CORNUBIA BUSINESS PARK DEVELOPMENT POISED TO DELIVER THOUSANDS OF JOBS FOR KWAZULU-NATAL WORKERS
Three hundred construction workers are already on site at Cornubia Business Park, north of Durban, as a R200 million first-phase development takes shape, promising to substantially expand employment and economic access for residents across the eThekwini Municipality and surrounding areas.
The jobs pipeline is moving. Those 300 construction positions are active now, with a further 100 permanent roles expected once the first phase wraps in December this year. The second phase, launching next year, is projected to generate close to 2,000 sustainable jobs, a figure that would meaningfully shift the employment landscape for workers in the region.
The scale of what is being built extends well beyond the immediate job numbers. Total investment across the Cornubia precinct is expected to exceed R2.1 billion, with approximately R500 million already committed to infrastructure improvements and the Leroy Merlin retail development. That international home improvement retailer is scheduled to open its doors to the public on 16 December 2026, giving residents a concrete date to mark.
Future phases will introduce the Emeris Campus, a facility designed to accommodate approximately 8,000 students, alongside additional commercial properties. Together, these additions point to a multi-use development strategy intended to anchor long-term economic activity in the area rather than deliver a short-term construction spike.
eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba visited the site on Monday to assess progress. He was accompanied by Fundamentum CEO Carlos Correia, the developer behind the project, and the municipality’s senior management team, including Chief Operations Officer Thando Mkhize. The oversight visit reflected the municipality’s stated commitment to monitoring delivery against its promises to residents.
Xaba framed the development in terms of what it means for ordinary people in eThekwini. He noted that the project demonstrates private-sector confidence in the city’s future and represents the kind of investment-led growth the municipality seeks to encourage across its jurisdiction. Beyond the financial figures, he highlighted construction activity, employment generation, business attraction, and expanded economic opportunity for residents as the tangible outcomes that matter most.
Fundamentum has an established footprint in eThekwini. The company’s existing municipal assets exceed R8 billion and include Westown Square in Shongweni, Bridge City Mall in KwaMashu, and Midway Crossing Mall in Newlands West. Cornubia represents a continuation of that presence, not a new bet on the region.
Meanwhile, Xaba underscored the collaborative framework underlying the project, characterizing the public-private partnership as essential to unlocking economic opportunities and supporting sustainable growth. From the municipality’s perspective, such partnerships are necessary mechanisms for translating development objectives into concrete benefits for the city’s population.
The timeline for delivery remains on track. First-phase completion is targeted for December this year, with the second phase set to begin next year. Whether those milestones hold, and how quickly the projected 2,000 jobs materialize for workers across eThekwini, will be the real measure of what this precinct delivers.