Tshwane’s unemployed residents are set to benefit from the construction of a R1,5-billion international convention centre in Centurion, south of Pretoria.

Work on the 8 000 square-metre multipurpose centre, to be named the Africa Gateway Precinct, will start in November and is expected to be completed by 2008.

It is designed to host up to 2 000 delegates who would use the facility for congresses, exhibitions and special events.

Planning also makes provision for two hotels, one five star hotel with VIP and commercial suites linked directly to the centre, and another with a four star rating.

The Irish based Chieftain Group is the international investment arm of the consortium responsible for the project – Pretoria International Convention and Entertainment Centre (PICEC).

The PICEC said it expected the project to create about 38 000 new jobs and of these, 20 000 would be sustained.

Father Mkhatshwa said Tshwane as the country’s capital and host to foreign and international bodies, government departments, private enterprises and institutions of higher learning, was expected to provide excellent and world-class facilities.

“We also understand that there is no way that you can bring local and international guests of the market we are targeting without providing the necessary comfort and convenience of hotel space, office park, penthouses and retail.”

The centre was planned in such a way that there will be easy linkages to the Johannesburg International Airport through the Gautrain and Grand Central, Lanseria, Wonderboom and Waterkloof Airports.

A helicopter pad is also envisaged as part of an inter-modal transport system targeting business tourists, heads of state and heads of multinational corporate companies doing business with the broader community of Tshwane and the Gauteng province.

PICEC is 70 percent black owned and controlled by women, people with disabilities, technical, legal and financial black professionals and business people.

Project leader Jacob Ngakane said the centre would boast 21st century technology planned along world-class and international best practice benchmarks.

“The geotech and social-impact studies have been completed and the rezoning application will be submitted early next month,” he said.

“This should be approved by June and construction should start in November and the project is expected to be complete by June 2008 with the first conference staged the following month,” he added.

Chieftain Group Manager for Africa Operations James Gordon said once the project was fully operational, it was estimated to leverage a total of R17.3 billion in new business sales annually and generate a total of R9-billion in terms of additional Gross Geographic Product per year.

“It is estimated that the project will create a total of 19 170 jobs during the construction phase. Of these, 10 710 will mainly be building and construction workers, project managers and professional workers such as engineers and architects.

The other 8 460 jobs will be in related and supportive industries.

“The implication of an additional 19 610 permanent jobs being created in the local economy, is that of additional income being generated in terms of additional household income for the local population.

“Most of this additional income would be spent in the local economy, which would result in increased turnover for local businesses,” said Gordon.

Source: BuaNews