Vusi Thembekwayo criticises the state of Durban's city centre

SOUTH African entrepreneur and writer has taken the eThekwini Municipality to task over the state of the Durban city centre.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

Vusi Thembekwayo described the condition of the CBD as "poor and not reflective of the city’s economic potential". Thembekwayo, who is a prominent investor and international public speaker, expressed his concerns in a video he posted on his social media platforms.

In response, the city pushed back against the criticism yesterday, detailing the work that has been done to improve the state of the city centre.

The video went viral, receiving over 26 000 likes and being shared more than a thousand times. In the video, Thembekwayo stated, “You know that Durban has an economic output higher than some countries in Africa. There is actually no reason why Durban should be in the state it is in. It is the most extraordinary thing for me.

“Put it this way: you have goods coming in (through the port) from the east, going to the west. They go through Durban as a port; Durban is a mega port. I don't understand why it looks the way it does; it makes no sense to me.

“I am often confused by people who do not understand how important the city centre is. The reason you build a city centre is for the rest of the city, and you want the rest of the city to reflect the state or the province.”