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According to Department of Public Works and Infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille, tentative plans are in place to build South Africa’s first new city since 1994.

Take a moment to consider all of those tenders up for grabs. Terrifying, isn’t it?

Responding to questions during a ministerial briefing on infrastructure in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) this week, de Lille said the project is still in the early planning stages.

Before any construction begins, further studies will need to be conducted.

BusinessTech reports:

“So far, we have set up the core project team and a reference group, and we have developed the terms of reference for the project. We will further set up a stakeholder, communications and research unit that will look at international best practices.”

This unit will look at other countries and the models used for building new cities and towns, with both local and international scholars tapped to research the project.

I dunno, hey.

Maybe we could focus on getting rid of pit toilets, and installing running water in places where people already live, before we talk about grand plans to build a new city?

Consider this, briefly, via The Daily Maverick:

Greater Giyani Local Municipality [in Limpopo] has been enduring chronic water shortages, stemming from a multi-billion rand waterworks project in the area that, after seven years, is not even halfway complete. Residents face a lengthy wait, as the water authority is requesting a further R1.1-billion to complete the project.

The same story can be told across the country.

Anyway, back to this new city noise:

De Lille said that an investigation into land ownership will also take place so that a decision can be made on the best place to build this new city, with no official decision made on the location as yet.

These processes are set to be completed by April 2022, after which a final report will be presented to the cabinet and the inter-ministerial committee.

After those boxes have been checked, proposals to build the city will go out “in an open and competitive procurement process”.

This new city is not to be confused with the Lanseria smart city (pictured up top) that President Ramaphosa has spoken about in the past.

De Lille made that clear when responding to a question from DA MP Sonja Boshoff.

IOL with more:

This was an attempt to make a distinction to what Ramaphosa dreamt in June 2019 of a South Africa “where the first entirely new city built in the democratic era rises, with skyscrapers, schools, universities, hospitals and factories”.

However, last year Ramaphosa said the Lanseria “smart city, the first new city to be built in a democratic South Africa, is now a reality in the making” would be home to between 350 000 to 500 000 people within the next decade.

That Lanseria project, built in the area surrounding the Lanseria International Airport, is expected to take around 25 years to finish.

I find a good rule of thumb is to double any time frame given and do the same with the proposed cost.

Will there be flying cars?

[sources:bustech&dailymav&iol]