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Fetakgomo Tubatse municipality still working on establishing a city – Mayor
Fetakgomo Tubatse executive mayor, Eddie Maila, and his council are aiming to turn the mining town of Burgersfort into a city.
Source: Supplied
Sizwe sama Yende
In nearly 20 years’ time, the chrome and platinum mining town of Burgersfort in Limpopo should be a developed modern city with visible impact on poverty.
The City Development Strategy (Vision 2043) is still pretty much the blueprint that the Fetakgomo Tubatse local municipality continues to follow in pursuit of turning the area around.
Investing in infrastructural development is pivotal in realising this vision, said Fetakgomo Tubatse mayor, Eddie Maila, when delivering the State of the Local Municipality Address on Thursday.
“The Municipal `s planning is moving towards that goal, and we want the mindset of our community to move into the same thinking as ours. Our quest for a city is underpinned by the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and social inequality which must confront at all costs. The development of the City will bring much investment which will grow the economy and address socio-economic challenges,” Maila said.
The council approved the strategy in 2043, and the municipality, in conjunction with the provincial and national government, has laid some plans to develop infrastructure.
Maila said that as part of the broader plans to build a City, the municipality embarked on a programme to acquire land for development for Mashifane Development Park.
This will be a mixed development project that will cater for residential, commercial and office park purposes.
“The bid for the appointment of contractors for roads and stormwater at Mashifane Park has closed and soon, we shall introduce the contractors to the community to commence with their work,” Maila said.
In 2024, Maila said, the municipality was allocated R58 million through Neighbourhood Development Programme Grant and the allocation was utilised for the water and sewer reticulation in the Mashifane Park development.
“Once the reticulation has been completed, the municipality will begin with the process of disposing sites through sale,” he said.
The council has, furthermore, divided the municipality into six service regions – namely – Apel, Ohrigstad, Mapodile, Steelpoort, Praktiseer and Burgersfort town. These region aim to facilitate access to services for all residents closer to their homes.
Other projects boosting the municipality’s vision is the upgrading of the Burgersfort Taxi rank to enable it to meet increasing volumes of public transport users.
“The municipality held several meetings with taxi associations who were raising issues regarding the status of the Burgersfort taxi rank. The town has grown, and the current facilities do not have the capacity to carry the volume of passengers and the vehicles,” Maila said.
He said that the municipality would upgrade the taxi rank while finalising plans for the intermodal facility that will accommodate all forms of passenger transport.
Fetakgomo Tubatse Special Economic Zone (SEZ)
Maila said that on 10 April 2025, the Department of Trade Industry and Competition conducted public participation hearings at Steelpoort industrial park solicit communities inputs for the designation of the SEZ.
“We can report that work on the Special Economic Zone site is continuing and the construction of fence is at an advanced. Other infrastructural projects will be implemented once the fence is completed,” Maila said.
The Fetakgomo Tubatse SEZ will see the area adding low-carbon green economy among its already existing industries to mitigate climate change caused by fossil fuels while simultaneously maintaining energy security for existing industries to keep operating.
Located in an industrial hub hemmed in two huge mining establishments, the Samancor and Lion Ferrochrome smelter, the SEZ is in a strategic place.
It’s strategic aim is to develop a supply of green primary energy such clean hydrogen and solar of both downstream and upstream activities of the platinum group metals and chrome value chains. In fact, this SEZ is envisioned as both a consumer and producer of hydrogen with a potential to drive industrialisation and beneficiation of mining outputs.
Maila said that Limpopo premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, conducted a sod -turning ceremony for the construction of 100-megawatt Solar Park at Steelpoort next to Samancor Smelter.
“The construction of the Solar Park will create many job and business opportunities and most of the residents will benefit. The completed Solar project will add capacity on the grid and serve as clean and enviro-friendly alternative source of energy,” he said.