The Macambini city council and the government of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are at odds as a pair of Dubai-based developers via for access to prime land along the Indian Ocean.
A group of KZN government officials recently traveled to Dubai to formally unveil plans for a multi-billion dollar development by the Ruwaad Consortium.
The yet-to-be named project would cover 16,500 hectares of land. It calls for development of Africa’s first internationally branded entertainment theme park, hotels, resorts, spas, a marina, residential units, a shopping center and a variety of community facilities and nature reserves. Sports, education and health villages would also be constructed.
Macambini officials contend, however, that 500 hectares of the development land in question has already been reserved for another massive development led by another Dubai-based company, the Bukhatir Group.
Called the Macambini Sports City, this proposed $5 billion development would feature a signature golf course, high-rise residential and commercial towers, a shopping mall, a five-star hotel and a multi-purpose stadium. Officials said that construction was set to begin within 18 months.
The KZN province is attractive to developers for its vast shoreline along the Indian Ocean.