Bringing New Opportunities To Live, Work & Thrive
About Westown
Westown is a mixed-use precinct of urban and green spaces that offers a brand-new destination for living, working, shopping, business and recreational activities within a managed, urban environment.
Westown is perfectly positioned between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on the main arterial N3 highway, 30km from Durban Port, 50km from PMB and 56km from King Shaka airport.
Developed by the Fundamentum Property Group, Westown is supported by one of the biggest infrastructural investments from the eThekwini Municipality in Durban since the Soccer World Cup in 2010. This new City of the West is set to generate some R15 billion in investment over the next 10 -15 years, both in infrastructure and top structures, R1,3 billion of which has already been triggered through the Westown Square retail experience which is under construction.
The Westown Urban Core is over 100ha in extent and has secured and approved development rights of approximately 520 000m² of bulk floor area. The activation of these rights has begun with the construction of Westown Square which is supported by a number of INTERCONNECTED PRECINCTS, spaces, and experiences that have been launched and will roll-out over the next 5 to 10 years. These include:
- Farrier Business Park – Warehousing & Logistics Hub
- Parc Ferme – Motor Focused Commercial Hub
- Westown Mixed-Use – 22 000m2 of floor area
- Shongweni Eco-Park by Balwin – the 1st of 3 000 units in the urban core
- The West Private Hospital – 100 day & surgical beds
- Westown Apartments – the 2nd phase of residential development
The Westown Urban Core forms part of the 2 000ha Shongweni Urban Development, a proclaimed Catalytic Projects by the eThekwini Municipality, that is also supported at provincial and national government levels.
As Westown unlocks, reshapes and revitalises Durban’s Outer West by creating a new economic hub, it will also bring an array of socio-economic benefits such as:
- 15 000 construction jobs over the next decade
- 8 500 permanent jobs over the next 10 years
- An upgraded road infrastructure
- A training centre and skills development programs
- New schooling and education facilities
- Support of local service needs such as an extended road network, more education facilities, libraries and others.
- Integrated public transport facilities
- The rehabilitation of sugarcane land and neglected wetlands with ongoing management
- Provision of managed running, cycling and equestrian trails, integrated into the development
- Support of surrounding businesses, amenities and facilities to ensure the collective growth of the area.
Roads and Infrastructure
The upgrade of Kassier Rd is long overdue and the commitment by the City to the funding of this work has enabled Westown to begin development.
This upgrade, along with supporting bulk infrastructure (water, wastewater, electricity) has triggered the first phase of Westown’s development – the retail experience of Westown Square.
Infrastructure upgrades include two new bridges and a total make-over of the existing two-lane Kassier Rd across the M13 and N3 into four lanes with a centre median. A new pedestrian bridge will also be added over the N3 along with a new loop ramp and bridge over Kassier Road providing direct access into Westown.
PHASED UPGRADES
With the extent of the Westown development and the number of sub-precincts that will come on stream over time, the Kassier Rd upgrade will be phased over the coming years.
👉 Download the Kassier Road Overall Upgrade or read the details below:
Click image to enlarge
PHASE 1A
- Runs from the N3 to Milky Way (P559) with the Kassier bypass road that opened on 14th February 2023.
- This bypass runs adjacent to Kassier road and will be in place until March 2025.
- A bypass was chosen for this section of road to speed up the upgrade of Kassier Rd itself and limit traffic disruptions during the road construction period.
PHASE 1B
- This phase is split into Part 1 /Part 2
- The whole phase runs from the N3 Shongweni interchange heading north to the Hillcrest hospital/Alverstone intersection.
- Focused on limiting impacts to existing road users and ensuring limited disruptions to access for businesses, residents, SAPS and the Durban Shongweni Club, a temporary bypass road will be constructed on the western side of Kassier Rd from the N3 to the M13.
- Running parallel to Kassier Rd, this bypass will be in place for approximately 18 months and will allow the upgrade to proceed uninterrupted which will accelerate the completion of this work.
- Part 1 is from the N3 to the SAPS K9 Unit entrance and was completed in July 2023.
- Part 2 is from the SAPS K9 Unit entrance to the M13 and will see the bypass road being extended alongside the Durban Shongweni Club. It will include a 4-way stop at the intersection of Kassier Rd and Cliffdale Rd. The bypass road was opened in March 2024 and will be in place until March 2025.
