THE eastern limb of the bushveld complex mining belt is emerging as an important structuring element of the Greater Tubatse Municipality’s town of Burgersfort, which will be increasingly dominant in the region in future.
Municipal spokesperson, Thabiso Mokoena, said the mining activities would affect mainly the western quadrant of the study area.
“With a number of mining activities throughout the local municipality more pressure is exacted on the provision of housing and infrastructure needs, the existence of the nodal point in Mecklenburg, Driekop, Burgersfort and Steelpoort, further adds to the housing and infrastructure provision needs,” he explained.
He said it was expected that retail and service businesses would respond to the opening of mines and the development of housing by also locating close to these areas.
“In time, this may eventually alter the current fragmented spatial pattern by creating few large urban settlements, if the expected scale of mining activities materialise,” he said.
He further said the proposed Dikolong SDI corridor, which builds on the energy generated by the new mines like Marula, Twickenham, and Modikwa, is starting to exhibit how the location of the platinum group metal will reconfigure the spatial structure of municipality.
“The anticipated housing, rental and industrial development in Burgersfort and Steelpoort will reinforce these two towns as the focus of urban development in Burgersfort.
In fact the anticipated development will transform the two small towns beyond recognition,” Mokoena said.
