In the press
Calling all donors/funders of Con Hill and Greater Newtown Development Companies
Blue IQ Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, as a majority shareholder of Constitution Hill and Greater Newtown Development Companies, would like to call on all the donors or funders in the projects pertaining to the above mentioned companies to confirm the amount of funding provided/donated and whether funding was conditional or not.
Blue IQ Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd has requested that you provide them with your company name and registration number, contact details, the grant amounts, grant conditions and an indication of whether the conditions of the grants were met. Please respond in writing by mailing all such submissions for the attention of Ms Amanda Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Blue IQ Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd, P O Box 10420, Johannesburg, 2000 or hand delivery, Blue IQ Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd. No 1 Central Place, Cnr Jeppe and Henry Nxumalo Street, Newtown, Johannesburg.
Gautrain Park Station progresses
Construction of the concourse slab at Park Station is approaching completion. Work continues on the station roof slab and the platforms at rail level. Casting of the columns that will support the parkade structure above the station is in progress. Tunneling activities at Park Station continued, with the single tunnel excavation towards Rosebank Station reaching approximately 1 304 metres by the end of May 2009. Gautrain construction started at the end of September 2006. It will be completed in two phases:
Kentridge sculpture towers over bridges
World-renown artist William Kentridge has, together with Gerhard Marx, designed a massive metal sculpture that stands at the southern end of the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, overlooking Nelson Mandela Bridge and the entrance to the inner city. The gigantic metal sculpture has been erected in the CBD as part of the City’s drive to add thought-provoking, artistic features to its streets. The sculpture depicts a woman carrying a brazier. According to Kentridge, it invokes memories of the 1990s, when many African women in Joburg used the braziers for business and to warm themselves. “There were always women walking around carrying the braziers on their heads,” Kentridge said. At 13 metres high and six metres wide, it will be the biggest sculpture in the inner city."
R1 Billion for Wits expansion
"In order to create an environment conducive to teaching, learning and research at the highest level, Wits has geared R1-billion over four years to modernise, renew and upgrade its physical and educational resources,” says Professor Loyiso Nongxa, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal. Wits has partnered with government, the private sector and other local and global entities on various projects in order to build a world-class university that will better serve the region.
The Wits Capital Projects Programme comprises over 100 projects, including the development of new buildings and residences and the refurbishment of existing entities, laboratories and large classrooms. It is managed by a directorate within the Property and Infrastructure Division, which reports to the Capital Projects Steering Group established by Nongxa, to co-ordinate and support project priorities, budgets and the fundraising efforts of the Faculties and the Advancement and Partnerships Division.
Urban Monitoring System for Braamfontein
An urban monitoring system has been introduced into the Braamfontein Management District in order to improve the work of its security and maintenance teams. The Urban Monitoring System (UMS) is a comprehensive geographic Information system that visibly depicts the status of urban infrastructure services and collects statistical information used to plot trends and graphs.
Major financial boost for Inner City housing development
In what is believed to be one the biggest private equity deal within the affordable housing sector, property finance company International Housing Solutions (IHS) has invested in excess of R230 million in Aengus Lifestyle Properties. As subsidiary of Aengus Property Holdings, the Aengus Group is renowned for the upgrading and development of affordable but stylish homes in South Africa’s inner cities. The investment takes the form of an equity facility, providing IHS with a 26% share in Aengus Lifestyle Properties, and allowing Aengus to raise additional debt finance for the acquisition and refurbishment of a further 2500 units over the next 12 months. “This will bring a number of new units to the market, spanning student as well as conventionally tenanted loft apartments”, says CEO of Aengus, Richard Rubin. The units are situated in inner city Johannesburg - including the CBD, Braamfontein, Parktown and Hillbrow - where there exists an acute shortage of good quality rental stock. The funding provided by IHS will be used to acquire further stock in the inner city Johannesburg area, and possibly further projects in inner city Durban.
Secrets to inner city renting success
While many landlords battle to fill their units and secure the rent at month's end, one urban renewal developer is doing a roaring trade renting apartments in Joburg's inner city. What's the secret to its success? The rental business has never been a risk free one, but these days, for some landlords, renting has become a business with a lot more risk and a lot less return. One in five tenants renting in South Africa's major cities did not pay any rent in the first quarter of this year, according to credit bureau TPN (as quoted in Finweek). That's a 280% increase over the same period last year, where only 5% of tenants defaulted.