KASSIER RD BRIDGE OVER M13 – TRAFFIC DIVERSION ON THE M13
- To allow construction of the new Kassier Rd bridge over the M13, from early March 2024, traffic deviations will be in place on the M13 both East & West of the Assagay/ Hillcrest/ Shongweni interchange to Kassier Rd.
- This will see traffic deviate onto one side of the M13 for single-lane traffic flow in both directions.
- The deviation will run between 07:00-17:00 on weekdays and will be in place until the completion of the bridge construction in early 2025
PHASE 3 – From M13 to Alverstone and Alverstone to R103 – timing and details to be detailed and confirmed.
☝ See the video flyover of the Phase 1A Kassier Rd bypass completion
☝ View the video flyover of Part 1 of Phase 1B of the Kassier Rd upgrade
Who is Developing Westown
The development of Westown is led by Durban-based Fundamentum Property Group through the Fundamentum Dev Co (FDC) which acquired the development rights to Westown from Tongaat Hulett Property.
These rights extend across the mixed-use offering of the Westown Urban Core and are structured on a 99-year leasehold model – very similar to the structure of Waterfall in Midrand, Gauteng. The purchaser acquires a 99-year lease, which automatically renews for a further 99-years upon sale or a change in ownership. This effectively means a perpetual lease that never expires.
Established in 2012 by CEO Carlos Correia, and partners Sean Bergsma and Don Bergsma, Fundamentum has a sizeable multi-billion-rand property portfolio of well-managed assets with strong income streams.
Specialists in asset management, property development and retail leasing, Fundamentum has over 100 years of combined experience in property and has developed a diverse property portfolio across commercial, retail, and industrial sectors.
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
Fundamentum is invested in realizing the long-term vision of Westown being not only responsible for planning, urban design and infrastructure delivery but the ultimate place-management of Westown as well as the development of its own commercial and residential property portfolio within it.
This place management will be facilitated through the Westown Management Association. Focused on supporting and growing a connected, vibrant, safe, and well-serviced City, the management association will also be tasked with protecting and enhancing the value of open space and the ecological assets that characterize the Shongweni area.
In this way, Westown will not only integrate with existing outdoor and lifestyle activities and facilities in the area but it will enhance them, by improving the existing equestrian, cycling and running trails and rehabilitating sugar cane land into a larger indigenous active green belt.
PART OF THE WHOLE
Westown is part of an existing ecosystem of communities, people and businesses that are integral to realizing the socio-economic goals of the Outer West. Westown has the support of all three spheres of government, and all departments within the eThekwini Municipality, as well as the local Chief, Indunas and Councilors of Wards 7 and 103. It is working with local businesses and stakeholders such as the Durban Shongweni Club and Polo Club, The Mushroom Farm, and Shongweni Farmer’s Market to ensure these critical assets continue to thrive.
LOCAL PROFESSIONALS
Grounded in urban sustainability, and the utilisation of open space and ecological assets, Westown focuses on innovation creating a legacy of multi-disciplinary planning, engineering, architecture and place-making that will unlock the region’s investment potential.
This is brought to bear thanks to a very strong team of professionals who have brought together to work on the Kassier Rd upgrade and the development of the Westown Square retail experience.
The first tender for the upgrade of Kassier Road and Westown Square has been awarded to a stellar local PROFESSIONAL TEAM that includes:
- Main Contractor – Stefanutti Stocks
- Urban Designer – Erky Wood
- Landscape Architect – Lucas Uys (Uys & White)
- Quantity Surveyors – MLC
- Project Management – ORION
- Architects on Westown Square – MDS and Boogertman & Partners
- Engineering Consultants:
– Kassier Road – SMEC South Africa
– Westown Square – L&S Engineers
– Westown – Bosch Projects
The CEO of Fundamentum is Carlos Correia who is also a shareholder in Fundamentum Dev Co, along with Sean Bergsma and Don Bergsma. They are supported by the WESTOWN DEVELOPMENT TEAM of:
- Rory Wilkinson – Development and Planning
- Lana Pattison – Retail Leasing
- John Brink – CFO
- Cara Reilly – Place Marketing & Communication
Strategic Importance
Westown is the first development phase of the Shongweni Urban Development, a proclaimed Catalytic Project by the eThekwini Municipality supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism &Environmental Affairs, and National Government.
