Government is getting its own R18 billion district in South Africa

Several government departments are set to move to a new state-owned precinct in Gauteng in the coming year.

Responding in a recent parliamentary Q&A, Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu said this will include the relocation of her department and its entities to Salvokop as part of the Tshwane Inner City Regeneration Programme.

Zulu added that the plan is to permanently accommodate five state-owned government head offices as part of phase 1, including:

• The Department of Higher Education and Training;
• The Department of Home Affairs;
• The Department of Correctional Services;
• Statistics South Africa headquarters (already completed);
• The consolidated headquarters for the Department of Social Development, the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and the National Development Agency.

“The consolidated Department of Social Development and National Development Agency head office campus is anticipated to permanently accommodate (the agencies) within a state-of-the-art, custom-design, permanent facility enabling enhanced service delivery and efficient operations,” Zulu said.

“This project is coordinated through a public-private partnership that is managed by National Treasury agency and the Government Technical Advisory Centre.”

A projected construction cost of the new 524,000 sqm precinct was set at R18 billion in 2019, with the first phase of the project expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

The project is expected to create over 3,200 jobs during the construction phase and the installation of the bulk services has started, Public Works minister Patricia De Lille said in her 2022 budget speech at the end of May.

Other planned developments for the project include:

• Provision for office space, commercial, residential, retail, open space, schools and health care;
• 24-hour security and community public spaces; environmentally sustainable and local content priority;
• Prioritisation of integrated public and non-motorised transport.

De Lille is expected to provide more details about the precinct in the coming weeks.

Read: Government to review R22 million flag project after widespread outrage