A REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF
KWAZULU-NATAL
Infrastructure projects will help the province build back better. By John Young
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usiness events to be hosted in 2020/21 are expected to inject an estimated R1.2-billion into the local economy.” When the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala, spoke these words on 4 March 2020 at the Royal Show Grounds in Pietermaritzburg, business tourism and tourism in general were projected to be significant earners for the province. A day later, on Thursday 5 March, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that a suspected case of Covid-19, a person recently returned from a trip to Italy, had tested positive. And that was the end of tourism for the foreseeable – or unforeseeable – future. The first half of 2019 brought in a total of R14.4-billion in tourist spending and the year as a whole delivered an increase of 8% in international visitor numbers. The newlycreated Cruise Ship Terminal at the Port of Durban was ready to welcome guests, but it would be at least a year before cruises could resume. Tourism is a key sector in the KwaZulu-Natal economy and provides livelihoods to many
KWAZULU-NATAL BUSINESS 2021/22
thousands of families in urban and rural areas. The closing of borders brought real hardship to many areas in the province. Infrastructure The other good news in the Premier’s State of the Province address was not subject to the spread of deadly viruses. This related to infrastructure spending plans which give hope for the province’s ability to “build back better”. Some of the infrastructure plans include: • A housing project in Msunduzi comprising 25 000 units. The R2.5-billion Vulindlela project provided employment for 1 713 people and is in the final phase of construction. • New bridges to enable scholars to get to school safely. There are many rivers in the province so the 2020/21 budget makes provision for seven vehicular bridges and 12 Bailey bridges to be built in rural areas in partnership with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). • •Upgrade of the N3/N2. The South African
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