WATCH: It’s official! Durban’s R15b city square officially opens

IT was a hive of festivities as the much-awaited Westown Square, the mall at Durban’s newest R15b city in Shongweni, Upper Highway, opened this morning, Thursday, March 27.

The Westown Square is a Catalytic Project, deemed to be the first phase of the ‘New City of the West’.

It is the first phase of a further mixed-use development and investment in the region that includes a residential estate, hospital, business and commercial parks, and more.

Also read: Westown development partners sign a R2-billion agreement

It is set to generate some R15b in investment over the next 10 to 15 years, create 15 000 construction jobs, and 8 500 permanent jobs.

Fundamentum Property Group invested R1.5b into the development of Westown Square, while the city contributions for bulk infrastructure amounted to R600m over three years.

Thousands of jobs have been created and are still to be created in this area, changing the socio-economic profile of communities living in the area.

Westown is perfectly positioned between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on the main arterial N3 highway, 30km from Durban Port, 50km from PMB and 56km from King Shaka airport. Its location is set to enhance the regional offering with a shopping, lifestyle, entertainment, and business destination.

The development of Westown is facilitated by the eThekwini Municipality’s Catalytic Projects Unit. The Unit is responsible for facilitating large scale spatial transformation projects in partnership with the private sector. The investment value for these projects are usually more than R500m and they contribute substantially to job creation and economic growth in the region.

This project serves as an indication of what can be achieved when government works together with the private sector.