Govt to tap private sector to revive crumbling cities

South Africa's government said it will, for the first time, ask private companies to help revive dilapidated buildings it owns in inner cities in the country's biggest urban centres.

The government department that manages state assets has identified 16 state buildings in eThekwini - the municipality that includes the port city of Durban, the country's third-largest urban area - for revival.

It will soon publish requests for proposals on how to use the "neglected" properties to better serve residents, said Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson.