DUBE TradePort is forging ahead with plans to create an automotive supplier park on a tract of land it owns near Umgababa which is designated as a special economic zone.
This is despite Toyota South Africa, which had plans of building a production complex on the property, pulling out earlier this year.
New automotive park in the pipeline
Dube TradePort‘s plans came to light during its meeting held with Umnini Community Trust in La Mercy on September 4. Umnini Community Trust is a non-profit entity created by the Umgababa tribal chief, Inkosi Phathisizwe Luthuli, to look after the affairs and the advancement of his area’s communities.
Since 2014, the automotive park has been in the pipeline in the area bordered by the N2 and P197, and the Msimbazi and Illovo rivers. When Toyota pulled out of the plans, it cited the dragging of the environmental assessment process as the reason it was looking elsewhere to build its automotive supplier park.
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Dube TradePort’s spokesperson Vincent Zwane said the new development will be called the Durban Automotive Supplier Park. He said the meeting held with the Umnini Community Trust was part of his organisation’s broader stakeholder engagement programme aimed at providing an update on the development.
“Currently, the project is in the environmental authorisation phase. Dube TradePort also introduced a recently appointed social facilitator for the project who will be assisting with community engagement on a regular basis to foster overall positive social and economic outcomes throughout the development of this project,” said Zwane.
Security measures
He added that Dube TradePort continues to deploy a security services company to prevent and deal with the issues of land invasion and any other unlawful activities.
In April 2023, mobs from Umgababa and Illovo Township invaded the site to build houses and settle on it. They were later driven out of the site by law enforcement agencies after the chief distanced himself and condemned the activities.
Umnini Community Trust’s secretary Sipho Msimango said that relevant national ministers have been written to speed up the processes. He also said that because of the size of the site, a lot of job and business opportunities for the communities of Umgababa and beyond will be created.
“Construction will be done in stages, and it will take about 15 years to complete building components. As a trust, our main responsibility is to ensure that the project is fully realised,” he said.
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