Watch: residents protest outside court against Clairwood logistics park proposal

RESIDENTS, ratepayers and stakeholders are protesting outside the Durban Magistrate's Court today against the proposal to rezone Clairwood as a “logistic park”. 

They held up placards that included "No to expropriation of people of Clairwood off their land" and "Put people first - not logistics, not profit." 

The protest was led by the Clairwood Ratepayers and Residents Association (CRRA). This comes after the eThekwini Municipality held a public meeting to address the residents about the proposal in February.  

According to the notice of public meetings issued by the city, they are seeking to amend the eThekwini municipal land use scheme: central sub-scheme by the introduction of a new zone to be known as “special zone 40: Clairwood Logistics Park” and an associated masterplan for the study area.

This, they said, would give effect to the Local Area Plan (LAP) adopted by the city in 2014.

According to the city, the purpose of the amendment was to create a “quality environment in line with the city's vision”. 

At the time, Lihle Phewa, the head of the city's development planning and environmental management unit, said this would ensure better management of the area. 

“Clairwood  has always been a mixed use area with industry surrounding a residential core. The intended masterplan looks to create uses that respond directly to the port. The city aims to ensure that all land uses in the area are done legally and within the ambit of the relevant regulations, making it a safe, manageable space for all users.

“It should be noted that the area plays a significant role in the local, regional, national, and international economy. Importantly, the amended scheme will provide an adopted legal framework to assess future development applications against an adopted masterplan and zoning controls," he said. 

At a recent protest outside the eThekwini Municipality’s building in the Durban Central in April, Mervyn Reddy, the chairperson of the CRRA, said they wanted to ensure that Clairwood remained a residential area. 

“We are upset as the municipality continues to interfere with Clairwood and now wants to turn it into a logistics park. The community is saying we don’t want a logistics park, but instead we want our homes and better service delivery. We demand a better quality of life. We also ask that they stay away from our worship sites. As much as they say these sites won't be affected, it will. We are saying hands off Clairwood,” he had said at the time. 

This is a developing story. 

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