Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay Local Municipality is on the west coast of the West Coast District Municipality (WCDM), 100km from Cape Town by sea and 185km by land.
Saldanha Bay is the largest natural bay in South Africa. Its sheltered harbour plays an important part in the huge Sishen-Saldanha iron ore project at which Saldanha Steel, a state of the art steel mill, takes centre stage.
The business opportunities in the lucrative market of the oil and gas industry are prevalent along the west coast of Africa with the facilities and infrastructure at Saldanha Bay.Five major projects are being planned in the area over the next 20 years to expand the port economy by increasing its bulk capacity, building a renewable energy plant, exploiting its oil and gas potential and undertaking a huge housing project.
Saldanha Bay is the largest contributor to the district’s economic output, relying mainly on secondary activities such as processing and transport, rather than the mainly primary sector-driven economies of the other local municipalities in the district. The major sectors of the municipality include:
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Manufacturing
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Transport and communications
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Wholesale, retail and tourism
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Agriculture, forestry and fishing
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Finance and business services