Transforming Pretoria West: How the City of Tshwane plans to reclaim properties for economic growth
Image: Supplied/City of Tshwane
The City of Tshwane plans to lease reclaimed buildings in Pretoria West to legitimate businesses following the eviction of tenants with unpaid bills in a bid to stimulate economic growth and promote spatial justice before the Tshwane Investment Summit in September 2025.
The move follows the City's recent issuance of eviction notices to illegal tenants occupying municipal buildings in the area, who owe over R26 million in unpaid rent for 12 properties and 35 stands.
Visiting one of the properties that had been illegally occupied for years, Mayor Nasiphi Moya said the City envisions Pretoria West as a thriving manufacturing hub.
She noted that the building had been occupied by these individuals for years without the City collecting rent.
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'We have not been getting money for electricity and water and our people have not been using it to build their businesses,' she said.
Kholofelo Morodi, mayco member for Corporate and Shared Services, said the city's Bad Buildings Committee has included the Pretoria West Precinct in the urban renewal strategy and investment readiness initiative to reclaim hijacked buildings.
The urban renewal strategy seeks to revitalise neglected areas, safeguard municipal assets, and establish zones ready for economic development.
Morodi described the high-impact operation in the Pretoria West Precinct as a success, underscoring the city's commitment to urban renewal, protecting assets, and investment readiness.
'This city-owned precinct had been unlawfully occupied by individuals without valid lease agreements or documentation. In addition to structural neglect and non-payment for services, authorities uncovered a network of illegal electricity connections — posing severe fire hazards and threatening to overload the grid, with implications for citywide energy stability and public safety,' she said.
She explained that the operation forms part of the committee's mandate to systematically reclaim and reintegrate hijacked, misused, and unsafe assets into formal urban development frameworks.
'Pretoria West Precinct is one of many strategic properties the city will be securing and restoring to operational dignity. These buildings are not abandoned — they are being repositioned to fuel inclusive growth, job creation, and spatial justice ahead of the Tshwane Investment Summit in September 2025,' she said.
She said the operation was carried out lawfully and peacefully, with coordination among key departments, including group property management, group legal, the city manager's office, and the Tshwane Metro Police Department, among others.
Morodi said: 'The Pretoria West Precinct now forms part of Tshwane's broader Urban Renewal Strategy — a transformative blueprint to activate neglected urban spaces, safeguard municipal assets, and prepare spade-ready zones for catalytic development.'
She vowed that the city will continue to step up multi-faceted operations across all seven regions, reclaiming hijacked infrastructure and transforming it into secure, functional, and economically thriving areas for everyone.
In a recent operation, the city targeted a property housing over 20 shacks, where tenants were paying R1,500 to R2,000 per room.
The city also issued bylaw contravention notices for two properties and had previously fined a nearby scrap yard dealership for constructing a wall that exceeded height limits without approval.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za
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