eThekwini officials push for infrastructure development in Cornubia

eThekwini Ward 102 councillor Rory Macpherson stated on Wednesday that eThekwini officials must accelerate infrastructure development to sustain and expand economic growth and investment in the north of Durban.

Macpherson and eThekwini Municipality officials were at a sod-turning ceremony for KwaZulu-Natal’s first Leroy Merlin store. This development marks the first phase of a multimillion-rand investment in the new Cornubia Business Park.

The municipality regarded this as a milestone event, signalling the start of eight planned development phases under the full ownership of Cornubia Business Park (Pty) Ltd. This was expected to unlock approximately R2 billion in private sector investment and create thousands of job opportunities.

The Cornubia Town Centre Precinct (CTC) in Ward 102 is part of the larger Cornubia Integrated Development, a catalytic project launched in 2011 to stimulate economic growth in the north of eThekwini.

In 2024, Fundamentum Property Group, through its subsidiary Cornubia Business Park (Pty) Ltd, acquired the 26-hectare site from Tongaat Hulett Developments, unlocking new potential for this strategic node.

According to the municipality, this positions Cornubia as a future logistics and commercial hub.

Councillor Thembo Ntuli, chairperson of the Economic Development and Planning Committee, said the development will inject R300 million in initial private capital, with bulk earthworks already under way.

He said it will generate an estimated R120 million in municipal rates revenue annually.

Macpherson, a Democratic Alliance ward councillor, stated that there were bottlenecks such as bulk electricity, water, and new road connectivity, which he said, “with the fabulous cooperation of senior officials, we were able to fast-track”.

“If we speed up infrastructure development, such as water and sewer, then I believe there will be further additional much-needed investment. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes work that took place over the last few months to ensure a smooth start.” 

Macpherson said job opportunities for the local community were a priority to both the developer and contractor, which he regarded as a major plus.

“This in itself required the bringing together of local stakeholder leadership, which I am pleased to say was a process that worked well, given that Ward 102 has such a model in place,” he said.

The outstanding issue, according to Macpherson, is a mini-bus taxi rank, a matter he raised with the eThekwini Transport Authority.

“This must be addressed as soon as possible to avoid potential commuter issues in the absence of the failed Go! Durban project,” he said.

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said this was an important milestone to build a strong, resilient, and diverse economy.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za