If, and it is a big 'IF', F1 comes back to South Africa there are two options; Kyalami or street race in Cape Town. Cape Town seems more likely with F1's current obsession with street tracks and due to the fact that it will ultimately be cheaper.
Kyalami is not an F1-grade circuit, and the last time this topic came up they were talking of a figure in the region of R600 million to bring it up to F1 standard (media, corporate and pit facilities are not F1-spec, the main grandstand is laughable, safety is one tier below what F1 requires, service and access roads will be a problem, etc). The owner of the circuit cannot afford this nor was he willing to. There was a consortium led by Ian Schecker who tried to raise the money, but it required government support, which they never got, and the consortium itself could not raise its own fair share. Patrice Motsepe also made a statement that he would fund it, but that was just talk.
A temporary street circuit long-term is a cheaper alternative, which is why F1 is being flooded with them. Once the race is done you pack it up until next year, with only basic permanent fixtures (usually pit boxes/paddock area) remaining in place, which can be largely repurposed for the other ~360 days of the year when the track is not in use.
gauteng.net
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