Kimberley shines up

More than 100 years ago there was a mad rush to Kimberley in Northern Cape for diamonds.

Of late there has been yet another flood of people into South Africa's most sparsely populated province - sparked by several developments that include a new university, iron and manganese mines and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project.

This has ignited a property explosion in the province.

"There is a huge property boom happening. Wherever you go, you see housing complexes going up - townhouses, RDP houses," said Sharon Steyn, CEO of the Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce.

"It is fantastic and exciting times for us."

She said the Sol Plaatje University was set to accommodate as many as 15000 students by the middle of next year.

Mafu Davids, spokesman for Premier Sylvia Lucas, welcomed the economic development.

"Hopefully it will attract other investors and this will add value and help stimulate growth and development," Davids said.

Real estate company Seeff said it was struggling to meet the demand for property.

Principal for the greater Upington area, André Mostert, said 850 property transactions in Kimberley worth about R692-million had been recorded in the last year. Upington transactions totalled R200-million, a 48% increase in a year.

Mostert said there was a pressing shortage of affordable homes in Upington, but two residential developments now under construction would ease demand.

A three-bedroomed and air-conditioned home in the new complexes will go for R1.05-million.

"The boom was kickstarted by the opening of new iron ore and manganese mines in the last three years that led to an influx of people and business growth to serve the sector and new residents, especially housing," said Myra Schonken of Seeff Kimberley.

"The Sol Plaatje University, the first in the province, opened this year and Phakalane Airways has introduced flights between Kimberley and Upington and to Calvinia, De Aar, Kuruman, Sishen and Lanseria on a non-scheduled basis," Schonken said.

"Near Carnavon, the first of 64 antennas of MeerKAT, the SKA project, launched a month ago."

Northern Cape has a population of just over 1.145million.

The newly opened Kalahari Mall in Upington, with 70 retailers, is billed as the area's "own super- regional" shopping centre.