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Work is under way on turning the area into a lifestyle centre, a place to live, work and play - the biggest such project ever undertaken in a township.
THE upgrading of the defunct Orlando Power Station and its cooling towers into a vibrant and trendy lifestyle centre called Orlando Ekhaya is well under way. Plans are that the centre will offer it all - mixed-use residential and commercial, with retail functions and leisure amenities.
The Orlando Bridge is under construction
The site, which has been dormant since the power station was shut down and the City cancelled entertainment activities around the dam, has been earmarked for Orlando Ekhaya since 2006. It is oriented towards upscale consumers and when complete, will be attractively landscaped with a variety of entertainment, leisure, retail and hospitality offerings.
“The Orlando Ekhaya precinct is now well under way and gaining momentum as the property market starts to move out of a recessionary phase and two new development sites have been released to the market,” says Brian Mahlangu, the public relations and media officer at the Joburg Property Company (JPC).
A chunk of about R1-billion has already been set aside for the development, which is a multipronged investment project between the City and the private sector. It is being managed by the JPC, a municipal owned entity responsible for managing and developing Joburg’s immovable property.
Orlando Ekhaya is by far the biggest such development ever undertaken in Soweto, and the first of its kind in any township in the country. It is expected to augment the township’s economy and boost investment and tourism.
“[It] is the largest and most ambitious precinct development ever undertaken in the history of Soweto. When completed, it is expected to transform the area into a vibrant and sought-after destination for investment,” Mahlangu says.
The cooling towers will form part of the entertainment precinct
It is at the intersection of Nicholas Road and Chris Hani Road, arguably the busiest in Soweto, and covers about 300 hectares. Eventually, it will comprise a business and tourism space, with a top-notch waterfront park, 30 000 square metres of commercial and retail space and a 60ha open space and a conservation development. Residential units are also on the cards, comprising sectional title and freehold properties.
Construction
Work is already on the go on six separate sites:
- The conversion of the old power station building into a 32 000m2 shopping centre;
- University of Joburg Soweto Campus upgrade;
- Orlando Village – 1 000 up-market townhouses;
- Orlando Towers – entertainment centre using the iconic towers;
- Orlando Social Housing Project – conversion of old hostel buildings into family units; and
- Orlando Ekhaya Waterfront – redevelopment of the dam into a “world class public space”.
“The project consists of multiple development sites held together by a lattice of high quality public environment focused on the Orlando Dam. The individual sites are being developed by a combination of private sector developers (secured by public tender processes) and public sector development agencies,” he says.
Mahlangu notes that to date, over R322-million has been invested in the precinct, with R45-million spent on local contractors and labour, yielding over 700 job opportunities since May last year.
Executive mayor Amos Masondo launches Orlando Ekhaya in 2006
“This is in line with JPC objectives, which are to harness the City’s property portfolio transactions to increase economic growth and broad-based black economic empowerment, while creating jobs and economic opportunities for disadvantaged communities and businesses.”
To achieve this, specific targets have been set for expenditure and employment creation. “These targets are being monitored by the JPC’s transformation monitoring section,” he says.
Of the investment so far, R50 411 has been spent on Orlando Village and R350 000 on the Orlando Towers. The conversation of hostels into family units has cost R2 044 636. The Orlando Bridge cost R4 686 845 to erect.
“[The] project [is] still on the drawing board,” Mahlangu adds.
It is taking place in phases, with the first one comprising the construction of 1 200 mixed-income residential units and 60 hectares of conservation space, among other plans.
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