In addition to its investment value, Westown will also bring much needed community and socio-economic benefits to the Outer West including:
- An upgraded road, water, and power infrastructure
- New schooling and education facilities
- The creation of running, cycling, and equestrian trails, connected to the urban spaces and managed through the Westown Management Association
- Wetland rehabilitation and ongoing management
- Support of surrounding businesses and facilities for the collective growth of the area.
- 15 000 construction jobs
- 8 500 permanent jobs
- A training centre and skills development programs
- Integrated public transport
- Support of local service needs such as an extended road network, more education facilities, libraries, and others
- Long-term developer investment focused on unlocking, reshaping and revitalizing Durban’s Outer West.
Development Rights
Westown is one of the biggest infrastructural investments by the eThekwini Municipality in Durban since the Soccer World Cup in 2010 with the Westown Urban Core having secured and approved development rights of approximately 520 000m² of bulk floor area.
These development rights have been acquired from landowner Tongaat Hulett Property on a 99-year Leasehold Basis. Applying the same model used in Waterfall, Midrand (Gauteng) all leases renew automatically every three years for a further 99 years which effectively means a perpetual lease (that never expires).
These rights extend across the mixed-use offering of the Westown Urban Core and will be activated over the next 5-10 years to include the Westown Square high street retail experience; The West Private Hospital; warehousing and logistics opportunities, business and commercial activities; residential apartments; Farrier Crossing and the Westown active green belt.
Westown is the first development activity within the Shongweni Urban Development, a 2 000-hectare eThekwini catalytic project supported by all three tiers of government, as well as traditional local leadership.
Why The Outer West? Why Shongweni?
Westown is expected to unlock, reshape, and revitalise Durban’s Outer West by creating a new economic hub. But WHY the Outer West and WHY Shongweni?
Despite the impression that the OUTER WEST is “off the beaten track” a major advantage of the region is its location and positioning on the N3 highway. Known as the SIP 2 or Durban-Free State-Gauteng Logistics and Industrial Corridor, the N3 is a route identified as a logistics corridor with investment and development opportunities as part of an accessible node.
Historically the Outer West has had the (significantly) lowest share of contribution to GDP in the City, yet over the last 9 years, there has been a 59% increase in the adult population, a growth rate of 6.5% per year.
Providing for this growing population offers a range of opportunities. The need for employment ‘closer to home’ for example, supported by data from a recent survey indicating that 41% of respondents who live in the Outer West commute out of the area for work.
Why Shongweni?
With the Outer West nodes of Keystone and Cato Ridge gaining traction as industrial precincts, SHONGWENI is the next logical, mixed-use development node in the region. It’s ease of access to the N3 and arterial networks adds massive weight to its potential.
Not only is Shongweni a Municipal Catalytic Project location but it is also identified as an Investment Opportunity Area in that it facilitates local spatial, economic, and social integration. This classification dates to the regional town planning scheme that has been developing since the 90’s.
Practically speaking, Shongweni is already easily accessible for day-to-day business, transport, social, and community services that provide a base for existing and future local communities. Equally, Shongweni’s connection to existing residential areas creates a foundation for new opportunities in business, retail, recreational, commercial, and new residential markets.
Why Westown?
As the most accessible greenfield (undeveloped) site in the Shongweni area, WESTOWN can accommodate a range of tailormade opportunities across sectors. It allows for an integrated and managed destination that enables long-term sustainable investments for both the public and private sectors. This investment includes infrastructure and bulk service development which leads to the support of local needs like more education facilities and libraries.
Westown will be a new destination, a managed precinct of lifestyle, home, retail, business, and recreational activities, positioned within an active green belt. But Westown is also part of an existing ecosystem of communities, people and businesses that are integral to the character and success of Shongweni and the Outer West.
Read more about the Westown sub-precincts
The Westown Distinction
Westown responds to the needs of people and connects them with spaces and experiences, bringing new opportunities to live, work and thrive.
Urbanist Erky Wood from Urban Praxis, refers to Westown’s development approach as ‘precinct planning with sustainable principles.’ This means channeling all the disciplines involved in creating this new city towards delivering a sustainable, safe and secure destination that ALSO brings economic value and encourages positive user experiences, social integration, participation and ownership of the place.
Developing new cities is a process that is layered and nuanced. Westown is a place that will develop organically, with a mixed-use agenda that puts people first, responding to their needs whether they are visiting, living or working there. It is inclusive, making it possible for all people to be part of the city and not a-part from it,” said Wood.
