The City of Ekurhuleni has left at least five completed municipal facilities, including a multi-million-rand enterprise hub in Reiger Park, standing empty and unused despite a combined investment of R209 million. While the Reiger Park Enterprise Hub and Ramaphosa Skills Centre was designed to provide retail spaces, manufacturing workshops, and training for local residents, the facility remains shuttered years after its construction, eNCA reported.
Vacant Reiger Park facility costs R108 million
The Reiger Park facility alone accounts for R108 million of the total expenditure on the five idle sites. Municipal plans for the hub intended to stimulate the local economy by offering space for traders and light industry, as well as providing a dedicated center for skills development. Despite the significant financial commitment, the building currently sits vacant in a community that continues to struggle with high rates of gangsterism and drug-related crime.
Community concerns regarding lack of access
Community leader Lucinda Schubert noted that the hub could keep local youth occupied and employable. “There are a lot of youth that don’t know what to do with themselves. That don’t know where to go,” Schubert said. “With the training centre and everything built here and can help teach the youth and make them employable. Giving them skills, but none of that is being utilised.”
Broader municipal facility vacancy trends
The Reiger Park hub is part of a wider pattern of unused infrastructure across the Ekurhuleni metropolitan area. The city has officially listed five completed facilities that remain non-operational. Beyond the Reiger Park project, these sites include sports facilities in Bakerton and Vosloorus, as well as early childhood development centers in Vosloorus and Eden Park.
Leon Bussack, a member of the Reiger Park Community Policing Forum (CPF), emphasized the connection between the lack of local opportunity and rising criminal activity. “We always say a lack of opportunity will result in the criminal element sneaking in. This is a typical example,” Bussack stated.
City of Ekurhuleni officials fail to comment
Attempts to secure comment from the City of Ekurhuleni regarding the status of these facilities have been unsuccessful. According to eNCA, neither the mayor nor municipal officials were available to provide answers regarding why the completed buildings remain idle or when they might be opened to the public.
Questions about the Reiger Park facility
Why was the Reiger Park hub built?
The facility was constructed to serve as an enterprise and skills hub, intended to host trading spaces, light industry, manufacturing workshops, and offices for the local community.
How many other facilities in Ekurhuleni are currently unused?
The City of Ekurhuleni has identified five completed facilities that are currently standing idle, including the Reiger Park hub, sports facilities in Bakerton and Vosloorus, and early childhood development centers in Vosloorus and Eden Park.
What have local residents said about the building?
Residents have described the vacancy as a significant waste of time and resources, particularly for school-leavers who were relying on the facility to provide them with skills and employment prospects.
“It’s a shame that we have a building like this just standing around when it could be used,” Bussack said. “These boys could find themselves out of the drug trade. Doing something more constructive.”