THE Orlando Ekhaya project will change the face of Soweto and be a catalyst for further investment. Residents will be able to live, work, shop and have fun in their own town - long, expensive trips northwards may soon be a thing of the past.

March 3, 2005

SOWETO residents soon will no longer have to trek northwards to spend their hard-earned cash. Work is to begin on Orlando Ekhaya, a R400-million shopping and entertainment mecca, at the beginning 2006. Once completed, the complex will change the face of Soweto, and the lives of its residents.

The cooling towers in Soweto from the Hector Pieterson Memorial

Included in the vision for the 300-hectare site are shopping centres, recreational and entertainment facilities, business nodes, and hotel and conference facilities. The  City of Joburg Property Company (JPC) is managing the development. It manages and develops the immovable property owned by the City of Johannesburg and its utilities, agencies and corporatised entities.

Orlando Ekhaya, regarded as the highest profile investment project in Soweto, will offer residents of the sprawling township the shopping and entertainment opportunities that have been almost entirely limited to Johannesburg, particularly its northern suburbs. At present, there are few shopping and entertainment facilities in the township, which is home to about a million people.

Allan Dinnie, project manager at JPC, says the development will change the way people view Soweto. It will be a catalyst for investment.

"A master plan has been put together by the JPC to guide development in the precinct. These developments will see 90 000m² of land being developed, areas which include the Orlando Power Station, the Orlando Dam and the Vista conservation area."

The master plan includes the construction of 1 000 middle and upper income houses, the construction of a rail link by the South African Rail Commuter Corporation, earmarked to be ready in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and the upgrading of Vista University.

Dinnie says the project will offer various development opportunities and the 300 hectares of land have been packaged into 10 sites, as follows:

• Orlando Power Shopping Complex: with entertainment and educational uses, restaurants and recreational facilities.
• An urban agriculture project: 25 hectares set aside for a community-based, urban-agriculture project to serve the surrounding community.
• A wetlands conservation area: 11 hectares set aside to serve environmental and educational purposes.
• A regional park: at the Orlando Dam.
• A waterfront park: a five-hectare area will be developed into a restaurant and amusement park. The park will connect the dam and the shopping centre.
• Heroes Bridge: proposed for hotel and conference facilities.
• Erf 121 business site: a one-hectare site north of Orlando Dam has been earmarked for business or community facilities.
• Erf 259 hotel and conference site: the site will have access from the proposed Heroes Bridge.
  Orlando Wedge: a one-hectare site at the intersection of Old Potch and Nicholas roads has been earmarked for a unique landmark.
• Vista Link: the site consists of the lower edge of Vista Koppie and adjoins Old Potch Road. As it serves a vital ecological function for Vista Koppie and the dam, limited development is planned.
• Dinnie says JPC will issue a proposal call on 24 March 2005 for the development. Documentation will be available at the JPC offices on 9 Floor, Braamfontein Centre, 23 Jorissen Street, Braamfontein.