LONG-TERM COMMITMENT
The developers of Westown are Fundamentum Dev Co, which is invested in realizing the long-term vision of Westown being not only responsible for planning, urban design and infrastructure delivery but the ultimate place-management of Westown as well as the development of its own commercial and residential property portfolio within it.
This place management will be facilitated through the Westown Management Association. Focused on supporting and growing a connected, vibrant, safe, and well-serviced City, the management association will also improve the existing equestrian, cycling and running trails by rehabilitating sugar cane land into a larger indigenous active green belt.
THE POINT OF DIFFERENCE
Westown provides the opportunity to do things differently – to build a city of distinction. This means:
- Creating an attractive, clean, secure, and managed destination with a mix of uses and activities, that is planned and implemented in an integrated and holistic manner.
- People-first urban planning – creating connected spaces that serve people and the way they use and interact with the environment around them.
- Existing as part of the area and not a-part from it – working with local businesses, facilities and stakeholders to ensure they continue to thrive as Westown develops.
- An indoor-meets-outdoor design approach – brought to life through the architecture of Westown Square a green, high-street shopping experience and the extensive landscaping plan for the Westown Urban Core
- An active green belt with wetland and plant rehabilitation
- The Westown Foundation – set up to foster the sustainable participation of the greater Shongweni community in the socio-economic and environmental opportunities that the development of Westown will create. This includes an on-site training centre to provide skills development and training in construction and building-related trades to be used as the development of Westown unfolds as well as beyond the site itself.
- Place management through the Westown Management Association focused on supporting and growing a connected, vibrant, safe and well-serviced City.
The Westown Training Centre
The Westown Training Centre was launched on 19th April 2023 by eThekwini Mayor, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda and is located on the Westown construction site.
A collaboration between the Westown Foundation and the Stefanutti Stocks Academy, the 2 700m2 training centre, on the Westown site is the first of many socio-economic and community development projects the Westown Foundation will be involved in over the coming years.
Purpose Of The Training Centre
The Westown Training Centre provides development and training opportunities for qualifying individuals to accumulate knowledge, gain experience and increase their employability.
The training programmes are run by Stefanuti Stocks through their academy, which has been developing and offering industry best-practice and accredited training and skills development programmes since 2010. The focus is on job-specific skills development which means empowering individuals with the skills required to participate in a construction workplace, in a safe and meaningful way. The CETA-accredited training programmes are presented by accredited and registered assessors and moderators and the construction skills trained include:
- Construction hand tools, basic concrete training, reinforcing, and formwork, brickwork, plasterwork and painting training. Safety training is also a part of the program.
- A construction plant simulator, equipped with a variety of modules for operator training and staffed by various qualified trainers, gives trainees a sense of life ‘on the job’, and an important part of the accredited earth moving and processing skills training for new recruits.
Trainees & Qualification
The Westown Community Liaison Officers (CLO’s) who are based at the Westown construction site oversee a central database that links training opportunities through the Westown Training Centre with registered individuals, with preference given to those in the local wards of 103 and 7. All prospective trainees are pre-qualified against a set of criteria linked to the specific training program being offered.
Over the two-year period that the training centre will operate on the Westown site, 60-80 operators will qualify and around 500 people will pass through the centre equipped with the relevant skills to find work in the construction sector within the province, some of which will be at Westown.
Those wishing to participate in the training program should apply through our dedicated training contact page – Apply for Training.
First Graduates
On 22 November a graduation ceremony was held for the first 38 trainees to qualify at the Westown Training Centre.
The first group of graduates, ranged in age from 20 and 50 and were all from Wards 7 and 103 (the wards surrounding Westown.) The skills learnt by these graduates included steel and timber formwork; assembly and installation of reinforcing, basic concrete work, the use and maintenance of hand tools, health and safety applications and environmental awareness. Thirteen of the recruits were trained in heavy earth-moving machine operation using the on-site simulator. To date, five graduates have been employed on site with many more expected to gain employment as the skills demand of the project increases. The value of this training was R340 000, in addition to the capital costs of establishing and running the training facility.
The next group of 23 learners are expected to complete their course in December with graduation in early 2024.
Westown Management Association
Westown will be managed through the Westown Management Association, a structure that will focus on supporting and growing a connected, vibrant, safe, and well-serviced City.
