King Cetshwayo district municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast is on the verge of becoming the largest economy in the province.
At the weekend, the district, which houses four local councils – uMhlathuze, Mthonjaneni, uMlalazi and Nkandla – was the place to be when it hosted a traditional horseracing event.
The annual event, which brought together the who’s who of the entertainment, fashion and film industry, is proving to be a major drawcard for tourists.
“We have already embarked on a strategy to bring back investors who left the district in the previous administration,” district mayor Thamsanqa Ntuli told Sunday World.
“As it stands, we are the second-biggest economy in KZN. The traditional horseracing has assisted in our plans to be the investment destination of choice.”
He said the horseracing event has seen international tourists flock back to the area.
“We also saw the rise in the number of domestic and international tourists. More than R30-million was brought to the local economy.”
UMhlathuze is considered the heartbeat of the regional economy.
The city will soon become home to one of the biggest gas power stations in Africa with a planned 3 000-megawatt gas power station that will be spearheaded by independent power producers.
Permission has also been granted for the city to develop and expand Richards Bay regional airport into a full fledged airport, which will see flights operating daily.
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