24 February 2006

By Ndaba Dlamini

WITH the Orlando Power Station and its cooling towers casting a shadow over City officials and guests, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo turned the first sods to launch Soweto's R1-billion entertainment and business centre, Orlando Ekhaya, on Wednesday 22 February.

The mood was celebratory as mayoral committee member for municipal enterprises, Nkele Ntingane, directed the proceedings.

"The Orlando Ekhaya project was long-coming," he said. "Today we are witnessing the realisation of the fruits of the Freedom Charter, which was signed not far from here in 1955 in Kliptown. We are also seeing the pleasant outcome of the 1976 Soweto students uprisings with the construction of this project."

Orlando Ekhaya will include the redevelopment of Soweto's famous landmarks - the power station and the cooling towers - into a retail and entertainment centre. There are also plans to build 700 housing units and, in a first for the township, lakeside flats.

Describing the project as "significant", Masondo said the innovative development "may change the way people think about Soweto and, in so doing, will change the way that people think about townships across the country".

"This place will become filled with exciting opportunities including entertainment stages, exclusive retail, jazz bars, exclusive and authentically Sowetan restaurants and bungee jumping," the mayor said. "Orlando Ekhaya will be the place that everyone wants to come and see. It will be the place where everyone wants to live and work." The development will benefit township's people in many ways. Thousands of jobs will be created in a range of contracting and subcontracting companies. Once the development is complete, employees will also be required to maintain and manage the developments, according to Masondo.

To ensure the project is "proudly Sowetan", all developers are required have a minimum 55 percent black economic empowerment (BEE) ownership and should include Soweto-based businesses in their proposals, either as partners or tenants, or during construction.

Expected to be complete by 2008, Orlando Ekhaya will cover 300 hectares of land and include the Orlando Power Station, the Orlando Dam and the Sontonga Koppie on the University of Johannesburg's Soweto campus, said Sthembiso Mntungwa of the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), which will manage the project.

The Johannesburg Social Housing Company (Joshco) will develop 250 social housing units within the vicinity of the precinct, as well as a new convenience retail strip on Old Potch Road and a new railway line and station.

"We have finally settled on five preferred bidders and there is no doubt that the project is finally taking off the ground. Orlando Ekhaya has finally arrived," Mntungwa said.

An agreement between JPC and the Soweto Power Station consortium, made up of Old Mutual Asset Managers, Standard Bank, Linsela Holdings and other BEE groups, will see the redevelopment of the Orlando Power Station into one of the largest mixed-use areas in South Africa.

The power station development, the largest in the Orlando Ekhaya project, will include 1 000 residential units, extreme sports venues and other entertainment and recreational places. It will include:

• 24 000m² of retail and entertainment space, anchored by a bulk grocer and a national clothing retailer,
• 14 000m² of office space, anchored by a large call centre service provider,
• 150 residential apartments and
• a 2 500m² gym.

Leasing for the development is being managed by Dijalo Property Services and old Mutual Properties. They say a number of offers to lease from established national retailers have already been received. As part of the empowerment process, retailers are encouraged to use local and BEE franchises as much as possible.

To attract the increasing tourist trade to the area, a craft market project is being developed in conjunction with government agencies. A jazz club is also envisaged on the shores of the Orlando Dam "to promote cultural activities" in the area.

Funding for the development will come from the consortium, various development finance institutions, Standard Bank and Old Mutual Specialised Finance.

The consortium hopes to start the redevelopment in the second half of 2006.

Soweto's famous landmarks, the two cooling towers, will be developed into a "vertical adventure centre" by the Orlando Towers Company. Equipment for a bungee jump down the centre of one of the 90-metre towers will be installed, as well as abseiling facilities and climbing walls.

A new catwalk around the top rim of the eastern tower will allow people a panoramic view of Soweto and the rest of the Orlando Ekhaya precinct. A BASE jumping platform will also be installed for the "experienced and seriously adventurous". This will allow those with the necessary experience to jump off the tower and deploy a parachute before reaching the ground.

Landscaping and the use of indigenous plants will transform the inner base area into a lush and pleasant environment. A new African Plant Centre will highlight the cultural and historical aspects of the rich local flora.

To ensure the facilities are safe and adequately managed, a special project team will ensure the best possible design and construction. Thereafter, people will be selected from surrounding communities, trained and deployed to run and manage the venture.

A plan is underway to open the centre temporarily towards the end of 2006.

The Elangeni Entertainment Centre is to be built as the central attraction of the South Shore Park, with its main theme "celebration of the music and social character of the Sowetan people".

A 50-metre wide strip of lawned area, dotted with indigenous trees, picnic spots and braai facilities, will be established along the water's edge for socialising and outdoor gatherings.

The entertainment centre will consist of a three-storey central building able to hold a concert audience of 20 000 people. Seating for 1 500 guests and a large grassed bank, all overlooking the stage on the water, will serve to create a unique setting for local and international artists.

Four and six events are planned for 2006 and negotiations for more are underway. The year's highlights include the annual Soweto beach party, a major beer festival, the Soweto cycle race and the Jozi FM summer picnic.

An upmarket restaurant designed to attract local and international tourists will also form part of the development. The complex will include a take-away and a traditional Soweto tavern. Jozi FM, Soweto's popular radio station, may move its studios to the complex.

The middle-income housing will be constructed by Katavi Housing, an empowerment group. The housing development is expected to reflect the history of Soweto as a "dormitory township" and have a "strong character of its own" in order to support the variety of lifestyle opportunities that are available within the precinct. The houses will also reflect a lifestyle that allows the family to live in a community with others, while respecting the need for privacy.

Construction of 700 two- and three-bedroom middle-income houses is scheduled to begin in April 2006. Once complete, the units are expected to sell for R200 000 to R400 000 each.

The University of Johannesburg's Soweto campus, formerly known as Vista University, will be expanded to encompass Sontonga Koppie as part of the Orlando Ekhaya developments, with a carefully planned pedestrian link between the Koppie and the Dam. Masondo said the development of Orlando Ekhaya is part of a "radical reconstruction" of Soweto.

"As residents, investors and government we all need to play our part in nurturing this township into a well sought after residential and tourist destination".

After the formalities, Masondo and the guests had a taste of one of the extreme sports that will be performed at the cooling towers. The crowd cheered as an abseiler descended from the top of the Orlando Power Station building and surprised the mayor with an Orlando Ekhaya memento.

 

Source: Joburg