Sol committed to Mandela project

THE SOL Plaatje Municipality has reaffirmed its commitment to the Nelson Mandela Monument Precinct planned for Galeshewe.

Various role-players, including the municipal executive mayor, Mangaliso Matika, the municipal manager, Goolam Akharwaray, and the project manager, Ntuthu Mogoje, over the weekend did a walk through the area, at the traffic circle in Galeshewe, where the precinct, which is rumoured to come with a price tag of around R85 million, will be erected.

The precinct will include a massive sports facility, a Nelson Mandela Museum and a Mandela Square, a students’ residence and a youth centre, while the community hall, crèche and library will be upgraded.

Zuri Concepts and Projects was contracted by the municipality to create and facilitate the development of a monument precinct in honour of former President Nelson Mandela on a site identified in Galeshewe.

Besides the Mandela Monument Precinct, the company was also asked to look at the development of other sites throughout the 31 Sol Plaatje municipal wards to honour and celebrate the contributions of local heroes in the struggle against apartheid.

The proposed site for the Mandela Monument Project is located at the convergence of five main roads in Galeshewe, making it accessible from various directions. The main access roads to the site from the CBD are Nobengula Drive and Seochoareng Street.

Various role-players visited the existing, dilapidated crèche, which has been identified to be demolished and rebuilt as part of the project, and the existing library, which has been earmarked for significant technological upgrades, and the current informal trading area that will give traders a “formalised space” from where to sell their goods during the project.

Matika told the role-players that the project would ensure the upliftment of infrastructure and also the face of the city, which would in turn attract tourists and investors.