Transportation

• The provincial government will spend more than R1.5-billion on road infrastructure in 2009/10

Limpopo’s location in the heart of Southern Africa and on the region’s busiest highway puts it in the pound seats when it comes to transport and logistics. Similarly, Polokwane’s newly upgraded international
airport is strategically placed for easy access to the whole region.

Polokwane is 300km north of the main markets of the region in greater Johannesburg and 200km south of Zimbabwe, a country with which South Africa does a great deal of trade. This advantageous location has lead to global logistics companies such as DHL setting up headquarters in Polokwane.

The positive national trend in the transport and logistics sector in 2009 was reflected in improved share prices of transport groups, as reported by Business Day in November. Companies like Imperial and Grindrod saw their share prices rise between 80 and 100% in the period from March to November. Positive factors were the improved general economic outlook, the anticipated recovery of car sales and better
freight volumes.

Infrastructure
The provincial government of Limpopo is spending heavily on improving infrastructure within the province. Specific amounts allocated to infrastructure development within departmental votes for the 2009/10 budget include: education(R852.8-million); agriculture (R153.1-million); health (R714.6-million); roads and transport (R1.546-billion); local government and housing (R939.6-million); public works (R68.8-million).

Schools, hospitals, roads, water and housing will all continue to be priorities over the next few years and this will stimulate the construction sector. Work opportunities through these initiatives and the Expanded Public Works Programme will contribute to reducing unemployment. The
Limpopo provincial government has adopted an Infrastructure Delivery Improvement Programme (IDIP) intended to improve planning, expenditure and quality of work delivered.

Roads
Maintenance and development of roads in the province is a matter of vital importance, not only in keeping the long-distance trucks on course in delivering their goods to and from South Africa’s northern neighbours, but in supporting the mining, agricultural and tourism sectors that are
the lifeblood of the province.

The main artery of the province, the N1 highway, is a national asset and as such is maintained by the National Roads Agency on behalf of the national government. However, the high traffic volumes generated by the N1 often spill off onto smaller provincial and city roads and this puts pressure on the maintenance capabilities of these authorities.

Roads Agency Limpopo (of the Department of Roads and Transport) has spent more than R5-billion on its mandate since its creation in
1999. Apart from tarring roads and maintenance, at least 20 bridges have been built.

A priority is to upgrade the R33 road network servicing the Medupi power plant in the province’s north-west.

Rail
The national rail line runs a similar route to the N1 from Johannesburg and Pretoria through to Zimbabwe. There are also other rail lines running in the east and west, primarily as a means to get raw materials from the mines in the province to the various processing plants and local and international departure points.

A luxury tourist train (Premier Classe) runs between Johannesburg and Hoedspruit via Nelspruit once a week.

Air
The Polokwane International Airport (PIA) is wholly owned by the provincial government and run by the Gateway Airport Authority Limited
(GAAL), an agency of the Department of Roads and Transport. The airport has undergone a R35-million upgrade and has been transformed into a regional hub. It has the potential to be Southern Africa’s ideal cargo airport.

PIA is well located to serve as a regional cargo hub, nestled between Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the rest of South Africa.
Polokwane offers an attractive alternative to OR Tambo International, for both freight and passenger services.

The airport has recently welcomed the addition of a new terminal building, and is spending R5-million preparing an additional hangar to serve as an extended terminal during the World Cup. New parking areas are being constructed for the general public, as well as designated areas for busses, taxis and VIPs. PIA will also serve as a parking airport for any overflow that Johannesburg experiences during the tournament.

A future development plan envisages the extension of the runways and the development of Aerocity which will contain, among other things, offices, a hotel, a trade fair and free zone area and a cargo-handling and logistics hub.

Many game reserves have airstrips and regional airports in the eastern part of the province provide easy access to the Kruger National Park. Eastgate Airport at Hoedspruit is situated within an airforce base and has the second-longest runway in South Africa, long enough to serve as an emergency landing area for space shuttles. Phalaborwa’s airport is notable for its African-themed terminal which includes a zebra-patterned floor. Musina, near the border with Zimbabwe in the north, has the province’s other regional airport.

Public transport
Domestically, a large proportion of Limpopo’s population relies on public transport as their primary means of getting around. The 2009/10 provincial budget allocated R174-million as a public sector operations grant to bus operators. The Limpopo Economic Development Enterprise
(LimDev) runs the Great North Transport company, which runs more than 500 passenger busses and transports approximately 36 million passengers every year.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Airports Company South Africa: www.acsa.co.za
Air Traffic and Navigation Services: www.atns.co.za
Civil Aviation Authority: www.caa.co.za
Eastgate Airport: www.eastgateairport.co.za
Great North Transport: www.limdev.co.za
Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport: www.ldrt.gov.za
Railroad Association of South Africa: www.rra.co.za
Roads Agency Limpopo: www.ral.co.za
South Africa Bus Operators Association: www.saboa.co.za
South African National Roads Agency Limited: www.nra.co.za
South African Rail Commuter Corporation Limited: www.sarcc.co.za

















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