Lephalale CBD gets a facelift

LEPHALALE – The Lephalale municipality acknowledged last week that the upgrading of the Lephalale Central Business District (CBD) may be inconvenient to passengers of taxis and the general public, but said that the new developments are aimed at building a vibrant city where trade can flourish.
Parts of the CBD is under construction as co-owners, The Pistorius Group and Resilient Group, started with a project to re-develop the area. The project started in August 2015 and will see buildings in the Shoprite, Fashion Corner and Boxer areas completely revamped. Good news for local shoppers is that the taxi rank will also be upgraded. A steering committee comprising representatives of Taxi associations, Hawkers, Siyazi, Resilient group and municipality was established and shop tenants around the area where consulted and briefed about the planned development.
To provide for the upgrade and construction of the Shoprite taxi rank, a temporary taxi rank was established in the parking area in the Fruit and Veg complex. Taxis started operating from this area on 5 May and will continue to do so until the completion of the project in September 2016. Trading within the area earmarked for loading/off-loading by taxis is prohibited as the area is small and heavily congested Hawkers who traded at the Shoprite taxi rank are currently accommodated on Hendrik Pistorius Street, which has been closed off for traffic to ensure the safety of hawkers and the public in general. When completed, taxis will again be able to operate from the same area in front of Boxer with 32 brand new hawker stalls, new paving and new roofing.
The municipality will provide assistance at areas where traffic becomes congested due to the new arrangements and traffic officials will constantly monitor the area to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users. Resilient Group will in the meantime provide mobile toilets and water to the hawkers and public.