The management association will provide cleaning, security, landscaping, and other service-delivery functions and will also be tasked with protecting and managing Westown’s active green belt.
The management association will also be tasked with protecting and enhancing the value of open space and the ecological assets that characterize the Shongweni area.
In this way, Westown will ensure that the servicing of its urban spaces is as closely monitored as that of its green spaces, which will serve to ensure the long-term value of the destination and a sense of ownership in this place.
PLACE-MAKING PRINCIPLES
Westown balances uses and activity, visual appeal and comfort, accessibility and linkage with a deliberate focus on the principles of “placemaking”.
Place-making is about creating spaces that serve people and is founded on the belief that the way people use and interact with the environment around them, should guide development and not the other way around.
Placemaking is a complementary development tool that works alongside planning, development, operational and management mechanisms and allows a place to fully unlock its investment potential while guiding the positioning of a place as it comes into being. In Westown, this will be achieved by developing, supporting and growing connected, vibrant, mixed-use, people-centric and safe urban nodes.
WHAT MAKES A GREAT PLACE?
According to Project For Public Spaces, a global non-profit that focuses on creating community-powered public spaces around the world, four simple things.
Most great places, no matter where they are in the world or how big or small they are, share four key attributes:
- They are accessible and well-connected to other important places in the area.
- They are comfortable and project a good image.
- They attract people to participate in activities there.
- They are sociable environments in which people want to gather and visit again and again.
While these really are simple features, using them as the core principles when building a new City is not a simple process. It requires constantly aligning the various processes, needs and interests involved in this long-term journey and pushing a people-first approach.
But this is the approach needed to do things differently for the future, and the Westown team is focused on how the New City of the West responds to the needs of people, and how it creates spaces and experiences that bring new opportunities to live, work and thrive.
Cities need destinations that give an identity and image to their communities, and that help attract new residents, businesses, and investment. But they also need strong community destinations that attract people.” Project for Public Spaces.
Inclusive Participation
Westown is part of an existing ecosystem of communities, people and businesses that are integral to realizing the socio-economic goals of the Outer West.
Westown has the support of all three spheres of government, and all departments within the eThekwini Municipality, as well as the local Chief, Indunas and Councilors of Wards 7 and 103. It is working with local businesses and stakeholders such as the Durban Shongweni Club and Polo Club, The Mushroom Farm, and Shongweni Farmer’s Market to ensure these critical assets continue to thrive.
There are also a number of local stakeholder forums that engage around the overall Shongweni Urban Catalytic Development, of which Westown is a part. This is driven by both The Stakeholder Development Committee and The Project Screening and Transformation Committee which include participation from:
- Traditional leadership through the local Nkosi
- Ward Councillors
- Local business representation
- Representation of the transport industry
- Representation from women’s groups
- Local military veterans
- Youth representation
- Representation from the disabled community.
A key responsibility of these Committees is to oversee the participation of the local businesses (including CPG), suppliers and the labour-force into the development value chain.
Westown Square Shareholding
The shareholding of Westown Square includes Fundamentum Dev Co, the Community Participation Trust being formed in consultation with the local community and the eThekwini Municipality, and the local empowerment consortium OuterWest Investments.
OuterWest Investments is a 100% black-owned and managed company representing dynamic black professionals with different professional and personal backgrounds, each with a proven track record of success in their areas of expertise.
This group has come together to address previous challenges faced by South Africans, with the goal of meaningful participation in the economy and the desire to become significant players in the real estate industry. The partners in this group include:
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- Dr. Nomzamo Tutu of Mamokete Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd
- Ms. Delisile Nyanda of Sisodwa Properties (Pty) Ltd
- Ms. Thandi Ngcobo of Zamadunga Business Enterprise Cc
- Ms. Ntokozo Mazibuko of Lsm Capital (Pty) Ltd
- Mr. Simiso Mkhize of Embo Property Investments (Pty) Ltd
- Mr. Siyabonga Hlengwa of Hlengwa Legacy Holdings (Pty) Ltd
- Ms. Ntandokazi Khewsa of Ikhetha Holdings (Pty) Ltd
- Ms. Nompilo Msomi of Women In Property (Pty) Ltd
- Mr. Bandile Boyana of Nayabo Holdings (Pty) Ltd
- Mr. Senzo Masengemu of Isibaya Properties (Pty) Ltd
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