June 22, 2006
By Tammy O'Reilly
SEVERAL hot spots in Soweto offer immense development and investment opportunities and some of the big players in business toured the township to see how they could contribute to its economic enhancement.
On Wednesday, 21 June, representatives of the City's Economic Development Unit took a group of about 150 business owners dealing in retail and wholesale goods, property investors and bank representatives to Soweto where they got to see established developments, projects in progress as well as those planned for the future.
For many, it was their first visit and, on nearing the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital off ramp, the project consultant for the Economic Development Unit, Tshiwo Yenana, who was tour guide for the day, quelled any safety concerns.
Economic Development Unit project consultant Tshiwo Yenana talks to potential investors about the Soweto Development Zone
(Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
Business Empowerment Zone
The first stop was the Soweto Business Empowerment Zone, a multi-purpose business centre still under construction situated on Old Potchefstroom Road just before Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
The 34-hectare property will comprise four blocks of business units, to be let to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) businesses or entities. There will also be facilities for 12 larger light industrial or retail stands, and four blocks of high-density residential units.
"This area is going to act as an incubator for small and medium enterprises," said Linda Vilakazi-Tselane, acting director of the Economic Development Unit.
"There are a number of small business owners in Soweto, like mechanics and dress makers, who operate from home. This empowerment zone will give them an ideal opportunity to actively engage in and benefit from the economic opportunities that present themselves in areas where there is a concentration of businesses that operate formally."
She stressed the need for such a facility since there are few areas in Soweto where entrepreneurs can establish and grow their businesses and there are even fewer mechanisms to assist entrepreneurs in doing so.
"The City will also provide advisory and business training services like business planning, financial management and marketing and we would also like to bring in larger organisations to act as mentors to the different sectors that will operate here," said Vilakazi.
Baragwanath Taxi Rand
A walk around the
Baragwanath Taxi Rank gave the visitors a taste of the hubbub that characterises public transport nodes and what high pedestrian activity, and its strategic location, means for the business located here.
The rank is situated directly opposite Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere, on the busiest road in Soweto. The taxi rank is in the third phase of development, and deals with constructing a holding for long-distance taxis and buses. More than 1 600 informal traders operate here.
Orlando eKhaya
From the University of Johannesburg premises, the group stopped to view the area surrounding the Orlando Power Station. It is here that the R1-billion Orlando eKhaya mixed-use development will take place. With retail, office, residential, entertainment and recreation spaces planned, the six-hectare plot will be transformed into a sought-after destination for investment business and tourism and will go a long way to revitalise the township's economy.
Kliptown
The next stop was the R110-million Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown where the group were given a brief talk on the significance of the location as well as a walkabout. A 250-bay taxi rank is situated adjacent to the square and space has been created for 500 hawkers.
Lunch was served at Ubuntu Kraal, and the guests were visibly surprised to see such an impressive venue located in Soweto. Situated in Orlando, the Ubuntu Kraal is a popular wedding, conference and entertainment venue with a distinct African feel but as opulent as other venues offering the same features.
"This is my first time in Soweto and it is so different from what I expected," said Peter Huang, information officer in the Taipei Liaison Office based in Rosebank. "There are tremendous opportunities for residents and for people who don't even live and we are very happy that the City of Johannesburg has had the foresight to invite us on a tour of this kind."
Addressing the group at lunch, Yenana said there is plenty of room for development in Soweto, and it was up to them to decide how they could contribute to and benefit from Soweto.
"We initially thought that the retail supply would only equal the retail demand by 2009, but that seems to be happening sooner because of simple factors like increased earnings and aspirations for higher standards of living. There is lots going on in Soweto, and it makes perfect business sense to invest here," Yenana concluded.
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