By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
City of Tshwane is set to hold its inaugural Tshwane investment summit on September 10 to attract investment and position the metro as a prime spot for business.
This would assist the metro to provide reliable services to residents, improve infrastructure, and restore dignity to households across Tshwane, executive mayor Nasiphi Moya said on Thursday.
The summit, expected to draw 500 delegates including business leaders and diplomats, could unlock the R5 billion target through deals in energy, logistics, and agro-processing.
This drive forms part of a broader strategy to breathe new life into the local economy, which has faced challenges like high municipal debt, service delivery gaps, and infrastructure breakdowns.
She said that giving the dilapidated Tshwane Show Grounds, the fresh produce market and water infrastructure a facelift was crucial to making Tshwane an investment destination.
“Far from being another policy document, this strategy serves as a practical road map for growth, investment and jobs. It sets a bold target to grow the economy at an average of 3.9% by 2029, to attract R17 billion in investment to the city, to add R41.5 billion to the local economy and to create 80,000 new jobs across the formal and informal sectors.”
The summit comes at a crucial time for Tshwane, which has battled financial woes and governance issues in recent years.
Moya, who took office on 9 October 2024 after a multi-party coalition shift, has made economic revival a top priority.
Another focus is Wonderboom National Airport, a general aviation hub in northern Pretoria that has seen declining traffic due to competition from OR Tambo International. The city envisions turning it into a cargo and maintenance centre, leveraging its 1.8km runway for regional flights.
Moya stressed that these assets alone will not fix the economy. “These assets alone will not be enough to revive the city’s economy. As such, during the summit, the administration will reveal a comprehensive support package to investors.
“We have reconfigured Tshwane’s strategy investment committee to make sure that we fast-track the mutually beneficial investment ventures in our city.” This package includes incentives like tax breaks, streamlined approvals, and dedicated support teams to cut red tape.
The reconfigured committee, now meeting weekly, has already approved projects worth R500 million in the past quarter, showing early wins, she remarked.
The city faces a R4.5 billion backlog in water and sanitation upgrades, with ageing pipes causing frequent bursts in areas like Soshanguve and Mamelodi. Electricity theft and vandalism have led to outages, costing millions annually. To tackle this, Tshwane has allocated R2 billion in the 2025/26 budget for infrastructure, including smart metering to curb losses and partnerships for renewable energy projects.