Business activities in townships are varied, ranging from informal trading activities, to manufacturing, with some residents shifting into service-oriented sectors, which require co-working spaces for remote and hybrid work. The infrastructure and programmes needed to support this variety of business activities requires innovative thinking, which also recognises the context-specific needs and common practices of residents of these areas.
This Knowledge Product focusses on three examples of municipally owned and operated business support infrastructures in the City of Ekurhuleni, specifically in Thembisa, and in the City of Tshwane, specifically in Hammanskraal. The case studies represent different infrastructure scenarios through which township micro-enterprises and businesses could be supported. One case focuses on public trading markets situated in high-potential sites. The second case focuses on industrial hives that supports small-scale manufacturing businesses in the clothing, textile and apparel industry. The third case focuses on the requirement for a public facility that addresses the currently unfulfilled need to nurture (through training, mentoring, capacitating etc.) entrepreneurship skills and knowledge. This publication provides insights into the existing scenario for each of these spaces and provides design and operational concepts for improving the scale, quality and intensity of the operations at each of these sites.
The Knowledge Product is structured as follows:
- Part A provides an overview, placing the sites in a broader spatial context.
- Part B focuses on revitalising Leralla Market in Thembisa, proposing refurbishment and improved management.
- Part C presents a design and operational strategy for refurbishing the Thembisa Computer Centre and Industrial Hives.
- Part D advocates for investment in the Hammanskraal Skills Development Centre, proposing site intensification.