Residents are making progress on dream city
The residents' dream is to have a complete and integrated human settlement. One that will be an economic hub where residents are trained and thus work in cooperatives, as part of public-private partnerships - for their own benefit and for that of the rest of Mbombela.
LUPHISI – There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the residents of Pienaar who have dreamed of a self-sustaining Nkosi City.
The community recently met up with the minister of rural development and land reform, Mr Gugile Nkwinti, to forge a way for the construction of the city.
The minister was accompanied by the MEC for agriculture,Mr Andries Gamede. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs was tasked to work with Nkwinti in resolving all the outstanding issues. Some of these include a plan on the provision of water, electricity and roads.
The residents’ dream is to have a complete and integrated human settlement. One that will be an economic hub where residents are trained and thus work in cooperatives, as part of public-private partnerships – for their own benefit and for that of the rest of Mbombela.
According to local leaders, the construction of the city will use a model adopted from Poland.
Nkwinti promised residents that his department will do a site inspection in the area. This will be followed by an environmental-impact assessment and an socio-economic study which will indicate the economic growth of the city.
“We will need to work together in achieving your dream. This will take cooperation from all of us and I believe together we can achieve that,” he said.
The Nkosi City Community Property Association (NCCPA) spokesman, Mr Mandla Msibi, said they were happy with the progress made thus far.
“There are plans to do a site inspection. That will give us a way forward. Remember this is not dodgy work, we want everything to be done professionally,” he said.
A ward councillor for Ward 2B, the area in Pienaar where the city is planned to be built, Msibi has been at the forefront of the project since its inception in 2010.
According to the plan by the community leaders, Nkosi City will offer 4 500 houses, preschools, primary schools, high schools, an FET college, a community health centre, a veterinary clinic, an office complex, a 40 000 square metre shopping centre, a fresh-produce market, a lodge and tourism opportunities in the Kruger National Park, light industrial facilities, a bus terminal, a cemetery and land for agriculture.
Although the land in question belongs to locals, Msibi said the government was deliberating with the owners to have it sold for the benefit of everyone. “We know there are a few people who own the land we need to start the development. We will work with them so that they are compensated for the land,” he said.
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