City of Tshwane Reclaims Pretoria West Buildings to Spark Economic Growth

Pretoria West Reimagined: Tshwane’s Bold Push to Reclaim and Revive City-Owned Properties

The City of Tshwane is ramping up its urban renewal efforts in Pretoria West by reclaiming hijacked municipal buildings and preparing them for legitimate business tenants. With unpaid rent on 12 properties and 35 stands surpassing R26 million, city officials are taking decisive steps to clean up the precinct and unlock its economic potential ahead of the Tshwane Investment Summit in September 2025.

Mayor Nasiphi Moya recently visited one of the long-occupied buildings, describing the occupation as a major drain on city resources. “We have not been receiving money for electricity or water, and the buildings have been left underutilised when they could have helped our people grow businesses,” she said.

The city’s operation forms part of a wider plan to transform Pretoria West into a thriving manufacturing hub. According to Kholofelo Morodi, the mayoral committee member for Corporate and Shared Services, the area has now been included in Tshwane’s Bad Buildings Committee programme a core aspect of the city’s Urban Renewal Strategy.

Cleaning Up and Reclaiming the City

Morodi described the recent eviction of illegal occupants as both lawful and peaceful, executed in coordination with the Tshwane Metro Police Department, legal teams, and property management officials.

“These buildings were not abandoned, they were unlawfully occupied, often with unsafe and illegal electricity connections that posed severe fire hazards and threatened to overload the grid,” she said. “Our mandate is to protect municipal assets and reintegrate them into a formal development pipeline.”

One of the reclaimed properties was housing over 20 informal structures, where tenants were paying between R1,500 and R2,000 per room to unauthorised landlords. In addition, the city issued bylaw contravention notices for two properties and fined a nearby scrap dealer for an illegal wall structure.

Building a Future-Ready Pretoria West

The operation signals Tshwane’s intention to restore dignity to public infrastructure and unlock new zones for business development. The Pretoria West Precinct is one of several “spade-ready” zones now being lined up for investment opportunities, a major focus of the upcoming Tshwane Investment Summit 2025.

“This initiative isn’t just about removing illegal tenants,” Morodi said. “It’s about activating neglected spaces, ensuring public safety, and preparing our city for inclusive economic growth. We’re laying the groundwork for job creation and spatial justice.”

The city has vowed to continue similar multi-departmental operations across all seven Tshwane regions to combat building hijackings and transform urban decay into opportunity.