Durban has hit a bad low when it comes to being a popular tourist destination – jobs are endangered. With the closure of the iconic Durban Funworld, a beachfront amusement park and the scourge of crime have served as the driving force against tourists leaving the city.¹ This has led to a collapse of the hospitality industry, as stated by local business owners.² Tourism is of course the main driver of the city’s economy which boosts its revenue collection.³ Speaking to the Daily News during a visit by the DA’s election team on Thursday, businesses alongside the City’s central beach who were benefiting from the closed facility, said their businesses were negatively impacted by the closure and the rising criminal activities.^{4 (IOL on MSN)} 

Things are about to become awfully terrible for Durban if this trend continues. The city is well known for its tourism, entertainment and hospitality venues. But with the closure of the Durban Funworld and the hike in crime, foreclose has reared its hideous head. Hospitality venues, tourist shops, and minor hotels are at risk of closing. The municipality desperately needs a plan to revamp the tourism industry. The city’s livelihood will depend on. One other contributing factor other than crime would be the after math of the Covid pandemic. Durban apart from being a major port, relies heavily on tourism to bring in revenue. Now with the decline in that income, jobs are being lost. With elections coming up on the National and provincial levels new leadership will be needed.    

The facility (Durban Funworld) which was a tourism drawcard closed operations on May 1, last year.⁵ The owner Nic Steyn said after unsuccessfully trying to sell it for 12 years, he felt he should shut it down.⁶ A hotel manager adjacent to the park who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised said many hotels were planning to close down because it was no longer making business sense to continue operating while making a huge loss.⁷ He said he was forced to slash his accommodation prices by almost half from R 1300 a night to just R700 because of lower demands for the accommodation.⁸ “We are on the verge of closing down.⁹ If things don’t change the beach front will be a ghost place.⁹ The hospitality industry in eThekwini is facing serious challenges.¹⁰ The closure of the facility and the crime are the main contributors to the collapse of our industry,” said the manager.^{11(IOL on MSN)} 

The risk of Durban’s beachfront becoming a deserted ghost town is disturbing. It shows how the current municipal administration is out of touch with the city’s problems. The closure of hotels near the theme and water park will lead to a further rise in unemployment. If the municipality doesn’t clean up its act, then the current crop of local politicians should be voted out of office. Durban needs new leadership after the stale establishment of the ANC. There is no desire on their part to revamp the ailing eThekwini. A deserted beach front could also become another massive dwelling for the destitute and homelessness. Durban deserves better treatment and conservation due to its beauty. Politicians like President Cyril Ramaphosa speak about preparing for the 4IR. But what is the point when they can’t clean up the local back yard? Our major tourist attractions are becoming havens for crime and drug addiction when they close down.

The Democratic Alliance sees opportunity with this lack of funding.

DA premier candidate Chris Pappas said he was sad to see the once beautiful and colourful facility was now a shadow of its former self, adding that the recreational facility, at the peak of its 75-year existence injected millions of rands into the local economy and contributed immensely to local hospital establishments.¹² He said that personal accounts from operators of local business establishments, traders, and hotels, painted a “heartbreaking, horrid reality” of the state of eThekwini and KZN at large when it comes to jobs and the economy.¹³ “Today (Thursday), revealed the sad story of this once proud city which now sees tourism declining, hotels being forced to lower their rates as occupancy rates dwindle, crime on the increase, families suffering and unable to put food on the tables due to low visitor numbers to the once thriving beach front.^{14 (IOL on MSN)}

Covid may have had its hand in leading up to this decline, but so did the incompetency of politicians at local and provincial levels. Pappas went on to say that the DA has a plan to create 30000 jobs in the local business if they are elected into power.^{15 (IOL on MSN)} The DA should explain what their plans are to the people. They have uphill battle to fight against the ruling party in and around this area where they are in power. The whole country not just Durban needs an entire changing of the guard. However, there is a plethora of opposition parties campaigning to take a piece of the pie. It remains to be seen if these can offer anything better in terms of their manifestos and platforms. Poverty is on the rise as a lucrative source of revenue in Fun world closes. Can it be revived?

Sources

IOL

MSN

Durban hotels forced to close because of crime

Hotel owners and informal traders along the City beaches said crime was the main contributor driving tourists away from the … ^{1 2  3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15}

Summary

Durban has fallen on rough times. The city needs new leadership. With the closure of Durban FunWorld, the city has lost a lucrative source of revenue, for financing many hospitals as well as being a lucrative attraction that provided nearby hotels. These hotels are no closing due to the fact they are now unable to attract new customers to the area. The risk is there could be a rise in unemployment and the beach front could become a “ghost place”. Completely deserted and a place for crime. There needs to be a change to new leadership and almost thirty years of the ANC. Opposition parties are presenting new opportunities to turn around the beach front which has become a place of crime and drug addicts.