AN icon on the Durban beachfront, Durban Funworld, will shut its doors come May.
For owner, Nic Steyn, the park’s closure is a sad but unavoidable reality. He said Durban Funworld has been in its prominent beachfront location for approximately 75 years.
For more than a decade, Steyn said he hoped to sell the amusement rides to a new operator that he could mentor, in order for the park to continue to operate, improve and grow.
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“Over the years, I’ve had numerous purchasers approach me to purchase Durban Funworld as a going concern, but they have all hit the same stumbling block of not being able to secure a lease for the premises from its landlord, the eThekwini Municipality,” he explained.
The park closure is a sad finality for Steyn.
“Over the past number of years, I’ve watched in sadness as the jewel in Durban’s crown, its beachfront, has deteriorated at an alarming rate. I don’t want to add to that deterioration, but after six years of operating on a month-to-month basis, the situation has become untenable. I am left with no choice but to unfortunately add to the Durban beachfront degradation,” he said.
Steyn, who is the third generation owner of the park, said his family also owned Waterworld, the water theme park that was located opposite Suncoast Casino years ago.
“As the third-generation owner of this business, I am very well aware of the capital costs involved in such a venture. Bear in mind that our family also built and operated the waterpark, known as Durban Waterworld, which was situated adjacent to Suncoast,” he said.
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Steyn added that the park was among the first public entities to open to all race groups under the oppressive apartheid regime. In 1977, his father, Nic Steyn senior, defied the terms of his lease by opening Durban Funworld to all races.
While the amusement and theme park has been a well-known landmark on the Golden Mile for generations, the park rides will now be removed from the beachfront and sold off. Steyn said that his letter of notice was sent to the City on February 27, adding that the amusement rides, attractions and other assets would be put up for auction, online, from April 20.
* Commenting on the park closure, eThekwini Municipality’s Head of Communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said the Durban Funworld lease expired in 2017 and has been continued on a month-to-month basis since then.
“[The park closure] was the decision of the operator who wrote to the municipality, informing us that the month-to-month lease with the municipality will be cancelled, effective May 31. The property is owned by the municipality and was leased to Durban Funworld,” said Khuzwayo.
“The property will be going out to tender in June/July 2023 to invite proposals for redevelopment in line with the zoning of the property. The tendering process will be commencing soon,” concluded Khuzwayo.
Take one last ride
For one last ride – the park will be open over Easter weekend and every weekend from April 27 to May 1, from Fridays to Sundays, from 12:00 to 18:00. The park is closed from Mondays to Thursdays except for public holidays. For more information, call 065 945 8208, email info@durbanfunworld.com or visit the Durban Fun World Facebook Page.
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