Reimagine Durban

Corridor 6 - Automotive Supply Park

A strategic goal is to provide the logistics to ensure that the province's automotive industry doubles its size in the next decade, and that KZN becomes a leading exporter of vehicles. An investment of R 400m into an automotive supply park - the Durban Automotive Supplier Park (DASP) - has been planned.

EThekwini Municipality, working with Toyota SA and various multi-national component manufacturers, plans to site the new development close to Toyota SA's plant in the Prospecton area. - KZN TopBusiness

Corridor 5 - Inner-City

Great cities of the world are liveable communities of people where government, commerce and culture thrive. Great cities offer a variety of lifestyle and recreation. They find a balance between the natural and the built environment.

Great cities are places where the human spirit can thrive socially, economically and culturally. Durban has the aspirations to be a great city - therefore the Municipality is preparing a plan to develop and regenerate the Inner City to 2040.

These initiatives will include the following: ​

1) A local area plan for the Inner City.
Detailed plans for three precincts within the Inner City:

2) A plan for regenerating the Inner City. The project is being managed through the Development Planning, Environment and Management Unit with input from a multidisciplinary municipal staff and consultant team.

Corridor 4 - N3 West Corridor

The national and provincial and importance of Cato Ridge stems from its location on the N3 national route between eThekwini and Msunduzi Municipalities, astride the Transnet owned and operated Natal Corridor (Natcor) railway line and pipeline servitudes.

Cato Ridge and Harrison Flats have for years been suggested as a rail served inland container terminal (ICT), an idea that has gained popularity in light of Transnet’s port expansion plans and the anticipated pressures in the port area and the South Industrial Basin (SDB).

Locally the area presents an excellent opportunity for public and private sector investment and the creation of employment opportunities for the region’s largely unemployed population. Analysis has revealed serious skills shortages in the corridor, which will need attention if employment potential is to be optimised in the long term.

Cornubia Integrated Development

A joint project between EThekwini Municipality, Provincial and National Departments of Human Settlements as well as Tongaat Hulett Developments.

The R25.8 billion Cornubia Development is a strategic flagship programme of eThekwini Municipality. The project is based on a framework of public-private partnerships where, apart from the housing solution it provides, it also creates the opportunity for emerging business to become part of the development framework. Cornubia is a government priority project and large scale mixed-use, mixed income integrated human settlement. The City is expected to reap R237 in revenue from this project. Additionally, more than 100 000 jobs will be created through the development.

Set in a prime location its is a mixed use and mixed income development. It further includes industrial, residential and commercial spaces as investment opportunities.

Umhlanga Node

One of Durban’s responses to the current state of the economy is to focus on investment, construction, and infrastructure development. This is in keeping with the President and Minister of Finance’s infrastructure and investment focus in the recent 2021 State of the Nation and Budget Speech addresses.

One critical avenue is the facilitation of catalytic projects by the City’s Catalytic Projects Unit. Catalytic Projects are investments with a value of above R500 million and significant economic and socio-economic impacts for Durban’s economy. Fast-tracking their implementation is the biggest programme which the City, business, and other tiers of government can implement to generate revenue and create jobs.

The Umhlanga Ridge Office Parks are part of the catalytic projects that have reached completion, contributing meaningfully to economic activity for EThekwini Municipality.

BMW Supertech Pinetown

Officially opening in January 2019, the 150 million rand Supertech Pinetwown Dealership is located strategically off the M13 Highway. It took 12 months to construct, changing the skyline of the Pinetown and Kloof areas of EThekwini.

The BMW Supertech dealership is part of EThekwini Municipality's identified catalytic projects that are assisting in stimulating job creation and economic activity in the West region of the city.

The Umhlanga Node - The Pearls

EThekwini Municipality: Development Planning Environment and Management Unit and Economic Development Unit have collaborated in the creation and development of the Umhlanga Node.

Umhlanga Rocks is one of Durban’s premier beach resort destinations and, due to the development of new infrastructure and renewed investor confidence in the region, is experiencing a significant amount of private and public investment.

It has been estimated that 4 million domestic tourists visit eThekwini each year. Of these almost 1,5 million spend a minimal amount of money. Less than 0.5 million ‘big spending’ international tourists visit the area annually (Haley Sharpe 2003). The aim, therefore, is to reinforce the role that the Umhlanga Node can play in attracting and accommodating tourists (both domestic and international) from the middle and upper market segments as well as diversifying the offerings to cater for the local population.

Part of the this development has been the The Pearls Umhlanga, catering for domestic and international tourists. The development which is worth R3.5bn, houses 700 apartments and 60 shops. It has also created 16000 jobs. The development reached its final completion in 2018.

The Keystone Development

The Keystone Park Logistics Development is a new 152-hectare logistics, warehousing, and light industrial precinct on the N3 situated at the Hammarsdale Interchange. Rokwil Property Development aims to turn Keystone Park into the best functioning, modern, new, fully serviced, secure, and managed logistics park in KwaZulu-Natal. It is located 46 kilometres west of the Durban inner city and at this stage, is about 70 percent developed.

Rokwil Property Development invested R47 billion together with the City supporting the development with a R2.5 billion investment. Job creation in the area received a major boost with 18 000 jobs created during construction and 30 000 direct and indirect jobs are expected to be created after construction, with a strong focus on partnerships with the local community.