Pretoria - Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala has expressed confidence that the ongoing construction of four government buildings as part of the multimillion-rand Salvokop Precinct Development Project in Tshwane will be completed in 2025.
On Friday, Zikalala conducted an oversight visit at the project, where he said the intention of his department was “to turn South Africa into a real construction site and to make it work for all of us”.
He said he believed that the mixed-use development, including the residential area, was on track to be completed in two years’ time.
He was particularly happy that the development would “inject a lot of stimulation into the economy of the country and create more jobs here in the area of Tshwane, as well as ensure economic distribution, especially for small medium micro enterprises that will benefit”.
He said the development demonstrated investment in infrastructure by the ANC-led government, enabling sustained economic growth, job creation and revitalising the construction sector.
The mixed-use precinct project in Salvokop was launched last year in November by the then minister in the department, Patricia de Lille.
That was after the development was also gazetted as a strategic integrated project as part of the infrastructure investment plan and approved by the Cabinet in May 2020.
Zikalala said the first phase of the project would create at least 3 152 jobs and that the land on which it was rolled out was procured at the cost of R61 million from Transnet.
He said the actual project of constructing buildings would be funded by various government departments.
“We are aiming to house at least four departments, which include Higher Education, Social Development, Justice and Correctional Services, including the Stats SA that is already here,” he said.
According to the department, the installation of bulk and internal infrastructure works was currently under way at the precinct project, which is part of the Tshwane Inner City Regeneration Programme.
It further said the precinct was being developed in three phases, which include installation of the bulk and internal infrastructure services and development of the four public private partnership head office buildings.
Both the second and third phases included the development of the business erven by the private sector, and development of the mixed-income residential component, respectively.
The development was a collaborative project between the three spheres of government to build four government headquarters, commercial buildings and a shelter for the vulnerable.
A total development opportunity of 524 000m² was estimated to cost R18 billion for development to accommodate four additional government head offices. The project was hailed for presenting a special opportunity to regenerate the inner city.
The site had been selected because it was located close to a transport station that had different modes of transport to link Salvokop with the Pretoria CBD.
The development was aimed at achieving spatial integration by bringing government departments to a central location in proximity to economic development and mixed typology residential developments for households and various income streams.
Pretoria News