Metro hopes to woo investors with plan linked to OR Tambo airport

Metro hopes to woo investors with plan linked to OR Tambo airport

Political Correspondent

POOR planning has cost Ekurhuleni municipality billions in investment but mayor Mondli Gungubele is confident that, thanks to a plan to transform the metro into an aerotropolis, a turnaround is imminent.

The metro - recognised as a manufacturing hub for Africa - took a beating in the recent recession, with the city's economy shrinking 7%.

Mr Gungubele, the chief proponent of turning Ekhurhuleni into an & aerotropolis& said he was first introduced to the concept by a colleague, African National Congress provincial secretary David Makhura, when he was sworn into office in 2010. Mr Gungubele aims to make Ekhurhuleni attractive to investors again and believes the key is spatial planning linked to OR Tambo International Airport.

But much will depend on Ekurhuleni's own preparations.

& When people come to exploit the opportunity, when they say I want to open a Melrose Arch in this area, how long will it take us to respond to that?& he asked.

& We looked at ourselves, we said 'mmmm there's a problem'. We agreed that one of our information systems is very weak, in terms of securing information, storing it, processing it, retrieving it. Our interaction with our external environment is very lethargic, it's not reliable, it's not dependable. Our call centre is overloaded, we asked ourselves, what do we do?& The answer is multifaceted, beginning with information and communications technology.

& Somebody who submits a development application to occupy a particular space, must know that in a certain period, they will get a response,& he said.

A & digital city& is also on the cards to connect businesses, government and communities across the metro. The metro has already pumped R40m into broadband infrastructure.

A command centre is to be established allowing for & business units& to be housed in one area. & We will be able to see what's happening in Ekurhuleni across the board,& Mr Gungubele said.

Another prong in the strategy is a plan to boost the metro's transport infrastructure, not solely for goods but also for people, through an integrated rapid public transport network.

However, critics - such as Democratic Alliance caucus leader Shelly Loe - say Mr Gungubele is & out of touch& given that there are more than 160000 people living in informal settlements in the municipality.

But Mr Gungubele said the metro's plans included an urban renewal strategy that would turn informal settlements into & preferred destinations& in which the people of Gauteng could live in 20 to 30 years' time.

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