Ekurhuleni: looking into the
A wave of new developments is transforming the city along three economic corridors
In its conceptualisation of a new city design, the formation of three key, functional, economic corridors to drive Ekurhuleni’s economy has been envisioned.
1 The Thami Mnyele Corridor
This concentrates development in a straight line from Tembisa in the north to Vosloorus in the south, inclusive of neighbouring areas along the corridor. The key economic driver in this corridor is the significant transport infrastructure. It is in this area where the first phase of Ekurhuleni’s Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network starts. This corridor has the potential to transform Ekurhuleni’s spatial landscape and integrate the disparate towns and scattered communities along the route. Full alignment with the Gauteng Provincial Spatial Framework, the Integrated Transport Master Plan for road, and rail, bus and non-motorised transport systems is already complete. Over 110 000 job opportunities are projected from this investment, which incorporates the Riverfields Development, M&T Development and Plumbago Industrial Park.
2 The Or Tambo Aerotropolis
This focuses development within the triangle formed by Kempton Park, Boksburg and Germiston, inclusive of Edenvale and Benoni. This corridor leverages on the Creative, Gateway Trade, Technology Research and Development and Logistics hubs. It is Ekurhuleni’s economic heartbeat, and constitutes:
come to epitomise the best and the brightest of the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis. With unrivalled access to OR Tambo International Airport itself, the area will become a vibrant, exciting meeting spot for residents and visitors from across the globe.
made up of three major catalytic projects, tied together through the addition of dedicated office development, hotels and conference facilities, and incorporating the recreational amenity
of an improved existing wetland.
unique of them all, as it rings OR Tambo International Airport, and is the technological driver for the region’s future. It is the home to three signature catalytic projects: Digital City, TVET College and the Discovery Park R&D Business Incubator.
the development of a multi-tenant, large warehouse, industrial village for retail fulfillment, as well as logistics and supply chain firms. The development of retail fulfillment and logistics warehouses has already sprung up along the Albertina Sisulu highway, north of the airport. This catalytic project seeks to formalise and augment these initial developments.
3 The Thelle Mogoerane
This runs from Vosloorus to Nigel and includes developments such as Carnival Junction and the OR Tambo inland port, and is aimed at unlocking the logistic potential of the City. The corridor comprises multibillionrand catalytic projects announced by Gauteng’s premier David Makhura last year. These include the muchanticipated R51-billion Prasa new rolling stock manufacturing hub and the Tambo Springs inland port development projects. Construction of both these projects, which are expected to yield thousands of jobs, is already under way.
Strategic developments
New developments in these corridors will be “mixed land use” and include, in close proximity, commerce and industry as well as human settlements. The city’s adoption of a densification policy in the provision of houses will be achieved through the building of highrise residential units.
The three-corridor approach is a quantum leap in housing development that will enable the efficient accommodation of people and cater for the high rate of urbanisation taking place. It will provide more livable human settlements with a full basket of services and social amenities such as schools, clinics and public transport.
The commerce and industry components of the mixed-land-use allocations within the three corridors have been designated Strategic Urban Developments. These are of critical importance to the entire metropolis and in building the City of Ekurhuleni, as envisaged in the Growth and Development Strategy, Integrated Development Plan, Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework and Capital Investment Framework. They are:
Lords View Industrial Park
The centrality of Lords View, bordering Allandale Road (K58) in Chloorkop, along with its excellent road infrastructure and proximity to a large labour force, makes it a location of choice.
The City of Johannesburg lies just a few kilometers to the southwest and City of Tshwane a few kilometres to the north. With the proposed K232, which will link Allandale and Marlboro roads, a direct link to the N3/N12/N1 ring road circling Johannesburg will be created. OR Tambo International Airport (12km to the east) and Gautrain (7km to the west) provide additional links to people and markets.
Siting your company’s distribution centre or manufacturing base is vitally important to managing your costs. The convenient location of Lords View will assist with the reduction of transportation costs and streamline the supply chain process.
It has been planned as an environmentally friendly and eco-sensitive industrial and logistics park and incorporates the latest developments in cleaner, greener township development. This is reflected in:
with electricity converted from methane gas, from the Enviroserv landfill site;
reticulation for irrigation purposes;
management;
walking tracks; and
boulevard.
In addition, all building plans must ensure a positive ecological impact, with the landscaping of each stand controlled to provide uniformity and consistent quality that maintains the look and feel generated in common areas. The maintenance and irrigation of the landscaping will be undertaken by the property owners’ association to ensure effective landscape management of all public open spaces. The total size of the site is 96.46 hectares. To name but a few, the following major clients are tenants of Lords View:
factory.
a warehouse.
Green Reef
R60-million
construction, due to be completed by the end of 2016, and is valued at R75-million.
completing its R300-million project. Green Reef landholding — comprising 350 hectares in the heart of Ekurhuleni — offers a unique opportunity to create an all-inclusive economy, decent jobs and to improve the quality of the environment in a new development. It is an inspiring example of how mining land, made fallow by mine workings that have subsequently been reworked and removed, can be rehabilitated and integrated back into the city system, thereby knitting together the segregated towns and neighbourhoods that are a legacy of mining and apartheid planning.
Green Reef is a mixedincome and -use development 5km south of OR Tambo International Airport. It is envisaged that this R50-billion investment will transform Ekurhuleni through the development and infusion of a new
CBD hub, high-density residential precincts, innovative, knowledge-based technology and manufacturing industries, and state-of-the-art basic, vocational and tertiary education facilities.
S&J Industrial Park
Set to be one of the biggest industrial parks in Gauteng, S&J Industrial Park will span an impressive 210 hectares. The property is owned by Redefine Properties, the Pivotal Property Fund and Abland, the latter being the overarching facilitator of the development. The gross area of the proposed development is 210 hectares, of which approximately 160 hectares can be developed. The estimated timeframe for infrastructure development is 60 to 84 months, with top-structure development being determined by market demand. This exciting project broke ground in late 2015 and caters to a variety of industrial uses including manufacturing, distribution and warehousing. Situated on the eastern side of Germiston, south of the M2 and bordering the N3, S&J will provide rapid access to the N3 highway, making it ideal for logistical services.
Leeuwpoort Residential Development
This former gold mine between Germiston and Brakpan, just south of the N17, was acquired by Ekurhuleni for the construction of affordable mixed-use and -income housing developments. About 16 887 housing units comprising both subsidised and bonded houses will be constructed, creating more than 30 000 job