12 August 2022: Business Tech – Developers have broken ground on the first phase of a major new development in KwaZulu-Natal, which will see a new ‘mini city’ built between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
The first phase of the development is Westown, a mixed-use and retail component of the greater Shongweni Urban Development project. Westown is being developed by Fundementum, with the greater project – valued at R30 billion – being done through a partnership between eThekwini Municipality and sugar giant Tongaat Hulett.
The project has suffered several delays due to Tongaat Hulett’s financial woes, as well as the Covid pandemic in 2020/21. According to the developers, the first phase of the project was ready to launch in 2020 but suffered delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic.