He said the surrounding community's concerns about their houses being demolished were misplaced. "We will consult with communities meaningfully and genuinely. We hope they will be interested in listening to us."
Briefing reporters in Durban after the Airports Company SA (ACSA) handed the old Durban International Airport site to Transnet for the development, Gigaba said that he met with some residents who would be affected by the proposed dig-out port. They were concerned about environmental effects, truck congestion and prostitution. He said that their concerns would be addressed in a formal process in January.
It is envisaged that the dig-out port will be built in four phases, starting in 2016 and to be commissioned by 2020. The proposed R75bn project is not catered for in Transnet's R300bn, seven-year capital investment programme and is expected to be funded by the private sector, creating 64,000 jobs during construction and 28,000 permanent jobs when it was operational, Independent Newspapers says.
