Taxi rank moves to Sangweni

The Ballito taxi rank will be temporarily moved to the Sangweni Tourism Centre on Ballito Drive.
This decision follows discussions between the KwaDukuza municipality and the Dolphin Coast taxi association on alternatives during the P445 (Ballito Drive) construction.
An item discussed at a special executive committee (Exco) meeting on Monday indicates that the current makeshift rank outside Lifestyle Centre is hindering construction underway on the P445 and has to be moved.
“The taxi owners have further requested KwaDukuza municipality to provide refuse bins and mobile toilets and that the traffic department reserve one lane for the pick-up and dropping off of commuters during peak hours only,” the item states.
A formal letter has also been sent to the Ilembe district municipality, which is occupying the Centre.
The municipality still plans to build a formal taxi rank for Ballito at the Shell Greenfields Service Station, as was announced in August last year (‘Progress on new Ballito taxi rank’, Courier, August 30, 2013).
Last year a draft memorandum between Shell South Africa, developers I am Rent Collector (IRC) and the municipality was tabled at council.
Negotiations have apparently slowed due to Shell’s board of directors being based in London.
The board has, however, agreed for Shell South Africa to sell the portion of land in Ballito to IRC, which IRC will then donate to the municipality.
In the item, it states that IRC has asked the municipality in turn to grant rates rebates in accordance with its policy as well as contribute proportionally to the road infrastructure.
IRC has also agreed to assist KDM with a R5,5m loan to upgrade the Greenfields intersection to accommodate the new taxi rank and the N2 City development traffic.