Geography, History & Economy
Sedibeng District Municipality comprises:
- Emfuleni Local Municipality
- Lesedi Local Municipality
- Midvaal Local Municipality
MDB code: DC42
Description: The Sedibeng District Municipality is a Category C municipality situated on the southern tip of the Gauteng Province and strategically located on the border of three other provinces, namely Free State, North West and Mpumalanga.
The municipality is the only area in the province that is situated on the banks of the Vaal River and Vaal Dam, covering the area formerly known as the Vaal Triangle. The municipality is a stones throw from Johannesburg along the scenic Vaal, Klip and Suikerbos Rivers. It is comprised of the Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal Local Municipalities, and includes the historic townships of Evaton, Sebokeng, Boipatong, Bophelong, Sharpeville and Ratanda, which have a rich political history and heritage.
It has a variety of attractions offering a vast cultural heritage and historical experience including, among others, the political breakthroughs that led to the country’s political turnabout. The Sedibeng region boasts several Heritage Sites related to the South African War of 1899-1902 and the two World Wars that followed. The Sharpeville Memorial Precinct stands as a reminder of the Sharpeville Massacre of 21 March 1960, when 69 people lost their lives while protesting the pass laws of the then apartheid South Africa.
Sedibeng is the fourth-largest contributor to the Gauteng economy. The predominant economic sector in the district is the manufacturing of fabricated metal and chemicals. In the metal sector, the Arcelor-Mittal Steel plant, the Cape Gate Davsteel Wire and Steel plant, and the Ferromanganese plant of Samancor are the three main large baseline plants in the district, while DCDDorbyl Heavy Engineering is the biggest manufacturer of engineered products in Southern Africa.
The well-developed national road network that cuts across the district to all the provinces ensures that the region remains the industrial centre of the Gauteng Province. The municipality is 40km away from Johannesburg and 80km away from Pretoria, without the high traffic volumes.
The municipality offers the best opportunity for growth and development as a result of availability of land for both residential and commercial development in a picturesque and tranquil setting. The Vaal University of Technology and the North-West University’s Vaal Campus offer a wide range of graduates that provide the bulwark of employees for business and industries that seek to set up operations in Sedibeng.
Area: 4 173km²
Cities/Towns: De Deur/Walkerville, Devon, Eikenhof, Evaton, Heidelberg, Meyerton, Nigel, Sebokeng, Vaal Marina, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging, Vischkuil
Main Economic Sectors: Manufacturing (30.8%), government (17.8%), business services (17.8%), trade (13.7%)