The South African Select Committee on Public Infrastructure says the relevant departments involved with the Salvokop Development Project must honour their commitments to the precinct for the project to continue successfully.

This call was made on October 23, during the committee’s second day of oversight visits in Gauteng, which included an inspection of the Salvokop precinct site.

The project, which aims to construct five national government department headquarters, mixed-income housing, recreational spaces, and educational institutions, was launched by then-minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, in 2022.

Committee Chairperson Rikus Badenhorst said the precinct tells a bigger story about what can be achieved when government invests with purpose, creating jobs, supporting SMMEs and transforming underused public land into a modern, functional space that works for people.

“It is in this context that the departments must honour the commitments they made for phase one of the project, which includes the installation of bulk and internal infrastructure services that are nearing completion,” said Badenhorst.

The committee considers the non-payment by certain departments a direct risk to the potential benefits the project will yield, not only for the departments themselves, but also for the metro and the broader economy.

The committee also expressed concern about residents who remain unwilling to be relocated to enable the completion of the initial phase of the project.

While acknowledging that some concerns may be genuine, the committee emphasised the need for constructive engagement to reach workable solutions.

Although the matter is currently before the courts, the committee remains confident that a middle ground can be achieved through collaboration.

It has called on relevant departments, including Human Settlements and Water and Sanitation, to assist in providing sustainable relocation solutions for affected residents.

Despite these challenges, the committee reaffirmed its support for the project, describing it as a ground-breaking initiative that links infrastructure investment to inner-city regeneration, integrated human settlements, and improved mobility.

“The model should be applauded and replicated across the country. The precinct’s property management plan will ensure sustainability, and the socio-economic spinoffs from job creation to spatial integration are too valuable to be lost,” Badenhorst said.

The government plans to demolish the Baghdad informal settlement to make way for a road linking Kgosi Mampuru Prison to Salvokop.

Some residents have moved into temporary houses built by the Department of Public Works, but others refuse to leave, creating a deadlock.

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