Tshwane has bold vision for development

TSHWANE, one of the largest metropolitan areas in SA, is opening a new chapter by developing the municipality into a first-class destination for visitors, investors and residents with a long ranging development vision.

Tshwane will soon compete with Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban by building its own international convention centre in Centurion and is also planning to build a government boulevard to house government departments in the central business district (CBD).

By building the convention centre, the city wants to attract the lucrative conference market in the city, which is home to 132 embassies and four universities. By investing in infrastructure, the city aims to attract more businesses, and prevent government departments from moving into other areas such as Lynnwood and Hatfield.

In an interview on Friday, mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said previously the vision of the city was short term and not long ranging.

He has identified a number of multimillion rand capital projects, including the rehabilitation of Centurion Lake as part of a larger Centurion SymbioCity project.

His most ambitious plan is the Centurion node, which is positioned within the development corridors linking Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni and therefore will be a major player in the proposed high intensity developments which are destined to take place in the region.

The project on 10ha of prime land near the Gautrain Centurion station, includes creating the tallest building in Africa - at 110 storeys high. The proposed Centurion SymbioCity will feature two office towers, and include hotels, retail facilities, a convention centre and residential space. The project could take anything up to eight years to complete.

This would position the city to be the best among the three metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng.

Mr Ramokgopa said Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni were the extremities of the "golden economic triangle of Gauteng" and the metropolitan municipality needed to claim its rightful place.

"We are now changing that by having a long ranging vision and we have taken a decision to invest in the rejuvenation of the city. We want to create a government boulevard and move away from our previous conservative approach to investment and be aggressive and maximise opportunities that are available."

In the Pretoria CBD, plans are already under way to stop vehicle movements around Church Square by creating pedestrian sidewalks, bus rapid transport (brT) and improving security. The section of Paul Kruger Street between the Pretoria Railway Station, passing through Church Square, and the Pretoria Zoo, would be upgraded to demonstrate how the city intends to adapt, shape and improve the inner city to be more accommodating for nonmotorised commuting.

The first brT station would be constructed in Hatfield by the end of next month and the process of procuring buses is in progress.

"What people don’t realise is that security is very important for any city to operate efficiently. We are also a seat of four universities and there is a huge demand for student accommodation, so we want to provide family units in the CBD for master's students who are studying here."