New R8 billion city to be built bordering Kruger National Park
The Mpumalanga government is in the process of developing Nkosi City, the province’s first post-apartheid city, which will be located in the Pienaar area on the western border of the Kruger National Park.
Construction on the R8 billion project could start as early as June, with all government approvals already obtained, developer Dovetail Properties told the City Press.
Dovetail Properties director Philip Kleijnhans said the development would take the form of an ‘agricity’ with small-scale farming land parcels next to RDP houses, which will be integrated into the urban design from the outset. The farming projects will create jobs for unemployed women and young people, he said.
“This is a project where government, private enterprise and the local community are doing something together, probably for the first time. The city will not only be a central business district for the region, but also an agricultural hub of macadamias, citrus and cash crops, eventually totalling about 5 000 hectares,” said Kleijnhans.
An estimated 15,000 jobs are expected to be created, with power to the new city partially supplied by a solar farm and a biomass renewable energy plant.
Other features of the new city include:
Residential (3,471 houses & apartments):
- RDP (1,747)
- Social Housing (apartments: 1,166)
- Bonded Housing (558)
- Urban Farms: (241 Ha)
Education
- (9 Preschools)
- (3 Primary Schools)
- (2 Secondary Schools)
- TVET College
- Agricultural training centre
- Dovetail Foundation training centre
Medical:
- Provincial hospital & clinic
- SPCA
Offices:
- Typical Hi-Street mixed use
- Ground floor service retail
- First floor offices
- Second floor apartments
- Fire and Emergency Services
- Police station, etc.
- Post Office
- Government and Private tenant driven office developments.
Retail:
- 40 000m² Retail Centre
- Service Retail Centre
- Fresh Produce Market
- Entertainment and restaurants
- Filling station & fitment centre
- CBD with national and local tenants
Kleijnhans said that the developers will begin to engage with potential financiers and specialist developers for the numerous and diverse development opportunities in the new city.
New Smart City
The announcement comes after Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane announced that work is underway to develop a separate new smart city in the province.
Presenting his state of the province address on Thursday (17 February), Mabuyane indicated that the project is still in the planning and design phase, with the provincial government working to attract investors.
“The development of the African Coastal Smart City is gaining momentum, following the president’s roadshow on the eastern seaboard towards the end of 2021.
“This initiative is going to serve as a game-changer and a catalyst for further development and investment attraction throughout the Wild Coast. There are already investors who have expressed an interest in the area. To facilitate implementation on the Eastern Cape side of the programme, we have appointed Coega (Special Economic Zone) to package our projects.”
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