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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini will write to the Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, calling on him to urgently consult with the owner of the Fun World amusement park in Durban, Mr Nic Steyn, and to either extend the lease of the park or to work with him to allow for him to transfer skills to any new development which replaces it.

The closure of this facility is a major blow to the Durban Beachfront, which suffered the worst holiday season in recorded history this past December, and indicators are that the Easter Break was equally bad.

Plans are said to be afoot for the establishment of a new “world-class” theme park on the Northern Harbour wall; however, like all major development plans for the city, there is little to no indication that this will ever become a reality.

These instances of ill financial practise speak to a bigger issue in eThekwini. There is no visionary leadership and a lack of will from the ANC to turn this sinking ship around.

Instead, eThekwini is now left with nothing attractive to offer tourists on its Golden Mile and has deepened the woes experienced by the Durban Tourism Office, which continues to struggle to market and sell the city to international visitors.

It is becoming more evident that residents in eThekwini may not survive a full term of office under the ANC-EFF coalition. Tourism is a huge money generator for a tourist city like Durban, and the decline of this sector will further plunge the metro into an abyss of service delivery failure and decay.

The DA will also submit questions to the Acting DCM of Economic Development and Planning, Lihle Phewa, to explain why the city did nothing to retain a major operator that contributed to the heritage and landscape of the beachfront, and to establish a timeline for the anticipated new development at the harbour.

Issued by Councillor Sakhile Mngadi - DA eThekwini Caucus Whip: Economic Development and Planning