August 17, 2004
By Thomas Thale
IKWEZI Station, a major transport and informal trading node in Soweto, is to be converted into a modern shopping mecca, complete with a shopping centre, food court and pedestrian boulevard.
Commuters at Ikwezi Station
The R30-million development will be financed by the City of Johannesburg and Ikwezi Holdings, a private company in which members of the local community hold a stake. The development will also see the upgrading of the taxi rank and facilities for informal traders.
The shopping centre will have 40 shops anchored by Fruit and Veg City and Cash and Carry, said Heinrich Kammeyer, architect and co-ordinator of the project.
Ikwezi, which has serviced commuting customers from Zondi, Dobsonville and Mofolo for generations, thrives on some 20 000 people, who patronise the precinct during rush hour. The train station is along the Naledi-Johannesburg rail line.
Kammeyer said the shops would measure between 12 and 36 square metres, "to accommodate the needs of the small entrepreneurs who are predominant in the area". The shopping centre will be built on the western part of Ikwezi Road, just adjacent to the beer hall. The ground floor of the beer hall will be converted into a games area, whilst the upper level will be turned into a restaurant with a top deck. A food court will be constructed close to the shopping centre and furniture shops will be accommodated across the road, said Kammeyer. "We aim to give customers a total shopping experience."
Ikwezi Road will also be closed off and converted into a pedestrian walkway, said Marius Peters, senior specialist in the City's Department of Planning which will contribute R4-million for the project. "The money will be used to build a pedestrian boulevard, construct ablution facilities and provide facilities for informal traders and taxi operators," explained Peters. The walkway will have canopies to protect commuters from harsh weather, said Peters. "We will also install street lights to make the area a night safe space," he pledged.
An Ikwezi steering committee had been set up to oversee the project and shopkeepers on the eastern side of Ikwezi Road had been encouraged to upgrade their premises, said ward councillor Thys Nkutha.
The committee has also been assisting informal traders to improve their ventures. "We want informal traders to move into the mainstream economy. We have already grouped some of them together into a co-operative with a single bank account. This has helped them to pool resources and improve their profile," said Nkutha.
According to Kammeyer, Intersite has agreed to transfer some of the land it owns to Ikwezi Holdings for the development, and the Zondi koppies just behind Ikwezi will be developed into a landscaped botanical garden.
Kammeyer said the area would be cleared in November, in preparation for construction work early in 2005.
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