Dube TradePort and Indian partner to develop mega industrial park

In a move designed to attract foreign direct investment into KwaZulu-Natal, Dube TradePort Corporation and India-based conglomerate, Action Group, this week signed a memorandum of understanding for a multi-billion rand Mega Industrial Integrated Township.
The MoU will see the development of a R2-billion Mega Industrial Integrated Township on a 240-hectare site adjacent to the existing Dube TradePort. The project will form part of the future aerotropolis – or airport city – surrounding Durban’s King Shaka International Airport, 30km north of the city.
New alliance partner, Action Group, is a 40-year-old, highly diversified India-based business conglomerate with a major presence in that country’s real estate sector through its Suncity Projects operation. This entity is a key player in the development of industrial parks, special economic zones, the retail sector, offices and hotels, as well as residential dwellings. Founded in the early 1970s, Action Group began in the footwear manufacturing industry, launching Action Shoes, now the largest selling shoe brand in India. The organisation has successfully diversified into other economic sectors, including electronics, chemicals, healthcare, steel and power, flex manufacturing, MDF and particle boards and coal mining interests.
“We regard this as a critically important milestone in the development of the aerotropolis,” said Dube TradePort Corporation’s chief executive officer, Saxen van Coller.
“The primary intention of the Mega Industrial Integrated Township is to provide easy ‘gateway’ access and a one-stop-shop approach for, specifically – though certainly not exclusively – international investors, manufacturers and industrialists seeking to spread their business interests and associated activities to South Africa,” said Action Group managing director, Ajay Aggarwal.
The development will be undertaken in several phases.
It is designed to bring on-stream state-of-the-art infrastructure, which will include new industrial space, commercial areas, a logistics hub comprising truck, bus and container depots, warehousing facilities, a weighbridge centre, a training institute and a South African first-of-its-kind industrial retail park.