Ten deals, worth over R1 billion, are currently on the table, thanks to the City’s inaugural closed-door Deal Room, a platform that brings together potential property developers and funders.
The deal room formed a key component of the third annual Property Conference, which concluded yesterday at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. Three of the transactions will be on municipal-owned land.
Held under the theme, “From access to assets, scaling bankable development on public land,” the two-day conference delivered a strong message that the city is a willing, capable and consistent investment partner.
This is supported by extensive work undertaken over the past five years to create an investment environment grounded in governance certainty, institutional continuity and delivery capability.
The conference, first held in 2024 with an emphasis on introducing and establishing the platform, steadily and successfully moved into the 2025 instalment and focused on policy and validation.
This year’s edition centred on scaling bankable development, equipping delegates with practical information and a clear understanding of what it takes to transform a municipal land release into a funded, construction-ready, income-generating property asset.
Through technical engagements involving the public sector, capital providers and developers, the conference demonstrated how projects can successfully move from aspiration to transaction.
The conference is underpinned by the City’s Proactive Land Release Strategy, adopted in 2021.
To date, the strategy has unlocked strategically located municipal properties across Durban valued at more than R2,7 billion, creating opportunities for inclusive economic participation, institutional investment, and sustainable urban growth.
The 7th land release cycle, to be undertaken in the near future, targets mixed-use developments, community retail centres, warehousing, industrial and hospitality and food and beverage sectors.
City Manager Musa Mbhele said that catalytic projects currently under facilitation within the City across all investment categories are valued at more than R217 billion.
“These projects are projected to generate over 300 000 construction-related jobs and approximately 120 000 permanent employment opportunities. These are not aspirational figures.
They are live projects in various stages of planning, approval, funding and implementation,” said Mbhele.
Day one of the conference focused on scale, pipeline development and the role of the state as a market-maker, while day two unpacked the mechanics of capital and investment structuring.
Mbhele concluded: “We are building a development ecosystem in which public land becomes productive assets, governance becomes a catalyst for economic transformation, and the private sector finds in us a counterparty it can rely on.”
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