This explains why its conversions such as Lofts@66, Tribeca Lofts, Braamfontein Lofts, and the recently completed Fashion Lofts were sold out or fully tenanted shortly after their release to market.
The gloss is back on Braamies
Student accommodation, yuppie lofts, shiny corporate buildings, restaurants and night clubs, all underlined by the efforts of the City and private sector, are bringing the vibe back to Braamfontein. For all its city appearance, Braamfontein has retained much of its village feel of yesteryear - if perhaps a more fast-paced village. The hoot of the owl may have been replaced by the honk of taxis; the scruffy bramble bushes - after which the area is named - by clipped, landscaped gardens but a walk around this beautiful precinct shows just why it has maintained one of the lowest vacancy rates in Johannesburg, even at the height of inner city decline in the 1980s. It's an inner city village Still one of the largest office nodes in Johannesburg, Braamfontein is fast becoming a sought after residential suburb, both for laid-back denim-clad students and trendy city slickers of all ages. Returning back to its suburban, homely roots is apt in a way - in the 1950s it had much the same look as some of the older suburbs of Joburg today, filled with semi-detached houses, small blocks of flats and canteens.
But where once the Braamfontein skyline was dominated by low-rise buildings, it is now high-rise flats and office blocks which pierce the sky.
New use for old Braamies buildings
The old YMCA building in Braamfontein will be converted into flats and retail Several old buildings in Braamfontein are being converted into flats, both upmarket and affordable, that are attracting people back into the area. The face of Braamfontein is changing: over the past five years this once-lifeless area has begun returning to its golden years as a place where people live, work and play. Already there had been significant movement, following the establishment and success of the Braamfontein Improvement District (BID), said Simon Rubin, the marketing director of Aengus Property Management. The BID is a city improvement district, whereby property and business owners in the area pitch in and add to City services in a bid to upgrade it. The aim in Braamfontein is to revive it and once again make it an attractive suburb. In 2002, the Johannesburg Development Agency and City council invested R13-million in a regeneration programme in Braamfontein. These funds have been increased through private sector investment.
Historic YMCA converted into offices, flats
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Inner city property developer Aengus Lifestyle Properties has begun converting the historic YMCA building in Braamfontein into its biggest mixed-use development to date. The new development will consist of 4 000m² of commercial space, 190 residential units and prime retail space. Close to a number of large employers in the Braamfontein area as well as the University of the Witwatersrand, it is expected to be fully tenanted as demand for comfortable, affordable accommodation in downtown Johannesburg climbs. It is also close to the Gautrain’s Park Station, due to be fully operational by 2011.
Photo: the South African YMCA's logo
The Business Express Train
The Business Express is the service that runs between Pretoria and Johannesburg and is the ultimate in luxury commuter travel. With an airline style individualized seating arrangement and a host of on board facilities, the Business Express train provides an excellent, affordable and stress free commuter travel option between Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Solar rebate programme
Eskom is introducing a solar rebate programme for homeowners who install SABS approved solar water heating systems.
Up to twenty percent of the cost of the water heating system will be given back to homeowners. And the monthly cost of water heating will be reduced by 70 percent.
For all the detail visit the Eskom website or call (011) 800-4744
The Boys in the Photograph
Ticket sales are already open for The Boys in the photograph, the Andrew Lloyd Webber/ Ben Elton production especially for the Fifa 2010 World Cup.
New CID manager for BMD and NMD
The Braamfontein Improvement District would like to welcome the newest member of the team, Lebogang Molapo, who is taking on the role of CID manager for the Braamfontein Improvement District and the Newtown Management District.
Wits garden project growing opportunities for the community
Teaching the skills to grow their own produce empowers a community to become self sufficient. This is exactly what the Siyakhana food garden project set out to do, and the results are growing nicely.
Guided tours at Constitution Hill offered from R20 per person
Visit Constitution Hill a National Heritage Site and Museum and the home of the Constitutional Court from as little as R20 a day. Tours are guided from 09h00 to 17h00 during the week and Saturdays from 10h00 to 15h00.
Experience a variety of permanent exhibitions featuring:
- Constitution Square
- We, The People Wall
- Awaiting Trial Block
- The Old Fort
- Nelson Mandela exhibition
- Women’s Jail
- Number Four
- Mahatma Gandhi
Also visit the Constitutional Court built around the remaining stairwells of the old Awaiting Trial Block with glass towers on top of the old stairwells, signifying how the possibilities of the future rise out of the difficulties of the past.
