Gert Sibande Demographics
Gert Sibande District Municipality is one of the 3 Districts which constitutes Mpumalanga Province. It has 7 local municipalities under it, i.e. Chief Albert Luthuli LM, Dipaleseng LM, Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, Govan Mbeki LM, Lekwa LM, Mkhondo LM, Msukaligwa LM. It is the largest of the 3 Districts in land mass covering 40% of the whole of Mpumalanga. The population of the district is 1 135 409, which makes it the less populous out of the 3 Districts.
The Gert Sibande District Municipality is an economic hub for mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism. It is also a home for huge industries such as Sasol, Eskom, Mondi and other gold and coal mines. The district economic activity is predominantly concentrated within the urban / industrial complex formed by Secunda, Evander, Kinross, and Trichardt (Govan Mbeki LM). However, other areas of economic importance are distributed throughout the district includes Ermelo, Piet Retief, Standerton, Carolina, Balfour and Elukwatini.
GSDM has a strong economy within the region, which is predominantly mining, the coal belt starts from Govan Mbeki, Msukaligwa & Mkhondo & Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme local municipalities and gold deposits from Govan Mbeki to Dipaleseng local municipality. The district’s forestry stretches from Mkhondo, Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme & Chief Albert Luthuli local municipality where most agricultural activities like farming of cattle & sheep breeding and maize production.
The district also hosts one of the largest petro-chemical industries in the country (SASOL) and 4 ESKOM coal powered stations.
The Gert Sibande District Municipality’s economy is made up of various industries. The mining and manufacturing sectors are strong economic drivers in the district and have a significant presence in Govan Mbeki LM. Manufacturing activities are naturally clustered in proximity to the main concentrations of natural resources. Large scale manufacturing activities generated in the region include petro-chemical and coal as the major energy source. The service-related sectors of trade, transport, finance and community services are dominant economic drivers in Lekwa and Msukaligwa.
Poplulation
Youth population (0-34 years)
Elderly population (60+ years)
Kilometers region covers