Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni and municipal manager Thapelo Matlala at a press conference. Picture: Soraya Crowie
A MASSIVE investment of close to R2 billion has been secured by Sol Plaatje Municipality through several land development projects in and around Kimberley.
Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni said that through the assistance of the council’s spatial planning, environment and land use management (Spelum) committee, the municipality has been able to approve several building plan applications, which would provide a great economic injection to the city.
Sonyoni, who was speaking at a media conference earlier this week, said that the council has also increased its workforce in order to avoid delays in the approval of building plans and applications for land development.
“We have a very vibrant and active Spelum committee that sits on a regular basis in order to approve building development plans that are submitted to the institution. We have beefed up our building inspector team to four inspectors. That capacity has resulted in more building plans being processed,” said Sonyoni.
“The turnaround time for the processing of completed building plans is between eight to 10 weeks. There was an outcry from the community that the turnaround times on development applications are lengthy. We have now increased our team and our turnaround strategy is faster and is responding to all applicants.”
The mayor said the city is abuzz with several positive developments that seek to address some of the challenges, such as access to affordable and modern housing, faced by city residents
“We have attracted close to R2 billion of investment to the city. That shows that we have created a conducive environment for investors and business partners. There are still applications for development that the council still needs to approve, meaning that that amount will increase. We have ensured that there are no more bottlenecks in the system and delays in applications for land development.
“One of the developments that started this week is the development of student accommodation in New Park. The student accommodation will cater for 6 700 students. We are aware that Sol Plaatje University is growing tremendously and we also need to ensure that we create an environment that will assist the university in that regard, but also repair the infrastructure that will accommodate the number of people that are coming to the city.
“Currently, there is also the Christian Revival Centre Church development. The City Gates is a residential development proposed by the CRC, situated along the N12. The development seeks to address the rental housing demand and shortage faced within the city by developing about 109 sites. This proposed development will also blend in with the new CRC church that is currently in the construction phase. The investment for the CRC precinct is close to R100 million.
“We also have the Alexander Fontein Farm, where the developer intends to construct individual erfs to accommodate a mixed-used development on a portion of the farm that is situated in the vicinity of Greenpoint and Ronaldsvlei. The construction will also include, amongst others, residential sites, a hotel and conference facility, social housing and office space. The proposed development will bring R120 million into the city.
“We also have the Piet Els Family Trust Housing Development. This private development contains approximately 106 erfs that will accommodate various mixed land uses, including residential, business and guest houses. The site is located along McDougall Street in El Toro Park, directly opposite Gariep MediClinic. Construction on some of the sites is already under way. This development will bring about R60 million investment into the city.
“The construction of the Sol Plaatje University is ongoing, particularly on the central campus. The construction of the SPU North campus expansion, which will be situated at the Oppenheimer Gardens, is expected to start soon. This development will bring an investment of R150 million into the city.
“There is also the AfriKhaya Social Housing Development that will create 1,056 units upon completion. The development is located in Floors. Recent approval for the rezoning and consolidation of several sites was received by the developer. The construction of the development will commence soon. This development will bring an investment of about R300 million into the city.
“The Social Housing Development in Hull Street has also recently commenced. This development has been identified by the national government as one of the strategic integrated projects in terms of the Infrastructure Development Act. Upon competition, the development will accommodate approximately 600 units. The development will also bring an investment of close to R350 million into the city.
“One of the recent investments is that of a R45 million investment in Ward 8, where the applicant intends to build a mall on an open piece of veld, Ottoskoppie, in John Daka Road.”
Sonyoni added that the new Spelum administration has been “working around the clock” to attend to delays experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic a number of council meetings were unable to sit and applications for land development were not able to be approved timeously. We have been dealing with the backlog since the new administration came into office. We now meet on a weekly basis where we deal with issues of spelum specifically. We are now well on track and are making sure that all applications are dealt with speedily,” he said.
The municipal manager, Thapelo Matlala, added that these investments will unlock opportunities for employment for residents and will also afford local businesses an opportunity to benefit.
“We have not had rapid development in the city for a while. One of the investments intends to create employment for about 300 people for an entire year. That is critical for the economy of Kimberley. Hardware stores that are selling building material will also make a profit through many of the developments. These developments will have a positive ripple effect on the city,” said Matlala.