Telephone 011 381 3100 for more information.
Inner city rejuvenation makes progress
Cape Town and Durban have turned the corner, but Johannesburg lags, say Trafalgar report.
Doornfontein revival starts
AMDEC Property Development and its partners are redeveloping the 47000m² old Nedbank office block in Doornfontein, creating 924 affordable apartments and a 6000m² shopping centre .
Toilets play a very important role
Public toilets in Johannesburg have always been a stinky subject and the butt of many jokes.
But, all 33 inner-city toilets have been revamped and now resemble something out of an interior design magazine, fully tiled with drop lights over bordered mirrors, with soap dispensers and hand dryers, The Star reported on Thursday.
Bright Lights, Big City by Joseph Talotta
Sunday Times Lifestyle Published 15 July 2007
As the Alexander Theatre reopens its doors this week, Josef Talotta talks to Adam Levy, the man behind Braamfontein’s facelift.
Johannesburg property developer Adam Levy cuts a sartorial path through the mean streets of Braamfontein. Actually, he’d be the first to point out that they’re not that mean — and he should know, he walks them daily, having bought a substantial number of buildings in the district.
Joburg back to it's glory days
The Star
Little spot
Joburg back to it's glory days
Trevor Pengelly
Tuesday 27 February 2007
One of the first signs that an area is in decline is the condition of the food shops. As the ability to attract the smart set declines, the restaurants close, hastening the departure of economic viability.
This happened to central Joburg where only a few places like The Rand Club and Harrison Street Bar were left. Even fast food shops were like gold nuggets and the safest was probably a Russian and chips from Jose on the corner of Rissik and Marshall; but the sign of quickening pace is the return of smart food shops.
Centre Court
The building and the collection of art works held by the Constitutional Court Trust have recently been captured in an interactive DVD tour that was made possible through funding by the British Council in South Africa.
Paying Rent at the Alex
Joburg hosts no less than five Broadway shows this year. Apart from Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Lion King and another hit musical to be announced tomorrow for Gold Reef City Casino's new theatre, get set for Rent and Hair, which are also travelling to Cape Town.
By Adrienne Sichel
Tree sculptures to adorn Juta Street
Conceptualised by The Trinity Session as part of a visual trail in Jozi's cultural arc, nine interactive tree sculptures will be erected in Juta Street this weekend. Juta Street in Braamfontein will be turned into an artistic paradise when nine large-scale tree sculptures are installed, courtesy of a public-art partnership between the Johannesburg Development Agency and The Trinity Session. The R75 000 project is part of a broader initiative to create a visual trail in Johannesburg's cultural arc, which spans Constitution Hill, Braamfontein, and Wits University's East Campus across the Mandela Bridge through to Newtown. "The project is a culmination of a series of conceptual design workshops conducted by Claire Regnard, a part-time visual art teacher, a group of students from the Imbali Visual Literacy Project at The Bus Factory, and the Trinity Session," says Stephen Hobbs from The Trinity Session, a contemporary art production team which runs The Premises, the Johannesburg Civic Theatre's art gallery. Installation of the three-metre-high tree sculptures in designated concrete planters along the pavements of Juta Street will take place over the weekend. A walkabout of the street will be conducted next week, according to Regnard. "Students came up with the original concept and developed small-scale designs of trees using recycled material like tyres and plastics. But we needed tree sculptures that would be strong to withstand the weather, so I took some elements from these designs and created human-scale expressions of tree-like metal forms."
R3m strategy to combat manhole cover theft
The theft of manhole and water meter covers for sale as scrap metal has resulted in Johannesburg Water adopting a preventative strategy. The ongoing battle to combat the theft of manhole covers will see Johannesburg Water spend some R3-million this year to replace over 8 000 missing covers. "Joburg Water has set aside R3-million [this year] to replace 8 551 missing manhole covers in Sandton, Alexandra, Soweto, Roodepoort and Joburg's CBD as well as Deep South," says the water utility's acting communications and marketing manager, Baldwin Matsimela. According to Joburg Water, thieves take iron manhole and water meter covers to sell as scrap metal.The utility is now replacing such covers with ones made of a polymer-concrete mix, which will not have resale or scrap value.
Modern new logo for City
The City of Johannesburg has commissioned the design of a crisper, cleaner corporate logo to avoid misuse and ensure continuity is kept across all departments.The City of Johannesburg plans to use a standardised corporate logo in an attempt to prevent misuse and create increased brand awareness. The new logo will come into effect from 1 July.
