JB Marks Local Municipality (NW405)

Description: The JB Marks Local Municipality is a Category B municipality situated within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West Province. It is the largest municipality of three in the district, making up almost half its geographical area. It was established by the amalgamation of the Ventersdorp and Tlokwe City Council Local Municipalities in August 2016.

The N12 route that connects Johannesburg and Cape Town via the city of Kimberley runs through the municipality. The main railway route from Gauteng to the Northern and Western Cape also runs through one of the municipality’s main cities, Potchefstroom. The City is 145km south-east of OR Tambo International Airport but has its own airfield, which can accommodate bigger aircraft and was formerly a military air base.

Gold mining is the dominant economic activity in the district, with Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp being the only exceptions. While Ventersdorp to the north-west of Potchefstroom focuses on agricultural activity, Potchefstroom’s economic activity is driven by services and manufacturing. A big role-player in the provision of services in Potchefstroom is the world-class North-West University, which has its main campus in Potchefstroom.

Potchefstroom’s industrial zone has many companies, focusing mainly on the industries of steel, food and chemicals, with big entities such as King Korn, Kynoch, Naschem and the Soya Protein Process (SPP) company. Within the city centre, the infrastructure of Potchefstroom supports roughly 600 businesses.