Supplied

KZN Premier Zweli Mkhize at the 2012 State of the Province Address in Pietermartizburg. Picture: supplied

KwaZulu-Natal has in line for infrastructure investments worth billions of rand, Premier Zweli Mkhize announced in his 2012 State of the Province address in Pietermaritzburg yesterday.

More than R80 billion would be invested in upgrades and expansion projects in the ports of Durban and Richards Bay by Transnet over the next seven years.

Mkhize said that KZN’s capital budget would increase from R11bn last year to R15bn this year. This would be used on health-, school- and road-related infrastructure, including a pothole patching-up programme. He said parastatals such as Eskom and Transnet were set to spend a significant share of the R300bn on infrastructure spending announced by President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation address earlier this month.

“Around R80bn will be invested by Transnet in the refurbishment of KZN ports in the next seven years. In the Port of Durban, the expansion will be focused on increasing the port-handling facility by more than 50 percent, strengthening its status as the largest container port in Africa,” he said.

Some funds would be dedicated to planning work for the early phases of implementing Durban’s dig-out port project.

“Some aspects will not be completed before the next 50 years. It is a visionary project that will have strong multiplier effects in the entire economy of our country,” said Mkhize. “It will include the development of a petro-chemical hub with possibilities of value addition, and will accommodate increased capacity for the automotive export market. At the back (of the port) we shall establish an automotive supplier park.” Mkhize said the plan formed part of the Durban-Free State-Gauteng industrial corridor along the N3.

Refurbishment of the Richards Bay Port would involve the development of new berths and increase the capacity of Africa’s largest coal terminal. “The fact that over 75 percent of the KZN economy is generated through Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay is testimony to the critical role of the transport and logistics sector,” he said.

A priority development being investigated was the establishment of a rail link from King Shaka International Airport to Durban, with stations linking Ballito and Umhlanga. “This includes the possibility of a new light rail system, linking King Shaka through the Cornubia development area and the North Coast hotel belt, to the Durban CBD,” said Mkhize.

A new business express train service between Pietermaritzburg and Durban was expected to be launched in April as part of R5bn in rail investment in KZN over the next five years.

Eskom’s biggest infrastructure project in KZN is the R22bn Ingula pump station in the Drakensberg, which is set to come on stream by 2014, providing 1 300 megawatts of renewable energy for the national grid. Eskom would also spend R24bn to boost distribution in KZN. 8P2&Network