Free State Business 2018 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
conferencing, retail, motor vehicle dealerships, car
rental, logistics hub and a showground.
New infrastructure in the form of the new Naval
Hill Reservoir has been established to service the
additional businesses and houses which the N8
Corridor development will create. The reservoir will
ultimately have a capacity of 70ml.
Power utility Eskom is to be approached with
a view to rerouting the power lines along the N8
which currently inhibit development in the area
around the Corridor.
Botshabelo has a manufacturing sector which
employs more than 10 000 people in textiles, plastics
and other sectors. However, the bulk of the
employed population of Botshabelo commute to
Bloemfontein every day, using buses or taxis. A
number of factory buildings and parcels of publicly
owned land in Botshabelo and along the N8 are
either not used or under-utilised.
Close to 30% of the residents of the greater
Mangaung metropole live in Botshabelo. Many
residents are employed in the informal economy in
the area. This is also true of Thaba Nchu, which is a
short distance further down the N8 towards Lesotho.
CBD development
An important part of the Mangaung Metropolitan
Municipality’s most recent Integrated Development
Plan (IDP) relates to reviving or stimulating the central
business districts (CBDs) of the three towns in
the metro.
Thab Nchu has a small central business district
but mostly comprises 42 rural villages which fall
under the Chieftancy of the Baralong boo Seleka
of Thaba Nchu.
The opening of the Botshabelo Mall in November
2016 was a big event for the residents of the area
and a significant step towards boosting the town’s
CBD. The 21 000m² facility is a joint venture between
Khora Investments and STANLIB Direct Property
Investments. Nine hundred jobs were created in
the building phase of the R350-million project, with
a further 1 100 jobs in the operational phase.
Large retailers, furniture stores and banks have
established a presence at the mall, which is on the
corner of N8 and the Main Road. Being able to shop
at the mall means far less travelling on the busy road
to Bloemfontein.
Efficiency, inclusion and sustainability are the
three watchwords for planners in relation to all
plans with regard to the CBDs of Botshabelo and
Thaba Nchu.
The IDP includes a suggestion that the use of
bridges be explored as a way of linking spaces within
the city of Bloemfontein.
Housing
The 2016/17 IDP brings together the concept of the
N8 Corridor with a number of important principles
related to providing better housing:
• Travel distances within the city need to be shorter.
Therefore, the city should embark on denser
mixed developments.
• In rural areas, settlements patterns must balance
the social, cultural and agricultural needs
of families.
• Improved access to work and social amenities,
including sports and recreational facilities.
• De-racialising the built environment through the
accelerated release of land and the development
of the seven land parcels in Cecilia, Brandkop,
Pellisier, Vista Park and Hillside View, to bring
integration and create economic opportunities.
13 FREE STATE BUSINESS 2018