipalities covered: Gamagara Municipality, Ga-Segonyana Municipality, Moshaweng Local Municipality
Population: 191 537
Area covered: 27 283km˛
Major towns: Kuruman, Kathu, Sishen, Vanzylsrus

Key infrastructure
Main roads: N14
Railways: Rail network between Black Rock and Dibeng, and from Sishen South
Airport: Kathu


CONTACT DETAILS
Key personnel:
Mr SB Gaobusiwe, Mayor

Physical address: 4 Federale Mynbou Street, Kuruman 8460
Postal address: PO Box 1480, Kuruman 8460
Tel: +27 53 712 1001
Fax: +27 53 712 2502
Website: www.kgalagadi.gov.za

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