S municipality TRANSPORT
S municipality TRANSPORT The Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) strategy aims to use the advantages of the existing transport links with a strong emphasis on interchange to facilitate a wide range of journey opportunities. The IPTN consists of a North-South rail backbone from Bridge City to Isipingo and several bus rapid transport (BRT) routes. Currently, 50% of the population is within 800m (10-to-15-minute • 1.2-million commuters walk) of a scheduled public • 250 buses transport service. With the • 73 taxi ranks full implementation of the • 400 cycling trainees per week IPTN, this is forecast to rise to 85% of total population. ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY eThekwini Municipality is a member city of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), essentially a global network of 1 500 cities committed towards building a sustainable future and addressing global impact phenomena such as urbanisation, climate change and working on building communities that are people-centred and building sustainable livelihoods. The metro has set a 30-year plan to divorce itself from using Eskom as a primary energy provider, largely over fears that the utility’s rising costs and loadshedding will drive small and large clients offgrid, taking a chunk of the City’s revenue. The draft eThekwini Energy Policy sets out eThekwini’s vision to develop renewable energy for its 740 000 energy clients, to meet future demand and to “mitigate the impacts of loadshedding and thereby drastically reduce reliance on Eskom’s coal-fired electricity generation”. By 2030, the metro wants 40% of all energy to come from sources other than Eskom, and by 2050 it aims to be 100% reliant on clean energy sources. Manager for renewables and gas at eThekwini Municipality, Sbu Ntshalintshali, says plans included eThekwini generating its own electricity and that by as early as 2025 the metro envisioned owning generation capacity that would include 57MW in wind energy, 176MW in solar PV, 4MW from hydropower and 3.50MW driven by wastewater. The City also intends to have storage capacity for 180MWh. By 2030, the City expects to grow its capacity to 153MW in wind energy, 470MW in solar PV, 8MW in landfill gas, 11MW in hydropower and 5MW from wastewater, as well as 500MWh of storage capacity. It also wants to buy 373MW from IPPs by 2025 and 745MW by 2030. “We remain hopeful that in 15 months from now we will be able to procure energy from IPPs. eThekwini Municipality has, since 2018, received a number of proposals, both locally and internationally, with an investment value of R300-billion,” said Ntshalintshali. 5 customer service centres households and businesses 4.9-million connected 170 new electricity 32 operational centres WATER 17 sub-stations connections per year • 980 000 consumers serviced • 327 water storage facilities • 98 pump stations • Five purification works ABOVE: President Ramaphosa with Premier Sihle Zikalala; Trade Industry and Competition minister, Ebrahim Patel; Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, MEC Ravi Pillay, and eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda. FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND “The global emergency of climate change enjoins all nations to adopt technologies that use sources of energy that are environmentally friendly, clean and renewable. This hybrid electrical car is a giant step forward towards a future which is carbon neutral and healthy to the environment. This is a future that our province and our country is committed to secure through a just energy transition which will re-skill our population and create new industries in green technologies. “In this regard, the hybrid electrical car will contribute to the protection of the environment by reducing the carbon footprint and help South Africa reach its global targets of net-zero emissions by 2050. We welcome this development because it will position KwaZulu-Natal to be a producer of high-tech skills while it drives innovation and export-led growth and industrialisation.” Premier Sihle Zikalala at the launch of the Toyota Cross Hybrid Vehicle launch, 26 October 2021 The launch was held at Toyota South Africa production plant in Prospecton, KwaZulu-Natal. The province is positioning itself to take full advantage of intra-African trade by boosting and supporting exports-led growth and development. 26 | Service magazine
municipality S TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Durban is the leading domestic destination in South Africa. The hospitality industry consists of many fine hotels nightspots, shopping malls, ethnic attractions, traditional villages, craft markets, sparkling dams and big-game parks. www.ushakamarine.com uShaka Marine World The world-class uShaka Marine World in Durban opened in 2004 and fast positioned itself as a key attraction on Durban’s Golden Mile, offering a world of excitement and fun. Entertainment is non-stop, extending from the daytime operations of Sea World, Wet ’n Wild and uShaka Beach to the night-time festivities of the Village Walk. The two fundamental objectives for uShaka Marine World are for uShaka to serve as a catalyst for urban renewal around the Point Precinct; and a strategic tourism facility for the City of Durban, as well as the province. ABOVE: uShaka Marine World. International Convention Centre Durban The world-class International Convention Centre, an entity of the eThekwini Municipality, has hosted a historic line-up of events, including conferences on a global scale. The Inkosi Albert Luthuli complex is South Africa’s first International Convention Centre and has played a pioneering role in attracting international events to our shores since its inception. Moses Mabhida Stadium With its iconic “arch of triumph”, the stadium is an engineering feat that provides Durban with a defining landmark to match the Eiffel Tower, Sydney’s Opera House or The London Eye. Importantly, the multidisciplinary nature of the stadium’s design permits it to host a wide range of sporting and cultural events. Visually inspiring – and comprising of more than a hundred columns – the facade of Moses Mabhida Stadium allows for natural ventilation and creates an incredible sense of space every bit as striking as the stadium’s famous arch. The Big Rush Big Swing has been officially named the world’s tallest swing by the Guinness Book of Records since 14 May 2011. Not your average swing, the aptly named Big Swing allows you to take the thrilling leap swinging out into a massive 220m arc where you soar into the centre of the stadium. S Durban Tourism LEFT: The usual stadium seating capacity is 56 000 which can be upscaled to 85 000 for major events, such as the Olympic Games. The shape of the iconic arch was inspired by the “Y shape” on the South African flag. | 27
