New R1.9b Giba Business Estate breaks ground

THE R1.9b Giba Business Estate was launched on Wednesday, August 16 by the minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, the eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, and developers Shaaz Mossa and Nel Nathoo of Sultex Investments.

Strategically located adjacent to the westbound carriageway of the Mariannhill Toll Plaza along the N3, the development is said to rejuvenate the Giba Business Park, creating important business opportunities for the logistics and SMME light-industrial sectors.

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The Westmead Industrial Park and the Mahogany Ridge Industrial Park lie to the northeast of Giba Business Estate, making this a natural extension of this sought-after industrial node along the busy Durban-Gauteng corridor. It offers easy access to all major national highways. The N3, N2 and M7 interchanges are all less than 10km away, providing access to both northbound and southbound routes.
The development, which has been earmarked as one of the City’s key catalytic projects by the eThekwini Municipality, will see the development of 220 000 square metres of platformed sites of various sizes.

The Giba Business Estate comprises 22 sites aimed at light industry, warehousing and the allied logistics sectors.
Nathoo said that the Giba Business Estate would be developed in two phases. Work had already begun on the infrastructure and platforms for the first phase which was due for completion in July 2024.
He pointed out that early investors will benefit from its proximity to the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, which is in the throes of a R20b, eight-year upgrade by SANRAL.

Speaking at the launch, Gordhan urged government officials to ensure that red tape is reduced and decisions are made quickly to enable investment and employment creation.
“It is important for youth to be empowered to become business people so they can help grow the economy and create employment. In many places around the world, the lack of inclusivity and inequality is a major challenge. We need to make sure that with this project and others, as many people as possible benefit and share in the prosperity of the project. We thank the investors for their confidence in the City,” he said.

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Kaunda said the Giba Business Park is a welcome addition to a string of catalytic projects the City is implementing in this region. These developments include the Keystone Logistics Park in Hammarsdale, Westown, in Shongweni, and the Dry Port in Cato Ridge which inject billions of rands of investment in the outerwest region.
“Today, we are celebrating another milestone as we unveil a R1.9b project that will not only support the thriving logistics sector along the N3 corridor but also create jobs and business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. With this project alone, we intend to create about 492 jobs during the construction phase and about 4 661 permanent jobs post-construction,” Kaunda explained.

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