There is the abundance of precious mineral deposit in a North-south direction on west part of the
study area. The mining related development follows the eastern limb of the bushveld complex from
the der Brochen in the south to Twickenham mines in the north and beyond the local authority boundary.
The eastern limb of the bushveld complex (mining belt) is emerging as important structuring element of
the GTM spatial development, which will be increasingly dominant in future.
The Mining activities will 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 add to the housing and infrastructure provision needs. It is expected that retail and the service
businesses will 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.
The proposed Dikolong SDI corridor which builds on the energy generated by the new mines viz, Marula,
Twickenham, Modikwa starts to exhibits how the location of the platinum group metal is to reconfigure the
spatial structure of GTM. The anticipated housing, rental and industrial development in Burgersfort and
Steelpoort will reinforce these two towns as foci of urban development in GTM. In fact
the anticipated development will transform the two small towns beyond recognition.
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