A local municipality in Limpopo has announced a R7-billion smart city project to develop the Lebowakgomo Business Area, a small town 50km south of Polowane in South Africa’s northernmost province.
Meriam Molala, the mayor of the Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality, said key budget requirements include R35 million for ICT broadband and R100 million for strategic road expansions.
The road expansions include upgrades along the Orrie Baragwanath Panorama Route. This main road passes in front of the tract of land occupied by the Limpopo provincial legislature, where the city is to be built.
The municipality held a sod-turning ceremony and investor conference in November 2025, with Sanral and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs delivering messages of support.
In her welcoming address, Molala reaffirmed the municipality’s dedication to driving sustainable economic development.
She said the Lebowakgomo Smart City had already secured a R7 billion investment commitment to develop the 160-hectare project, which will reshape the municipality’s socio-economic outlook.
“The smart city development is expected to stimulate the establishment of over 500 new businesses, create thousands of jobs, and introduce advanced urban infrastructure,” stated Molala.
Molala said the project will incorporate innovations from the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions.
This includes smart grids, high-speed broadband, renewable energy solutions, green building standards, and AI-driven water management systems.
“The vision also includes mono-rail transport systems and solar-powered industrial facilities,” she said.
According to Molala, the business area development lies at the core of the Smart Town vision, describing it as the “engine room” of a prosperous, resilient, and green future.
She also announced the establishment of the Local Economic Development Forum to strengthen coordination and investor partnerships.
“The event not only marks the commencement of a major infrastructure development initiative,” said Molala.
“It also reaffirms Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality’s emergence as a hub of innovation, resilience, and inclusive economic growth.”
R450-million pledged
Also attending the sod-turning was Capricorn District Municipality representative Calvin Masoga, who assured investors that the project had the district’s full backing.
In particular, they would ensure reliable bulk water supply, which Masoga said was a critical enabler for sustainable development and investor confidence.
The Limpopo Provincial MEC for Treasury, Kgabo Mahoai, also addressed the audience and highlighted the province’s favourable investment climate.
Mahoai said the 2025 Provincial Investment Conference secured R170 billion in commitments, including over R450 million pledged specifically towards the establishment of the Lepelle-Nkumpi Smart Town.
Ramaphosa’s Smart City dreams
The announcement of the Lebowakgomo Smart Town comes nearly seven years after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “South African dream” speech in his 2019 State of the Nation address.
“I dream of a South Africa where the first entirely new city built in the democratic era rises, with skyscrapers, schools, universities, hospitals and factories,” he said.
“We have not built a new city in 25 years of democracy. 70% of South Africans are going to be living in the urban areas by 2030.”
Ramaphosa said that Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town and Ethekwini were running out of space to accommodate all those who throng to the cities.
He asked whether the time had arrived to build a new smart city founded on the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“This is a dream we can all share and participate in building. I would like to invite South Africans to begin imagining this prospect,” he said.
“We should imagine a country where bullet trains pass through Johannesburg as they travel from here to Musina, and they stop in Buffalo City on their way from Ethekwini back here.”
However, in the past seven years, precious little progress has been made on government’s smart city initiatives.
In November 2025, Eastern Cape premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane told delegates of an investment conference for the Eastern Seaboard Development that government’s approach had changed.
“The national government’s evolving approach prioritises regional development ecosystems over the creation of entirely new metropolitan-scale cities,” he stated.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Jan Vermeulen
Dieser Artikel ist neu veröffentlicht von / This article is republished from: My Broadband, 02.02.2026
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