Tshwane municipality and the Department of Public Works signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday on a joint initiative to redevelop the city centre.
The Re Kgabisa Tshwane project will cost the municipality R2-billion, while the national government will contribute R9-billion over 25 years, said the department’s chief operations officer, Sean Phillips.
The project seeks to restore government buildings and public spaces in the city centre, focusing on designated corridors along Church and Paul Kruger streets.
Completion is estimated to take between 10 and 14 years.
Re Kgabisa Tshwane means ”We are improving Tshwane” in the Setswana and Sesotho languages.
Phillips said the inner city has been divided into a number of precincts where development will be concentrated, but said their boundaries are not fixed.
The precincts include Salvokop, where Freedom Park is located; the Nelson Mandela promenade along the Apies River; and Sammy Marks Square.
Developing city’s image
The improvement of government buildings and the public spaces surrounding them will contribute to developing the image of Pretoria as an important capital city in Africa, said Phillips.
”Through Re Kgabisa Tshwane, we are showcasing the practical benefits of joint planning, cooperation and collaboration, which other departments and municipalities may wish to emulate,” said Tshwane mayor Smangaliso Mkhatshwa.
The mayor said providing appropriate office accommodation for public servants is not just about creating a good working environment.
”It is about making employees more productive because they will be operating in spaces and places that bring out the best in them.
”It is a vital first step towards making our public servants proud of their association with government, and so they start thinking of it as an employer of choice.”
Municipal manager Blake Mosely-Lefatola said retaining government departments within the city will counteract urban decay, attract investment and develop the city’s economy.
Role of private sector
Mosely-Lefatola said the private sector also has a role to play in ensuring the redevelopment of the inner city is a success.
”We encourage the private sector to participate in the city improvement districts. The sector has a civic responsibility in that buildings owned by the private sector need to be maintained.”
He said one of the first signs of urban decay is the drop in the aesthetic standards of buildings. He encouraged owners to paint their buildings and provide adequate facilities for activities such as the washing of clothes.
”This phenomenon we have of people hanging their washing out of their windows is a problem.”
Mosely-Lefatola said building owners also need to ensure their properties are used for the purposes they are zoned for, and not use office buildings as residential ones.
The metro council is looking into installing landmarks outside the city that would indicate Pretoria’s status as the country’s administrative capital, he said.
”Coming in from the south, east, west and north of the city, you have no idea that you are entering the administrative capital of the country.
”There are no landmarks indicating that. The Tshwane metro is exploring the possibility of establishing such landmarks at points of entry into the city.” — Sapa