Sugar producer Tongaat Hulett has won acclaim for transforming the landscape north of Durban by creating South Africa’s largest mixed-use integrated human settlement project.
Tongaat Hulett Developments was named Visionary Client of the Year at the annual Consulting Engineers South Africa Aon Engineering Excellence Awards.
Nominated by consulting engineering firm Smec, the award acknowledges organisations that inspire competitors and partners to strive for higher standards of engineering excellence.
Tongaat Hulett’s nomination is notable for its single-minded focus on local social imperatives, which, in this case, was demonstrated in the Cornubia development that lies between Durban and the King Shaka International Airport.
“It is evident that Cornubia has, and will continue to redefine the way development is carried out throughout eThekwini, the province and South Africa,” Smec KwaZulu-Natal regional manager Kresen Manucim says.
A joint venture between the eThekwini metropolitan municipality and Tongaat Hulett, Cornubia embodies the partners’ commitment to responsible development in a manner that addresses both economic and social needs in equal parts.
Once completed, Cornubia is expected to comprise industrial and commercial facilities integrated with around 25 000 homes accommodating up to 120 000 people in dwellings ranging from high-density, multistorey buildings to freestanding homes.
The addition of these units will reduce the housing backlog within the greater eThekwini region.