The Dube TradePort Corporation, a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is a business entity of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government charged with the responsibility of developing the province’s biggest infrastructural project.

The precinct, strategically located 30km north of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, is home to the state-of-the-art King Shaka International Airport and 30 minutes from Africa’s busiest cargo port, Durban Harbour; also in the precinct is a dedicated cargo terminal, warehousing, offices, retail, hotels and agriculture.

The construction of the 6-km-long Hlawe river sewer pipeline, due to commence in the second quarter of this year, will link the Dube TradePort precinct to the existing Tongaat Wastewater Treatment Works, as well as service the northern part of the TradePort precinct and relieve pressure on the wastewater works.

Wastewater is currently treated on site via temporary treatment works, so the new pipeline is welcome as it will also provide a permanent sewer connection to the municipal network for Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Dube TradePort, facilitating future land development in the vicinity.

Dube TradePort is a shining example of various green initiatives such as the wastewater treatment works and photovoltaic (PV) installations that reduce operational costs and slow ecological degradation as well as ensuring an alternative and relatively stable water and energy supply during development.

The TradePort also boasts an agrizone which includes an integrated perishables supply chain and a high-tech agricultural development, Africa’s largest climate-controlled, glass greenhouse installation. Rainwater harvesting takes place in each of the three greenhouses – each structure has its own rainwater harvesting pond and precipitation from their roofs is captured and stored in closed-surface storage ponds adjacent to each greenhouse.

These initiatives ensure that the SEZ does not add pressure on the municipality’s potable water supply by using water for irrigation, especially during the current drought in the region.

The TradePort is also involved in wastewater reuse from King Shaka International Airport’s wastewater treatment works, which the airport intends to hand over to the eThekwini municipality’s water and sanitation department.

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