Ekurhuleni’s executive mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele unveiled the highly anticipated Aerotropolis Master Plan to local and international investors during the two-day Aerotropolis Industrial Cluster and Investment Conference, on Tuesday.
The conference was held at Emperors Palace, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The master plan will be implemented over a period of 30 years and is set to present potential and current investors with a myriad of economic opportunities around the O R Tambo International Airport.
The Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis is the metro’s economic growth path aimed at repositioning the economy of the entire Gauteng City region, as well as to balance the distribution of economic activities around Ekurhuleni to create over half a million new formal jobs over time.
During his keynote address Gungubele said, “Today, I can say without fear of contradiction that we are unveiling to the world one of the most solid city development and investment attraction instruments.
“Through this master plan, we are making a bold commitment as a show of force and demonstration of our resolve to change the lives of our communities.
“We are declaring a fresh approach to tackling poverty, joblessness, unemployment and the inequalities of the past.”
The Aerotropolis Master Plan embodies hubs of economic activities and community focal points, emphasising a mixture of public and private investment.
Each hub features and economically supports the most complex key catalytic projects.
Twelve identified projects envisaged to breathe life into the aerotropolis include:
- Riverfields Development Project;
- Plumbago Industrial Park Development Project;
- South African National Training and Simulation Centre;
- Green Reef Mega Projects;
- Gauteng Jewellery Manufacturing Precinct IDZ;
- Denel Kempton Park Campus;
- Germiston Station Intermodal Transport Facility;
- Ekurhuleni Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network;
- Gautrain Expansion and Extension Programme;
- Digital City Development;
- Tambo Springs Inland Port and
- Gibela Rail Manufacturing Plant and Supplier Park.
Ekurhuleni is home to Africa’s first aerotropolis following successful implementation of airport cities in other parts of the world such as the Middle East, Asia, North America and Europe.
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