In a symbolic gesture that buried the past and marked the future of the capital city, Tshwane executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa on Friday morning signed the contract that will see the construction of the R2 billion Tshwane House – the new municipal headquarters for the metro.
Tshwane House will replace the old Munitoria building, which, after partly burning down, was imploded in July 2013. This is just one of several major changes planned by the Tshwane metro for the regeneration of the inner city.
Ramokgopa signed the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with executives of the Tsela Tshweu Consortium, which is tasked with the construction of Tshwane House.
Addressing guests, stakeholders and councillors in a marque erected on the old Munitioria site – where building has already started – Ramokgopa emphasised that remaking the capital city was about intervening decisively in the creation of a modern, urban fabric premised on the principles of achieving spatial justice, sustainability, resilience, quality and efficiency.
“The city is proudly making history as it celebrates the national capital and repositioning the inner city as a vibrant cultural and government centre,” the mayor said. “We are open for business and we demonstrate this on a daily basis through our support for new development nodes, our investment in strategic infrastructure and our ongoing efforts to improving government processes.”
Ramokgopa said the metro would continue working with the private sector in its endeavour to transform the city and move the country forward.
The project is on track for completion in late 2017 and will accommodate 1 590 staff members – many currently scattered throughout the city in separate buildings since the fire at the Munitoria building.
The building includes grade A office accommodation covering 75 520 square metres, up to 1 300 parking bays over two levels, a 250-seater standalone council chamber with associated meeting rooms and communication booths, social facilities including a restaurant and support facilities including archive, storage and printing facilities.
The mayor said the modern, forward-looking municipal centre would bring local government closer to its people.
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