An Airport in the Central Karoo

Atkinson, D, Myles, P and Van Rooyen, D (2013), An Airport in the Central Karoo: The Feasibility and Potential Impacts of the Karoo Gateway Airport, Beaufort West. Unpublished commissioned report, Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein; Funded by the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands, Pretoria.   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  1. This report…

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The Koup Fencing Project: Community-led Job Creation in the Karoo

Nattrass, N, Conradie B and Conradie I (2014), The Koup Fencing Project: Community-led Job Creation in the Karoo, Sustainable Science Unit, Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town. CSSR Working Paper no. 345. Abstract This paper discusses a community-led fencing project in the Koup, an arid predominantly sheep farming district in the South…

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The tourism potential of Beaufort West

Van Staden, J-W and Marais, L (2005), The tourism potential of Beaufort West: a study based on visitor demand. Development Southern Africa Vol. 22, No. 2.   Abstract Tourism is increasingly viewed as a key strategy for promoting local economic development. The integrated development planning (IDP) process of the Beaufort West municipality on the north-eastern…

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Missing the uranium train

Van Rooyen, D (2012), “Missing the uranium train: Local economic development and civic culture in Beaufort West”, R Donaldson and L Marais (eds), Small Town Geographies in Africa: Experiences from South Africa and Elsewhere, Nova Press. (Author contact: griesd@ufs.ac.za; book for sale from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Geographies-Africa-Experiences/dp/162100001X).  

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Business confidence in a Karoo town

Van Rooyen, D (2011), “The U-turn: Business confidence in a Karoo town”, Southern African Business Review, vol. 15, no. 2, 2011.   ABSTRACT Business confidence helps explain the sentiments that business owners or managers have towards current and future business conditions. This article compares several ways of measuring business confidence. Business confidence is mostly surveyed…

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Beaufort West case study

Van Rooyen, D (2007), Beaufort West case study. Unpublished report, Centre for Development Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein. BACKGROUND – BRIEF HISTORY  The town of Beaufort West was established in 1818 on the farm Hooyvlakkte at the request of Lord Charles, Somerset, then governor of the Cape. The town was named in honour…

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