Modderfontein isn’t the kind of place that usually grabs headlines, but back in 2014, the suburb east of Johannesburg hit the news in a big way.

That’s because a Chinese development group called Zendai Developments announced that they intended to build an $8 billion smart city, which at the time was a cool R84 billion.

They talked a very good game, saying that the city would rival Sandton, with this from BusinessTech:

[It would have] nine functional zones, including a CBD, entertainment centre, and residential and educational districts.

The project was earmarked to be built on the 1600ha piece of land over 15 years (to be completed in 2030), housing approximately 30,000 families and creating aup to 200,000 fixed jobs for the local community.

The early concept drawings were also particularly impressive, with these from the Zendai ‘Heartland’ website:

In the five years since the announcement, it appears that things have ground to a halt.

That’s being kind, because dying a slow death is probably more on point:

…after announcing the start of construction in 2015, with some infrastructure development making headway the following year, news coming from the project fell silent by mid-2016.

And by the end of the year, the project was dead.

In 2017, the Competition Tribunal of South Africa approved the sale of Zendaito local development group M&T for a reported R1.8 billion.

According to a late 2018 report by Noseweek, Zendai Developments ran into financial troubles with net liabilities amounting to R216 million.

The project was abandoned, the magazine said, with Zendai citing South Africa’s poor economic conditions (in 2017, at the peak of the Zuma administration’s decline), the uncertain future of the real estate market, and fluctuations of the rand.

Just another example of how Zuma’s presidency led to foreign investment fleeing our shores. In total, State Capture is estimated to have cost this country R1,5 trillion, or a third of our total GDP.

He’s not solely to blame, though, because a research team found that there were also “conflicting visions between the developer and the City of Johannesburg”:

“Zendai’s aspirations to produce a high-end, mixed-used development did not fit with the City of Johannesburg’s approach.

Rather than a luxurious global hub, the city wanted a more inclusive development – one which reflected the principles outlined in its 2014 Spatial Development Framework,” the researchers said.

To this end, the city demanded that Zendai include at least 5,000 affordable homes in its plans. It also wanted to ensure that the development was compatible with, and complemented, Johannesburg’s public transport system…

However, they found that Zendai rather remained steadfast in its commitment to its original vision for the city, eventually deciding against fully integrating the city’s wishes into its planning application. This saw the city draw-out the planning process.

In my view, an R84 billion smart city should include some affordable homes, and that’s really not too much to ask. Clearly, the Chinese developers only had one thing in mind, and their single-mindedness to business can be seen in their approach throughout Africa.

You want it laid out nice and clearly? Here’s a Forbes article from last year:

The reason Chinese corporations are in Africa is simple; to exploit the people and take their resources. It’s the same thing European colonists did during mercantile times, except worse. The Chinese corporations are trying to turn Africa into another Chinese continent. They are squeezing Africa for everything it is worth…

Africa was at the top of the Beijing economic agenda. It was an easy and convenient target. Chinese leaders sent business delegations to every capital in Africa year after year. These delegates secured infrastructure projects and proposed trade deals, converting Africa into a “second continent” for China. Metaphorically, that is.

There’s really no time for affordable housing when you’re re-colonising Africa.

Sorry, good people of Modderfontein, but no smart city for you.

[sources:bustech&forbes]