Page 52 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 23

Economy
test of time or the scrutiny of
scientific definition of objective
reality. The community of
economic life is the major
feature within a nation, and
it is the economy which holds
together the people living in
a territory. It is on this basis
that the new Africans recognise
themselves as potentially one
nation, whose dominion is the
entire African continent” –
Kwame Nkrumah
Nkrumah also said this:
“It is clear that we must find
an African solution to our
problems, and that this can
only be found in African unity.
Divided we are weak; united,
Africa could become one of the
greatest forces for good in the
world.”
As manufacturing is the basis
of Musina- Makhado SEZ, it
will be able to provide not just
productive employment but
opportunities for high quality
skills in engineering. It will very
importantly provide windows
to SMMEs (small, micro and
medium enterprises) within
an entire chain of production,
processing, logistics and sales.
Value addition has a multiplying
effect on the economy because
more jobs will be created along
the value chain for those who
will be offering services to
the core operations within the
sector.
52 | we tell the true afrikan story
Limpopo Province, where
Musina-Makhado SEZ will
be built, is one of the most
beautiful of South Africa`s 9
provinces. It is the northern
most province which borders on
Zimbabwe, Mozambique and
Botswana. It is named after the
Limpopo River. The province
has a wealth of historical and
cultural treasures including the
Mapungubwe National Park,
site of the late medieval citadel
of Mapungubwe. The provincial
capital is Polokwane. Sepedi
is the most widely spoken
language among the population
of 5 941 439.
Limpopo Province is 125
755km2 making it roughly
the size of Greece which is
131 957km2. The original
plan for Musina-Makhado is
approximately 60km2.
Limpopo Province is rich in
many minerals including:
platinum, iron ore, chromium,
manganese, diamonds,
antimony, phosphate, copper,
black granite, conundrum,
feldspar and coking coal.
A variety of fruits and nuts
are grown on a large scale
including macadamia nuts,
bananas, papaya and mangoes.
The agricultural produce from
the area is of a particularly high
standard.
SADC
The South African Development
Community is southern Africa`s
regional bloc. It is comprised
of 16 member states including
some of the world`s largest
exporters of raw minerals.
Around 70% of the world`s
cobalt is mined in DRC. The
DRC and Zambia are the 3th
and 4th largest exporters of raw
copper ore, the profits for which
end up in Switzerland.
THE FORCES AGAINST
Plans to build the industrial
zone are going ahead despite
opposition from environmental
lobby groups. These are based
on concerns about pollution and
production of CO2 as well as
water use. Discourse on green
energy and Climate Change
mitigation is largely being
driven in South Africa through
NGOs funded by the German
based institute Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung Foundation. ( please
review article by PD Lawton
`Why Green Germans Want to
Kill Africans` and `Now They
Blame the Energy Minister`)
The environmental lobby has
attacked the Musina Makhado
project from the start. African
Centre for Citizenship and
Democracy (ACCEDE) is a
research group at the University
of the Western Cape. It is
sponsored by Friedrich Ebert
Stiftung which in turn sponsors
NGOs such as EarthLife .
Such organizations oppose