You don’t need too much imagination to see where the monster construction site near Shongweni is going. What some are dubbing ‘Wonderful Westown’ is well on the way to becoming a reality. Or the first phase, that is. In March 2025, the R600 million infrastructure upgrade (including Kassier Road) will be complete. The ABSA-funded R1,5 billion Westown Square of 50,000 m2 will also open. These will be the first tangible signs that Durban’s newest suburb is taking shape and the developer’s promise of a R15 billion investment over a decade has legs.

WESTOWN FAST FACTS

• 30km west of the Durban port on the N3.
• The shopping experience represents 20% of the
• approved development of about 520 000m².
• Anchor tenants include Checkers, Dischem,
• Clicks and Mr Price.
• Property company Balwin is spending
• R2.5 billion to build 1,200 residential units —
• the first of 20,000 residential units planned for
• Westown.
• Projections are Westown will create 8,500
• permanent jobs and about 15,000 construction
• jobs.
• Westown includes a new 100-bed hospital and
• new educational facilities.
• There will be warehousing and logistics hubs,
• a commercial and office node, and provision
• for community-managed running, cycling, and
• equestrian trails.

CARLOS CORREIA, with KZN entrepreneurs Sean and Don Bergsma, is driving the development of Westown. Carlos says KZN’s economy is cooking.

“KZN boasts major air and seaports, a solid base of connected road networks and accessibility to existing and new markets, making it an attractive destination for a range of businesses. These key fundamentals, coupled with continual improvements in infrastructure and significant private sector commitment, have seen a marked growth in the property market. “In the north, the growth that began some years ago continues with a range of residential and lifestyle developments. The newest and most prominent is the new R2 billion Club Med resort at Tinley Manor. “In the west, the biggest investment in the province in more than a decade is Westown. It is redefining the property landscape and providing a catalyst for further growth and investment across the retail, residential, logistics and commercial sectors.”