EThekwini’s ambitious port city plans
ETHEKWINI Municipality has the lofty ambition of one day running its own port.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda revealed that the city wants to live up to the true definition of being a port city by owning and managing its port.
Kaunda said, however, that he was mindful of the problems the city needed to tackle first.
“We must first focus on the small things like cleanliness. We cannot run a port if we cannot keep the city clean,” he told people who attended the Township and Rural Investment summit in Inanda township yesterday.
The summit was meant to discuss ways of increasing investment in rural areas and townships.
The speakers also called for the benefits to extend beyond jobs and include part ownership of the projects being undertaken in these communities.
Kaunda later told The Mercury that while the ambition of running a port was still a long way off, it was under serious consideration.
“At the moment that is still far out, but I will be visiting one of our sister cities in South Korea which is a port city. Any action we take, our proposal will be based on the information that we would have gathered in that visit and from other sister cities that are port cities,” he said.
Pressed on what becoming a port city might entail, Kaunda said the city could create an entity that would be responsible for the management of that port.
“We do know that such areas are the competency of the national government and could require that there should be changes in legislation.”
He said if the idea is viable and productive, they don’t see why there would be a problem amending the legislation.
Kaunda said such action would be designed to ensure that eThekwini becomes a true metro.
Kaunda also spoke of other projects the city could undertake that could trigger economic growth in areas outside the city centre.
He spoke of building a town centre near uMnini Beach, which under the apartheid regime was the only beach that accommodated black people, and as such was an important part of the city’s history.
“It would be hard to believe that in 1989, we were chased away from Addington Beach. Back then uMnini Beach was the only beach that accommodated black people.”
Asked about the ambitious port plan, IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said while it was difficult to speak on the matter before it was tabled before council, it could be a good idea.
“The ownership of the port could benefit the people of eThekwini.” But the DA shot down the idea. “That is a pipe dream,” said DA leader Thabani Mthethwa.
“More than five years ago we made a decision to create an entity that will run the city buses, that has not happened and there is no political will to do it.
“Under the ANC, eThekwini does not have the capacity to run a complex business like the port. For now let’s focus on the basics before we consider these big ideas.”