A head of the ANC’s centenary in February next year, a historic area outside Bloemfontein is coming alive thanks to the efforts of the premier and local developers.
Batho, for the uninitiated, is to Bloemfontein what Soweto is to Johannesburg. It is the place where the ANC was born, and if you had to follow all the roads of this political movement to its source, you’d finally reach a place called Waaihoek and an old church. From here the party was forced to move into Batho proper and the Mapikela House. Bopa Lesedi is the company appointed by the provincial government to resuscitate Batho’s fortunes and put the historic township on the international map.
Bopa Lesedi’s primary business is town planning and the company, based in the suburb of Westdene, has executed its task in the face of some very challenging conditions. Because many areas were constructed on top of rubbish dumps, excavations have to be deeper than average and soil conditions in general are poor.
Over a two year period, R44-million has been allocated for the resurrection of Batho’s urban framework as part of Premier Ace Magashule’s visionary Operation Hlasela project. Bopa Lesedi (the company has a lighthouse as a motif and the name literally means to bring light) provides a useful metaphor for the revitalisation process.
In its June 2011 proposal, the importance of creating an urban framework is described: “The urban framework is made up of connections (roads, railways, walkways) and spaces (public and private)—” Urban quality, the proposal contends, “is directly linked to— infrastructure as well as the social acceptance thereof— Much like a human body, the urban environment needs a healthy heart (business), lungs (green areas), arteries (transportation) and flesh (residential and other uses).
In terms of the roads themselves, it is interesting that Bopa Lesedi has chosen brick (rather than tar) as its material of choice for road construction for an area it describe as “the biggest tourist attraction in the Free State”. The reason for this is part of the company’s concerted effort to “bring the public space back”, using Sophiatown as an inspiration. The brick road was a preferred choice for the town planners because people tend to drive faster on tar and the idea is to slow visitors down.
Another reason is the large volumes of pedestrian traffic in Batho’s streets, particularly when schools come out. Brick roads have a calming effect, which enhances the civic amenity that is, after all, at the core of Operation Hlasela (Hlasela means “attack” in isiZulu). More good news: the price of brick paving is comparable to that of tar.
According to Bopa Lesedi, “Batho poses some developmental backlogs that, once capitalised, will not only allow the community to open up, but create the opportunity for showcasing the rich heritage of its people and promote the priorities of government.” Bopa Lesedi has also recommended that street names be replaced in a style “that pays homage to the area and its historical context”.
As one explores the efforts of the town planners, it is gratifying to note that they are proponents of a wonderful urban planning psychology that is known in some circles, including internationally, as new urbanism. The intention behind new urbanism is to create public spaces around people and around the human scale (as opposed to around cars and in the form of endless parking lots and garages).
Well-known conventions of the New Urbanists are walkable communities and the creation of pleasant and natural living spaces. South Africans are already familiar with the best examples of New Urbanism: Melrose Arch in Johannesburg and the Waterfront in Cape Town. Bopa Lesedi’s strategy in Batho is to create similarly integrated spaces, featuring a Heroes Square, Mapikela Triangle and various efforts at greening and cleaning.
While re-creating a past ambiance is a priority, one of the first steps to achieve this is to provide decent corridors for traffic (human and vehicular) to move in safety and in a pleasing, flowing, functional manner. Perhaps Bopa Lesedi’s greatest gift with the upgrades to Batho is that its efforts are genuinely intended to upgrade the community (as described in its poverty alleviation strategy).
What has already become clear is that while the Batho area has risen and continues to rise and shine out of the dust and filth, the unique architectural history emerging is adding value not only to property prices in the area, but to the locals themselves.
And soon Batho will be able to more seamlessly integrate with Bloemfontein’s CBD, in some ways as an extension of its sandstone histories, but in another sense, adding a brand new feature for South Africans. Batho, after all, offers a chance to all South Africans to know who we are and where we’re from — and that journey starts with good roads.
Over the past few months, Bopa Lesedi has achieved the following Operation Hlasela goals in the Batho area:
- Completed 11km of streets consisting of mass earth works, construction of pavements, installation of service duets, kerbing and channeling, laying of block paving and relocating or lowering of existing services
- In terms of stormwater construction, 3 550 cubic metres of hand excavation, 524 cubic metres of concrete cast for floor slabs, brick work of approximately 1 774 square metres, 489 cubic metres of concrete cast for cover slabs, construction of 27 catch pits, construction of 17 manholes and backfilling approximately 1 820 cubic metres has been undertaken.
This article originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper as an advertorial supplement