Tension is brewing between KwaDukuza Municipality and eThekwini Metro over a proposal by the Municipal Demarcation Board ( MDB) to migrate King Shaka International Airport and Dube Trade Port from KwaZulu-Natal’s only metro to the municipality.
This will be done through redemarcation process which will see the ward in which the airport is situated, and transferred to KwaDukuza.
Last month, eThekwini council rejected the proposal, which will see it lose the airport and its strategic assets to KwaDukuza, saying it would lose millions of rands in rates and taxes should it be adopted.
The council recommended that the city manager be granted the authority to submit to the MDB its rejection of the envisaged incorporation, saying the municipality had no capacity to service assets of this magnitude.
This piqued the municipality, saying the reasons advanced by the metro smacked of a sinister motive.
“It is very interesting for eThekwini Municipality to declare that KwaDukuza Municipality is not ready to take these two wards, whereas the independent assessment of eThekwini Municipality to provide basic services and financial sustainability has been under scrutiny. It must be considered thatKwaDukuza Municipality is not under the administration of either the provincial government or national government, but eThekwini Municipality has been put under administration,” said Skhumbuzo Hlongwane, the municipal director of local economy.
Hlongwane said KwaDukuza was in pole position to service these assets compared to eThekwini.
“KwaDukuza Municipality over the past five years has been ranked as the number one financially stable and managed municipality in KwaZulu-
Natal and the third-ranked in the country.
“This independent rating [by Rating Africa], has clearly shown that intermediary cities like KwaDukuza are performing better than metropolitan areas. Therefore there is a clear financial capacity,” said Hlongwane.
He pointed out that KwaDukuza, with its pristine and blue flag beaches, was able to rescue the provincial tourism sector including eThekwini, by providing alternative bathing area when the metro was dealing with the crisis of closure of its beaches and tidal pools due to sewerage spillage.
“The assertion that KwaDukuza is not ready to take over King Shaka Airport/Dube Trade Port area is perplexing. We would like to put this debate to bed by clearly highlighting that King Shaka Airport is not managed and operated by eThekwini Municipality, but by Airports Company of South Africa.
“This airport is not classified as a municipal airport like the now closed Virginia Airport or Pietermaritzburg (Oribi) Airport at Msunduzi Municipality or Margate Airport at Ray Nkonyeni Municipality or Richards Bay Airport at the City of UMhlathuze,” said Hlongwane.
He insisted that KwaDukuza, which boasts a financial purse of over R2-billion, was home to the rich as expensive areas such Ballito fall under its jurisdiction.
ILembe Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism chief executive officer Cobus Oelefese said that the transfer of the airport and the Dube Trade Port in particular would turn KwaDukuza into an economic powerhouse.
“Both the airport and the trade port are considered as the heartbeat of the provincial economy. The changes will mean more investment opportunities and credibility for the Ilembe region,” he said.
He said eThekwini was expected to lose close to R1-billion over three years should the move materialise as about 180 000 rate payers would be moved to KwaDukuza.
MDB spokesperson Barileng Dichabe said the body had received an overwhelming feedback. “The period for written public views and representation in line with section 26 of MDA is now closed. But, it should be noted that the municipal boundary change process has not been concluded,” said Dichabe.
Dichabe said the next process would be to conduct investigative hearings with interested parties upon which notices for objections would be published.
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