The City of Johannesburg has initiated a process to appoint a managing agent for the troubled Johannesburg Transport Interchange (JITI) Centre, which was completed in 2021 at a cost of R516 million.

The City held a tender briefing session on 3 March 2026 and said it wants to move faster to operationalise the delayed facility.

The centre is meant to be a central public transport hub with a terminal for cross-border buses, space for a taxi rank and parking. Construction started in 2016, but ten years later it has yet to operate.

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Responding to questions about the delay, Benny Makgoga, Director of Marketing and Communications in the Transport Department, said the delay was due to "comprehensive stakeholder engagement that included the verification process of potential users of the facility".

Makgoga said the verification process was now at an advanced stage.

The tender briefing session formed part of the City's plan to appoint a managing or facility agent responsible for operations and management of the centre, he said.

The envisaged contract will run for nine years and eleven months. Makgoga clarified that the briefing was specifically to oversee the operational functioning of the facility.

"The tender to appoint a managing agent to operate and manage JITI is in process and it is anticipated to be finalised within three months. The centre is expected to be operationalised in the first quarter of the City's new financial year," he said.

While the project was initially positioned as a catalyst for job creation and skills development for residents of Johannesburg, Makgoga said 32 temporary jobs were created during the construction phase, with 18 SMME companies appointed for various opportunities.

The City also confirmed that the building experienced minor vandalism during the period it was informally occupied, but security has since been improved.

"No delays are expected," Makgoga said, adding that the City would make sure that the facility was operationalised.

With the managing agent tender now underway, attention turns to whether the long-anticipated facility will finally open its doors after several years of delay.

Police raided the building a few months ago, removing illegal occupants and informal traders, including some who were using the building as breeding ground for broiler chickens.

• This story first appeared in Daily Maverick.