African safari: Amazulu World presses on

Three months ago, Amazulu World was launched a day before Cityscape Dubai 2008, making a grand appearance at the event.

Amazulu World has stirred up quite a reaction. Hayan Merchant, group CEO of Ruwaad Holdings, was happy with the response. "There has been a lot of interest because
South Africa is a destination that hasn't been explored from a development point of view," he says.

The project, which covers 16,500 hectares of land off the north coast of Durban, was a year into its development by the time it was unveiled."We wanted to show activity and progress on the site before the announcement. When people see the progress on site they're more inclined to invest," explains Hayan.

Investors from Asia and Europe have expressed an interest in the project. "Historically, India and China have invested a lot in the African continent particularly South Africa. So we've had a keen response from these two countries. It will also open up a lot of opportunities to Middle East investors and developers who are looking to develop portions of the project."

Hayan believes in the potential of the project and the benefits it can bring to the local population.

"The development will create 200,000 jobs once the project becomes operational and much more during the construction stage. Consumers will benefit from new schools, clinics, sporting academies and marinas, all of which will be within close proximity." He says about 70% of the project's end-users will be from the African subcontinent.

"There are very few sustainable communities for Africans, so this will be a huge opportunity for families to relocate into a development that has all the amenities they need. The rest of the population will be European."

As the massive project slowly unfolds, so far unhampered by the shaky financial climate, developers Ruwaad Holdings and end-users alike wait in anticipation to see what it will bring to South Africa.