SHAPING TOMORROW’S DURBAN

Russell Curtis, representing Invest Durban, recently shared insights into the city’s bold steps toward inner city rejuvenation. Speaking passionately about the transformation underway, Curtis outlined both the vision and the tangible progress being made in downtown Durban.

“It’s no secret that every city goes through its heyday, and then certain parts of bigger cities go into various forms of decline,” he explained. “But those then become platforms of opportunity for people with vision and determination to grab hold of that latent value, that embedded opportunity, to reinvest, double down on the efforts, and then ride the upside of capital appreciation. The same is happening right now with the broader CBD of Durban.”

Curtis provided context about the size and scope of the city. “For those who don’t know, our city, the eThekwini metropolitan region, it’s about two and a half thousand square kilometres, with four and a half million people and 100 kilometres of golden beaches on the Indian Ocean.”

A central focus of the inner-city efforts has been the revitalisation of the beachfront. “Many would know of the Golden Mile. It’s actually not a mile. It’s nearly ten kilometres now that we’ve built a world-class, well-lit and safe promenade from the Umgeni River all the way through to the Durban harbour mouth,” he said.

The city and business leadership are determined to harness the potential of this prime area. “The current administration has reconfirmed this is the golden goose. In fact, it’s the golden heart of the golden goose. So, we have to double down on our efforts to clean the feathers, to feed the goose, and to have her laying golden eggs every single day.”

To this end, the city has established Inner City Regeneration (ICR) work streams. “We as the executives are sitting every single Tuesday afternoon, sometimes past dinner time, much to the chagrin of our families. But it’s for a good cause, working on all of the key issues in that inner city regeneration,” said Curtis. “Whether it be the beachfront, crime issues, homelessness, derelict buildings, public sanitation facilities, pavement maintenance, or parks and greening. We have over a dozen work streams focusing on that inner city regeneration.” Some of our ardent critics have now been posting positively and regularly on social media, endorsing the visible and sustained improvements.

“One of the terms some Durbanites may have heard in this process is the ‘Woza Basket’ of investments – ‘woza’ meaning come, come and see what we’ve got in our inner-city basket of investment opportunities. Currently, one of the standout projects is the proposed massive redevelopment along the CBD Port edge, the various small craft harbours – these to become a truly world-class Durban Bay Marina experience,” Curtis said.

He described the marina as the interface between Durban’s skyline and the working harbour. “It is where we have the yacht mall, the yachting clubs, the motorised yachts, and the Port Harbour Master’s area where the tugs boats are. We’ve been through a planning exercise with visionary architects and are engaging with current inner-city investors and property redevelopers.”

The new Durban Bay Marina is part of a broader vision that links to the MSC-Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal, and around to the elevated promenade on the Indian Ocean. “It’s a complete link from the Umgeni mouth, which will ultimately come around the Durban harbour, past the cruise line terminal, and then link up all the way along what some might know as Victoria Embankment, now renamed Margaret Mncadi Avenue.”

Curtis highlighted recent international recognition. “We just returned from the Global Superyacht Congress in Tuscany, Italy. The International Marinas Association was also present. We invited them to Durban last year just to come and have a look, and when they came, they were blown away. So much so, they invited Durban to be the sole city profiled at the Superyacht Congress, stating they really want to partner with us in transforming the new Durban Bay Marina.”

A 3D flyover of the project has already been created by international and local partners. “It allows one to start dreaming – like the Dubai Marina times five, actually,” Curtis remarked.

He emphasised that this is not merely a dream. “We have very real interest from those who want to use it from a tourism, leisure, and hospitality perspective, as well as from those who want to invest in the commerce and industry aspects of marina development.”

Curtis also pointed out a growing trend among CBD investors. “There is now Courtesy of eThekwini Municipality Courtesy of eThekwini Municipality significant competition amongst those investors trying to find the worst buildings they can, to acquire them, turn them around, and reinvest in downtown Durban. Investment actions are like “herd mentality”. Once one or two come, then the herd takes notice and starts moving in the same, good direction.” Curtis closed with a call to action and a vision for the future. “It’s around partnerships. We need to continue to remain servant-hearted, humble, thinking of others more highly than ourselves. We need to push the boundaries of being efficient, impactful, and getting traction in those spaces – for our children’s benefit and our grandchildren’s benefit.”

As the city of Durban continues its journey of rejuvenation, Curtis left one final thought: “Watch this CBD space.”

Russell Curtis

E: Russell.Curtis@durban.gov.za

W: www.invest.durban | www.durban.gov.za