Alongside the conference
The logistics of managing traffic flow, particularly large trucks, is a key consideration insofar as the aerotropolis is concerned
Discussions around the Tambo-Springs inland port revealed that this will function as a multimodal logistics gateway, serving the Gauteng catchment area, providing ease of movement between individual transportation modes, while facilitating manufacturing, warehousing and distribution activities.
This next-generation inland port is designed to accommodate long-distance truck traffic, as well as regional freight movement. The port will also attract the long-distance movement of time-sensitive freight such as pharmaceuticals and perishable goods from other ports and metropolitan areas.
Expansion of the Gautrain and other rail routes looks set to become reality, with the proposed routes and stations highlighted at the conference and the construction of the integrated rapid public transport network and extensive road upgrades as part of the city’s plan to increase communal access to socioeconomic opportunities.
ICT — an aerotropolis catalyst
The question of priorities around the aerotropolis was raised by Ekurhuleni HOD for Economic Development Caiphus Chauke, who said that much as a city wanted to have the available resources to do all the projects they would like to, this was simply not possible.
“Private sector companies like JT Ross have been following what we have been doing,” he said. “The majority of the projects will be private sector. Using the creative hub as an example, private sector has already come to the party.
“Significant interest has also been shown in the Innovation Centre and we are sitting with three proposals for this and two proposals for the film and media studios. Firm proposals are also on the table for the skills academy and the aviation simulator is a very exciting project.
“In essence, since we created space for the private sector, it has become unleashed.”
Chauke said that it was now essential to focus on bringing in investment and developing infrastructure in economic centres. He stressed the importance of leveraging Dark Fibre Africa’s 700km of fibre around the airport to activate wi-fi hot spots, which will also attract companies to locate their businesses in the area.
Dark fibre is unused fibre optic cable where companies have installed more lines than they need in order to curb the costs of having to repeatedly install. Dark Fibre Africa finances, builds, installs, manages, and maintains a dark fibre network to transmit metro and long-haul telecommunications traffic in South Africa. It started rolling out its network in 2007 and by 2014, had invested over R5-billion and installed close to 8 000km of fibre infrastructure nationwide.
Open-access dark fibre empowers companies to scale up their operations without spending large sums of money to expand their infrastructure. This enables small, medium and micro enterprises to compete with larger players in the market and supports a vibrant, sustainable local SMME sector.
OR Tambo as a high speed wi-fi zone means that local and international travellers automatically get access to it when they land at the airport. Chauke says: “This drives another agenda, sending the message of ‘you are welcome to South Africa and you are connected’,” said Chauke.
“The ICT strategy catalyses various arenas, such as attracting companies in India, for example, to locate call centres here because there is already ICT activity and infrastructure. This is not an isolated example — in Teraco Data Environments (located in Isando, Ekurhuleni) there is the biggest ever data centre in Africa.”
Flight training simulator for SA
The first flight-training simulator in Africa is on the cards as part of the Ekurhuleni aerotropolis — an initiative driven by Denel and ACSA. Presently potential pilots have to do their simulator training in either Europe or the United States, so this is a significant step forward for South Africa and Africa.