"There has been confusion about which logo is the right one to use. With the start of the new mayoral term, it was decided that now was the perfect time to put forward a uniform and simplified corporate identity," said Elsabe Booyens, the head of marketing for Johannesburg. The logo currently used by the City dates back to 2002, when it hosted the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Booyens said there were widespread errors in the application of the City of Johannesburg's corporate identity, whether by incorrect sizing, colour or placement. The standardised logo, designed by the Switch Design Company, will ensure that all departments, regions and utilities, agencies and corporatised entities (UACs) will use the same corporate identity in all official correspondence, business cards and posters.
Business barometer to monitor economic progress
An innovative mechanism to measure business activity and economic trends on a monthly basis shows that Gauteng's economic progress is holding steady. A business barometer reflecting economic progress across Gauteng - an exciting first for South Africa - has just been launched. "It represents another first for our province as the country's first provincial business barometer, which reflects a wide range of economic factors," said Premier Mbhazima Shilowa at the launch of the Gauteng Business Barometer in Johannesburg on 20 June. "It will give us an important insight into the workings of the Gauteng economy and will be of value to both the private and public sector," he added. Addressing the guests at the launch, Shilowa said that the Gauteng Business Barometer reflected one of the main strengths of the province - its ability to innovate and to apply knowledge to create new products and services. He remarked that the sustained high levels of economic growth in Gauteng were largely attributable to policies and strategies implemented by government.
CBD's show signs of life
After some years of decline, there are signs of a revitalisation in central business districts around South Africa. Neil Gopal, CEO of the South African Property Owners Association, says development and conversions are taking place in the CBDs such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane. “Irish developers such as Euro Cape Investments are very active in this market and are looking at doubling their R1-billion investment in the next 18 months. We would like to see more South African developers becoming involved in this market,” says Gopal. “A major driving force is the fact government is giving developers tax incentives to revitalize the inner cities. In addition, there is a value in the CBDs,” Gopal says. Gerald Leisner, CEO of ApexHi Properties says South Africa has been through 10 to 15 years of dramatic decentralization, with companies moving out of the traditional CBDs. This pattern had a dramatic effect on CBD properties, and rentals fell. Revitalisation programmes aimed at attracting people back to the CBDs had limited success.However, CBDs are now changing to mixed-use areas, incorporating a higher level of residential space alongside retail and office space. He says the private sector is creating momentum and that more can be done to foster further development. Due to rising CBD rentals, further inner city development is now commercially feasible. “Some office space is converted into apartments, existing apartments are being upgraded and facilities such as hotels are being upgraded into better residential accommodation.“Retail has also evolved. Traditional department stores have disappeared but stores such as supermarkets and furniture stores are doing well.”
Gautrain to get R4,6bn of transport budget - MEC
The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project is to get the lion’s share of Gauteng’s transport budget, it was revealed in MEC Ignatius Jacobs’s budget speech yesterday.The project also contributed greatly to the surge in the budget, which increased by R4,7bn from last year’s R1,5bn. Of this R4,6bn is going to its construction. Jacobs reiterated premier Mbhazima Shilowa’s stance that the R20bn Gautrain was an essential part of a much-needed transport infrastructure system in the province, and would not be a “white elephant”. “Gautrain is more than just an economic growth initiative,” said Jacobs. About 70% of the R403m for roads would be used to maintain roads and 30% to build new ones. He said there would be focus on building roads and related transport infrastructure in disadvantaged communities and townships, including the premier’s 20-townships development initiative announced this year. In a bid to deal with congestion on the roads and its effect on road maintenance, Jacobs said the province would introduce late this month “friendly” public transport toll roads, which would see buses, taxis and high occupancy vehicles paying cheaper rates. “We do not intend this to be a punitive measure but rather an incentive to discourage people from driving alone.”
Sappi hit by subsidiary's 'junk' rating
Struggling paper maker Sappi was dealt another blow on Friday, when rating agency Moody's slashed the credit rating of its overseas subsidiary to "junk" or "speculative" status.
Moody's announced the rating downgrade for Sappi Papier Holdings, which holds Sappi's international operations, on Friday, citing poor profitability in the paper company's US and European operations.
The downgrade from "investment grade" of Baa3 to "junk" status of Ba1 comes at a crucial time for the company and will affect its ability to raise money in overseas markets at cheap rates.