The ghost of South Africa’s capital to get R1 billion facelift

For the past 15 years, anyone passing through Pretoria’s inner city encountered the haunting sight of Schubart Park – a towering, derelict high-rise complex that looms over the country’s capital.

Once a bustling mega-housing project, 13 years ago it was rendered uninhabitable by years of neglect and mounting safety concerns.

Today, it stands as a bleak concrete skeleton, gutted and lifeless, a stark reminder of urban decay in the heart of the city.

However, the City of Tshwane is undertaking an ambitious rejuvenation project in Pretoria’s inner city, identifying and revitalising derelict buildings.

Earlier this year, the city transferred the Schubart Park complex to the Tsoseletso Consortium, initiating the over R1 billion West Capital Development Project.

It promises to provide “approximately 1,300 units, 3,500 square meters of retail space as well as recreational space.”

This massive project, initiated by the government in the early 1970s, was a state-subsidised rental scheme for the benefit of civil servants.

At the time, it was envisioned as a glittering “city within a city” and a cornerstone of ambitious urban renewal.

It is part of the larger renewal scheme in the western quadrant of Pretoria, a district historically neglected due to segregationist planning.

Construction on the massive complex began around 1970 and was completed by 1976, featuring four towers, 22 to 25 storeys high, rising from a three-storey podium.

The podium was meant to be an elevated public space, offering residents a community hall, shops, service centres, swimming pools, tennis courts, and gardens.

With 813 living units intended for 2,400 residents, the complex promised luxury and convenience, aiming to stem the exodus from the city centre.

The target residents were carefully vetted, primarily young middle-class government employees and families, with strict racial segregation enforced.

By the 1980s, with the relaxation of racial segregation and the removal of strict assignment policies based on salary, Schubart Park’s demographics began to change.

In 1999, the City took ownership of the complex and continued to rent the units to civil servants, maintaining its purpose as affordable housing for government employees.

The decline of Schubart Park

Over time, increased urbanisation and the resultant decay took their toll. Occupancy estimates swelled to nearly 10,000 people, far exceeding the original design.

The condition of the buildings had markedly deteriorated, and they were occupied by many persons not known to the City. In early September 2011, the water and electricity supply was stopped.

At that time, approximately 700 families lived in Schubart Park’s blocks A, B, and C. Block D was unoccupied.

On 21 September 2011, protests erupted at Schubart Park over poor living conditions, with residents setting fires and throwing objects from the buildings.

Fires in Block C on 21 September led to a police evacuation and lockdown of Schubart Park, leaving many residents barred from returning.

Soon after, Blocks A and B residents were also removed, displacing up to 5,000 people.

The Constitutional Court later determined that the eviction was unlawful and directed the municipality to secure alternative accommodation for the displaced residents.

Since then, the city has borne the substantial cost of accommodating these occupants in privately-owned properties in and around the inner city, amounting to over R250 million.

Stalled repairs

Although there had been promises for years, renovations of the four building at Schubart Park never kicked off.

Protracted legal battles with the Tsoseletso Consortium, the developer appointed under the then ANC-led administration, have hindered progress on restoring the property.

The deal initially involved the sale of 128 council-owned properties to Tsoseletso to supposedly build student accommodation.

When the DA assumed power in 2016, it challenged the legitimacy of the agreement, arguing that it had been arranged “outside the authority of the council and in violation of legal protocols.”

“At the time, councillors were not informed that the alienated land might in fact be needed for the purposes of municipal service delivery,” said then-MMC for corporate and shared services Cilliers Brink.

“In 2013, the deal was changed to a 99-year lease by the municipal council, but the deal Ngobeni concluded with Tsoseletso’s shelf company, Zambli 279 Properties (Pty) Ltd, went way beyond what the municipal council had ever authorised.”

Two years ago, following a prolonged legal dispute, the DA-led coalition government secured a settlement with the Tsoseletso Consortium.

Under the terms of the agreement, 75% of the property reverted to municipal ownership, acknowledging that its inclusion in the original deal was improper.

The City says the settlement requires ongoing collaboration with the Tsoseletso Consortium to clearly define responsibilities and ensure the project’s successful completion.

R1 billion Schubart Park upgrade

In late January 2025, the new Tshwane coalition government announced plans to redevelop the long-abandoned Schubart Park complex, stating that it is “set to rise from its ruins.”

The redevelopment is part of a broader initiative to reclaim hijacked, derelict, and abandoned buildings, mayoral spokesperson Sam Mgobenzi told BusinessTech.

“This property is considered significant,” Mgobenzi stated, adding that it forms part of the city’s Bad Buildings Programme which aims to convert city-owned assets into housing and student accommodation.

Schubart Park, a landmark in the inner city, is central to the West Capital Development, which Mgobenzi called “a significant inner city revitalisation measure.”

He emphasised that developing the site would not only support urban regeneration but also alleviate financial pressure.

“The city has spent over R100 million on alternative accommodation for former occupants. Completing the project would eradicate this cost,” he noted.

In terms of a legal settlement, all qualifying former residents of Schubart Park will be accommodated, and construction is expected to be completed within three years of the approval of Site Development Plans.

Mgobenzi clarified that the R1 billion referenced by the mayor is not direct city expenditure.

“The city is not spending any money. It is leveraging city-owned assets through long-term leases to attract investment.”

Kholofelo Morodi, MMC for Corporate and Shared Services formally handed the site over to the Tsoseletso Consortium earlier this year.

The redevelopment will involve an investment of over R1 billion and is expected to deliver around 1,300 housing units, 3,500 square metres of retail space, and designated recreational areas.

It is understood that Tsoseletso will enter into a 99-year lease agreement, under which the metro will receive 5% of rental turnover.

According to Morodi, discussions between the City and the Consortium have taken place over the past two years, culminating in a settlement agreement approved by the council.

“By transforming neglected spaces into vibrant, inclusive communities, the City of Tshwane is taking a proactive approach to prevent urban decay… ensuring a brighter future for all Tshwane residents,” said Morodi.

The MMC stated that her concern has “always been that the government starts projects and then it takes 10+ years to finish.”

“It’s not going to happen on my watch. I will make sure that whatever bottlenecks are there, will be resolved timeously,” she assured.

Renders of what the restored precinct will allegedly look like