Sprawling new city attracts investors
| A well-co-ordinated plan to develop the Gauteng City Region took off in 2014, spawning new cities and sophisticated infrastructure to connect them. As a Sunday Times Special Reporter discovered, the rise of cranes in places like Waterfall City has reign
TAXI drivers Bheki and Andrew wait patiently a kilometre from the west side of the Mall of Africa in Midrand, Johannesburg.
Their minibus taxis are next in line to ferry passengers, mainly those who have found new jobs at the mall, to surrounding townships. Although the pair won’t disclose their full names, they are happy to talk to us about their views on the future of the new city.
Bheki and Andrew may not boast MBAs or other business qualifications, but they have a good nose for business.
“Our presence here is an investment in the future,” says Andrew. “It’s better than when I used to operate mostly in Alexandra. I think we will benefit more when the place is fully developed.”
Bheki concurs: “Some people can say there isn’t a lot of money yet, but the truth is that we are looking towards full completion of the city. We don’t want to be left behind,” he says.
For Andrew and Bheki, the advent of Waterfall, one of the new cities being developed in Gauteng, is a sign of business expansion. Their reaction to the continuing development is proof of the multiplier effect of the Gauteng government’s modernisation agenda that links the Gauteng City Region through economic development corridors.
They are not alone in projecting a better future for all in Gauteng. In a recent report, Attacq, the property developers of Waterfall City, reported that trading densities at the Mall of Africa had exceeded expectations since the mall opened its doors in 2016, creating hundreds of jobs.
“Significant progress has also been made at Waterfall through new developments and increased bulk,” the company said.
The concept behind Waterfall is to create a new lifestyle city where people can live, work and play. The Mall of Africa is considered a magnetic catalyst for the whole development in the area.
About 609 000m² of Waterfall bulk is already serviced and ready for rollout. “The Mall of Africa’s trading is expected to increase as Waterfall City and its surrounds continue to densify,” the company, which is listed on the JSE, said.
The city has already attracted top corporate tenants, including food processor Premier Foods, construction firm Group Five and telecoms company Cell C.
The PwC Tower is due for completion in 2018. City Lodge and Netcare were among the first companies to set up in the new city.
Fast-growing private education group Curro plans to launch one of its Embury Institutes, a university equivalent, at Waterfall City, beginning intake in 2018.
Waterfall City is an example of visionary leadership of the Gauteng government that allows entrepreneurial flair to thrive and create jobs within the context of the modernisation and reindustrialisation of the province.
The kind of optimism that Andrew and Bheki share about the benefits of Waterfall City permeates Gauteng. The other “cities” where the “cranes are up” since the announcement of major developments by Gauteng are Savannah, which is near Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg; Sandton; Steyn, which is on the northwestern edge of Sandton, Tshwane West Capital and Africa Gateway in Centurion. Premier David Makhura has described these developments as truly “post-apartheid” cities made possible by public-private sector collaborations.