Nature reserve
And national authorities instead. By Tony Carnie
tourism and environmental affairs. Duma has a dual mandate as MEC to promote economic development while also safeguarding the environment.
“We had a meeting with the MEC in December and, luckily, he understands things better. I explained everything to the MEC and he supported our project,” Dlamini said.
Duma’s spokesperson, Ndabe Sibiya, confirmed that the MEC had “advised both Mr Dlamini and ethekwini Metro to further engage on the matter”.
In response to the backlash over the property development plan, Dlamini claims that opposition is due to “racism”.
“That land is owned by the government … It’s vacant. These bushes are all over the province of KZN,” he told Daily Maverick.
“They were used as boundaries [between white and black suburbs] … Now people are saying these bushes are giving them clean air. But we don’t have such things in our farms and locations … People must understand that there must be transformation. People must adjust,” he said.
How does he explain assertions that up to 230 new houses and allied developments can coexist with a nature reserve?
“Yes, they can. But what species are protected? The municipality has failed to say. Is
it a tree, or a cat, or a mouse? That land is zoned as open space. Why must areas be vacant while we are packed in our locations?”
Asked to clarify whether the project was to benefit poor or rich families, Dlamini said: “It doesn’t matter. We all want to be rich. We are not stealing.”
The ethekwini municipality confirmed that it had received a long-term lease application for residential development at Virginia in January 2019. “On the basis of the site choice, the submission was not supported and the applicant at the time was not in a position to furnish the municipality with his relevant details,” it said.
Subsequently, in February 2023, the relevant departments provided their final input on the application, which was again denied. City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the municipality had made its position clear and did not wish to be drawn into further debate about Dlamini’s approach to Creecy.
Asked to comment on perceptions that attempts were being made to “bully” the city into revising its decision, Sisilana said: “The assertion that the municipality has gone to extraordinary lengths – more than it would with other applicants – is not true and is rejected.”
Jane Troughton, chairperson of the Durban North Conservancy and a member of the Enviro Fixers group, said: “The fact that Minister Creecy herself is corresponding with the developer raises suspicion of political involvement.
“We wish to raise the alarm for all South Africans – if this goes ahead, it sets a precedent for the private embezzlement and destruction of all our green spaces. We intend to do whatever is necessary to save this space for the people of Durban. We are taking legal advice, which we will action if necessary.”