The eThekwini Municipality insists that the new Department of Home Affairs staging hub in North Beach, Durban is a short-term national government intervention that will conclude by 30 June. However, local community forums fear the Old Drive-in site will mirror previous long-term encampments and permanently damage the area’s tourism potential, reports Berea Mail.

“We cannot be made to bear the brunt of the city’s failure to plan. Proper consultation with residents, ratepayers, and businesses was not done. The erection of tents, right in the eye of the beachfront, does not present a good image for locals and tourists,” said one resident.

“This relocation poses health and security threats. Although we sympathise with the affected foreigners, North Beach should not have been a choice. There are other options around the city, including Moses Mabhida Stadium,” said Moylan Khan, a resident in a building opposite the Old Drive-In.

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After conducting a site visit with officials at the Old Drive-In site on Wednesday and engaging with those responsible for the temporary transit staging facility, chairperson of the North Beach CPF, Mahomed Essa, asserted that the primary concern remains the safety and security of the North Beach community and the surrounding area.

“From a safety and security perspective, I have been assured that occupants will be issued identification tags for monitoring and access control purposes, they will not be permitted to leave the designated facility, and additional security and law enforcement resources will be deployed. Medical, feeding, ablution, water, and electricity services are being provided on site,” Essa said.

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eThekwini municipality reassured investor partners that the temporary use of the site as a staging and processing facility for undocumented foreign nationals would not compromise the site’s long-term development.

“Current operations form part of a short-term, coordinated national government intervention and are expected to conclude by June 30, enabling the city to continue advancing transformative investment opportunities on the site, including the proposed amusement park development.

“The facility is not intended to serve as a permanent accommodation centre and is being utilised primarily as a processing and transit hub supporting operations led by the Department of Home Affairs, the South African Police Service, the Department of Justice, and other relevant government stakeholders,” the city explained.

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Additionally, the city said the Old Drive-In site remained a priority economic development asset, and that the municipality remained fully committed to the proposed amusement park investment.

As the occupation is expected today (June 19), Essa assured residents that the North Beach CPF would continue to monitor the situation closely and engage with the relevant authorities where necessary.

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