Date: 2025-06-25 15:40:41
Welcoming remarks by eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Cllr Cyril Xaba at the South African institute of black property practitioners
*WELCOMING REMARKS BY ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY MAYOR, CLLR CYRIL XABA AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF BLACK PROPERTY PRACTITIONERS ANNUAL CONVENTION, 25 JUNE 2025*
• Programme Director
• Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition: Mr Parks Tau
• Gauteng MEC for Finance and Economic Development: Mr Lebogang Maile
• Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Director-General: Mr Mbulelo Tshangana
• SAIBPP President: Fundi Mazibuko
• Director-General Department of Public works and Infrastructure: Mr Sifiso Mdakane
• Director-General National Treasury: Mr Duncan Pieterse
• Director-General Department of Human Settlements: Mr Alec Moemi
• EThekwini Municipality City Manager: Mr Musa Mbhele
• SAIBPP Chief Executive Officer: Ms Kululwa Muthwa
• Industry Leaders
• Distinguished Guests
• Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning,
It gives me pleasure to welcome you all to this crucial gathering organised by the South African Institute of Black Property Practitioners (SAIBPP).
As eThekwini Municipality, we are delighted to host this convention because it aligns perfectly with our bold initiatives to transform the property sector.
It would be remiss of me not to congratulate the leadership of SAIBPP for the sterling work they continue to do of representing the aspirations and interests of black property practitioners and owners.
Since its inception in 1996, the SAIBPP has a proud record of promoting transformation within South Africa’s property sector by advancing investment, access to opportunities, and inclusive participation.
We want to thank you for continuing to address historical imbalances and systemic challenges in the property sector. We have no doubt that your vision of building an equitable and diverse industry that reflects the country's demographic profile, will soon be realised.
As the leadership of eThekwini Municipality, we are committed to work with you to achieve these shared development goals because to do so, is in our best collective interest.
It is important to note that this year’s convention is held under the theme: “Elevate Compliance to Impact” – a call to move beyond box-ticking and ensure that compliance drives real, measurable socio-economic outcomes.
Therefore, we are pleased that in eThekwini we are already implementing bold and impactful initiatives to advance equitable access to land and economic growth.
For instance, the Proactive Land Release Strategy, which was approved by Council in 2021 is a critical programme that was adopted by the Municipality to give effect to Section 25(5) of the Constitution.
This section obligates the state to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to foster conditions that enable citizens to gain access to land on an equitable basis.
Since the adoption of this strategy, the Municipality has released approximately 97 properties, covering 38.0146 hectares and valued at R922 million for development and redevelopment purposes.
We are happy that to date:
• 18 properties have been awarded, and
• 21 additional properties are in the process of being awarded,
together covering 16.6893 hectares and valued at R598 million.
The estimated total capital investment for these developments is approximately R5 billion, reflecting the scale and economic impact of this initiative.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Durban Beachfront is one of the city’s most valuable tourism assets, attracting both local and international visitors through its iconic Golden Mile and the promenade.
Given its significance in driving tourism growth and economic activity, the Municipality has prioritised this area for redevelopment, revitalisation, and modernisation.
As part of this focused intervention, the majority of beachfront properties have already been advertised and awarded.
In the current financial year, we announced the successful redevelopment bids for the Elangeni and Maharani towers, as well as the “Joe Kools” building.
Further announcements are imminent regarding the Deck building (adjacent to Joe Kools) and the transformation of the old Funworld site into a world-class amusement park.
Between the hotels and the theme park on the beachfront, we anticipate an investment of over R 2 billion.
These projects are aligned with our Inner-City Local Area Plan, and we confident that we remain on track to deliver a fully redeveloped beachfront by 2027.
In implementing these initiatives, the Municipality has made significant strides in achieving the equitable requirement as outlined in Section 25(5) of the Constitution, particularly in terms of demographic representation.
It is important to highlight that before the implementation of the Proactive Land Released Strategy in 2021, there was less than 13 % Black lease holders in the beachfront. Today, this number has significantly increased to 63%, with 5% of properties leased to women and 25 % to the youth.
However, we have identified gender discrepancies in participation. To address this challenge, we will be refining our objective criteria in future property releases to give preference to underrepresented designated groups, particularly women and people with disability, ensuring that equity is fully realised across both demographic and gender dimensions.
As part of our ongoing commitment to stimulate investment and inclusive economic development, the Municipality will soon be releasing an additional 20 properties, collectively measuring 22 hectares and valued at approximately R452.1 million.
We anticipate that the Request for Proposals (RFP) for these properties will be issued within the next two months.
This upcoming release forms part of our strategic pipeline under the Proactive Land Release Strategy, aimed at unlocking high-impact development opportunities and driving transformation within the property sector.
In closing, I want to reiterate that we are indeed proud to host this Annual Convention for the second year in a row and we will continue to collaborate to promote dialogue and innovation within the property sector.
By working together, we are creating more inclusive, responsive, and effective development outcomes that align with our constitutional and economic transformation objectives.
With these remarks, we would like to give a warm Durban welcome and we look forward to fruitful discussions.
I thank you.
Disability Right Awareness Month
