Black entrepreneur revamps derelict building
A FORMER derelict building in the heart of Joburg’s CBD, which was causing problems in the surrounding area, has been revamped by a black entrepreneur.
And, this week, Gauteng Co-operative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements MEC Paul Mashatile, while officially opening the building, said he was “unapologetically in support of black business entrepreneurship”.
“Our black people have not been able to break through the industry of property development and management space, and that state of affairs is unacceptable,” he said.
Speaking at the launch of Hollywood Centre Property Management, Mashatile said the block of flats was owned by Take Shape Properties 75 cc, a company 100 percent owned and led by Solomon Ramalamula.
The building, which is on the corner of President and Nugget streets, is in one of the busiest areas in the inner city. It is a seven-storey building that was originally an office block with retail space on the ground floor.
This property fell into disrepair when most of the businesses left the Joburg CBD.
Mashatile said he was proud of the government and stakeholders who stayed the course to ensure that the sleeping giant which was Joburg was being awoken through the revitalisation of the inner city.
The MEC said the revitalisation of the inner city could not have been possible unless all stakeholders worked together to create an environment for people to live in peace and harmony and for business to thrive.
If it were not for their relentless efforts to clean the city and make it safe and attractive, entrepreneurs like Ramalamula would never have invested in the ongoing efforts of revitalising the inner city, Mashatile said.