WATCH: Durban mayor assesses progress made on Durban’s problem buildings during tour

DRIVEN by its aim to transform the city’s problem buildings, eThekwini Municipality hosted a Mayoral Bus Tour, earlier today (21 May), to assess the progress made on the six properties within the Mahatma Gandhi precinct in Durban.  

During the visit, eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda was accompanied by local and international investors to view the new infrastructure that has been invested in to attract more businesses to the area.

According to Kaunda, this project also includes identifying, profiling and documenting bad buildings within the inner city.

The initiative also entails creating awareness and offering advice to the building owners as well monitoring and enforcing the agreed-upon plan of action.  

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“We engaged all stakeholders of buildings in 2019, we are delighted to report that the development has yield positive results. We have received positive responses from many owners of properties. At six of the properties we visited today, we have seen that they are renovations to lift the face of the building and also to assist the City to attract more investments. We also have more than 21 buildings which owners are starting to do something with on their own,” said Kaunda. 

Kaunda said the municipality has demolished about three buildings and they are negotiating with other owners to expedite the process of renovating their buildings.

For the owners who are unable to be traced, the court will grant the municipality the authority to expropriate them, so they can start working on those buildings. 

Kaunda said, “Property owners are encouraged to take advantage of the incentives that are in place such as tax relief in the Urban Development Zone, reduced submission fees for statutory applications to the municipality and building wraps for third party advertising among others.”

Kaunda added that the Point Precinct is a strategic location for catalytic development and the city is fast-tracking this to stimulate economic growth, international investments, job creation and tourism. 

Work is currently underway to ensure that the precinct meets all these goals and gives the city’s economy the much-needed boost.

Over the last few years, the city has invested in the upgrade of the area and this has attracted huge interest from investors into the precinct. 

Some of the work includes the extension to the promenade, the watermains reticulation project, the public realm upgrade and the success of the bad buildings programme. 

“There is huge interest and willingness from the public, local business, and international partners to get more information and become partners and ambassadors for the precinct,” said Kaunda. 

He added that since inception in 2019, the focus has been on the Mahatma Gandhi precinct due to its close proximity to key economic installations in the city such as Ushaka Marine World, the beach, waterfront etc.