Gauteng Business 2016 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE The

SPECIAL FEATURE The Gauteng City regions approach is to use land owned by government and earmark the location of specific sectors and industries in the five development corridors of our province as follows: The Central Development Corridor The Central Development Corridor, will embrace much of Johannesburg and Soweto, and will be the hub of finance, services, information and communications technology (ICT) and pharmaceutical industries. Joburg’s competitive environment with global high-tech compa- AS MORE PEOPLE MIGRATE FROM RURAL AREAS INTO CITY NODES IN SEARCH FOR EMPLOYMENT, MANAGEMENT OF URBAN DYNAMICS BY PLANNING EXPERTS AND VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS WILL ENSURE THAT CITIZENS ARE POSITIONED CLOSER TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY nies and pharmaceutical industry will continue to thrive under the continued efforts of the City, provincial government and private sector. Investment funding from these sources to the value of R10- million over the next five years will see the central business district and inner city regenerated. Neglected areas that have experienced significant deindustrialisation and decline will be restored. Revitalising the CBD with better buildings, cleaner streets and greener open spaces as a liveable and sustainable city, will stimulate an appetite for future investment by banks, mining houses, state-owned enterprises and other major companies. BRICS regional development bank will be positioned in the Central corridor as a model beacon of African investment. The City of Joburg is spending R2-billion on improving public transport and is expanding the GAUTENG BUSINESS 2016 28

SPECIAL FEATURE existing Reya Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System to cover more areas in the city. The passenger rail agency of south African is rolling out approximately 7 224 new rolling units with a projected investment of R123-billion over 20 years. The city’s exisiting townships are also on the provinces radar for improvements. Kliptown and Alexandra will be revitalised as a priority as they are in a particularly sorry state of disrepair. New human settlements are also on the horizon, with R979.9- million set aside for provision of housing in Diepsloot, Fleurhof, Lion Park, Malibongwe Drive, Goud Rand and Lufhereng. A further R789.9-million had been allocated for new schools and refurbishment of existing classrooms, while R453.4-million and R263.4-million was set aside respectively for rehabilitating and building new roads and renovating and constructing new health facilities. Major infrastructure developments by the City of Johannesburg partnered with private sector are planned and will transform the spatial landscape of the Central Corridor. These include: ■ Masingita City, an integrated commercial and industrial hub, is a R3-billion private investment that is expected to create 15 500 jobs during its construction, which will begin in March. ■ Rietfontein. With an investment of R20-billion, this will be a complete mixed-use node with more than 8 000 proposed residential units, in- cluding commercial property, distribution and warehousing, retail and education facilities. ■ Waterfall City, the largest city to be built in post-apartheid South Africa. The estimated investment during construction is R71-billion, with an estimated 100 000 jobs to be created by the project. ■ The Modderfontein development will inject R84-billion into the economy of the Gauteng City Region and is expected to create 150 000 jobs over the next 20 years. All these developments will have major socio-economic benefits with regard to decent employment and economic inclusion. Masinga City for instance will contribute to the township economy revitalisation by supporting township enterprises and SMMEs in Soweto, Lenasia and Bekkersdal/Randfontein. The Eastern Development Corridor The Eastern Development Corridor, which embraces much of Ekurhuleni, will undertake 29 industrial initiatives under the banner of Aerotropolis to revitalize manufacturing, aviation, logistics and transport industries linked to OR Tambo international airport. The footprint With regard to freight and logistics, Transnet’s investment in the inland ports of Tambo Springs and Sentrarand will also have a major impact in revitalising the economy of Ekurhuleni. The Tambo Springs inland port development will have an estimated R7.5-billion investment over five years. This project will create a total of 110 000 jobs over 15 years. Airports Company South Africa, Denel and major private sector companies are positioning themselves in line with the imperatives of the aerotropolis. There is huge potential for these projects to attract massive foreign direct investment into the OR Tambo IDZ and the SEZ. The Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC) has launched its second incubation centre in Rosslyn, Tshwane, to accelerate the development of sustainable SMMEs within the vehicle assembly industry. The establishment of a freight and logistics hub to support the industry is also on the cards. Working with the private sector, Tshwane will also continue rolling out free WiFi within the City, with R150-million invested in this initiative to date. The development of the African Gateway in the heart of Centurion in partnership with the private sector will comprise South Africa’s largest convention centre, an hotel, residential, commercial and additional office space and will create a more resilient economic node in Centurion. 29 GAUTENG BUSINESS 2016