The first phase of a smart city development in Shongweni, outside of Durban, is set to launch today, Thursday, 27 March 2025.
According to a Newzroom Afrika report, the smart city development, dubbed Westown, is expected to attract around R15 billion in private-sector investment over the next 10 to 15 years and create more than 23,000 jobs.
The first phase is part of a larger project that includes retail, housing, and healthcare facilities. It is located just off of the N3 highway near Hillcrest.
Speaking about the province’s smart city plans, Themba Masimula, senior project manager from the eThekwini Municipality’s Catalytic Projects Unit said planning started 15 years ago.
“We conceptualised this development to change the development trajectory of the West, from Durban to Pietermaritzburg,” said Masimula.
“The interest was always to build a mixed-use development that’s going to incorporate the live, work, play, kind of situation.”
He explained that many of the province’s residents spend most of their money on transport, which he attributes to a lack of development planning in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The main concern is to ensure that, with this development, we bring about jobs, we bring about shopping and dining in one area,” said Masimula.
“This development is one of those pioneer developments The President spoke about in one of his State of the Nation Addresses when he spoke about smart cities.”
“This is one of the smart cities that we’re pioneering in eThekwini,” he added.
Masimula explained that the smart city will incorporate technology into the city’s maintenance and operations.
“For example, if there are electricity faults, if there are water leaks, the system will be centralised. It will pick up on those and the maintenance of those will be quicker than it is currently,” he said.
He said it will also incorporate technology into security and law enforcement to enable timely responses.
“If there is a crime hotspot, the system will ensure that they intervene timeously. The project’s first phase is the launch of Westown Square
In a statement published in April 2024, the eThekwini Municipality revealed that it had invested R600 million for bulk infrastructure for the region.
The smart city project is also supported by a R2 billion agreement between the municipality, the Fundamentum Property Group, and Balwin Properties.
“This investment will yield huge returns for the City,” said former Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
“Once completed, Westown Square will generate approximately R21 million per annum in rates income, increasing to more than R500 million per annum after the completion of this R15 billion urban development in 2037.”
Kaunda explained that the development would comprise nine mixed-use precincts once completed.
“Westown Square will be complemented by commercial, residential, logistics, and industrial components, including a private hospital,” he said.
“We are excited that this is going to be the first real smart city in the province and will make eThekwini a world-class city.”
Kaunda added that 1,000 people from the area and surrounding areas had been hired to date to construct the bulk infrastructure and Westown Square.
Balwin Properties CEO Steve Brookes said roughly 8,000 jobs will be created during the construction phase of Shongweni Eco Park, with around 500 permanent jobs to be created on completion.
Balwin is developing a 1,260-apartment lifestyle estate in Westown that will comprise 20 stages. It will be built over the next few years, with the first phase launching later in 2025.
Fundamentum Property Group CEO Carlos Correia said Westown is the single largest infrastructure investment by the eThekwini Municipality since the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Infrastructure upgrades in the area include two new bridges and a complete make-over of the existing two-lane Kassier Road across the M13 and N3 into four lanes.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Myles Illidge
Quelle/Source: My Broadband, 27.03.2025
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