Die bedreiging van 'n dorp se ekonomiese basis vereis pro-aktiewe optrede: Vryheid as gevallestudie

Abstract

The economic growth potential of vari­ous towns in South Africa depends on only a few economic activities. The lack of a broad or diversified economic base holds certain risks, since a decrease in these core activities might lead to economic stagnation and decline in a town or city. Vryheid is a typical example of a town in which the economy is largely based on a single industry, namely mining. Due to vari­ous factors, mining in Vryheid is cur­rently under pressure and indications are that this trend will gain momentum in future. This has particular implica­tions with regard to the economic growth and development of the town. The purpose of this article is to show how Vryheid, through the pro-active actions of its local board and commu­nity leaders, succeeded in identifying alternative growth and development possibilities to compensate fo r the decline in mining activities. The suc­cess achieved by Vryheid should in no way be regarded as a blueprint for other communities, but might serve as an example as to how similar problems might be handled elsewhere.
*This article is written in Afrikaans.