Durban businessman and filmmaker Anant Singh has reiterated his commitment to bringing the city its first movie studio, despite challenges that have hindered the progress of this catalyst project for more than 20 years.
After a protracted legal battle over the old Natal Command Defence Force site with another businessman and then the SANDF, Singh eventually acquired the prime North Beach property in 2022. However, the R7.5 billion eThekwini Film City project has faced delays.
He told The Mercury yesterday, “We are still committed to our vision of creating eThekwini Film City, a creative hub in KZN. We need all parties in the City’s various departments to recognise the multitude of opportunities and the potential the development brings, and find solutions to the challenges.”
Singh was commenting after he raised the delays in an engagement with ANC KZN leaders on Tuesday. The ANC leadership vowed to investigate the matter.
Former city officials, aware of the project's value, noted that the Durban Film Studio was envisioned as a catalyst that could attract significant movie projects and spur economic growth.
Singh said the "cost of making our vision a reality has increased exponentially over the two-decade period at over 20% per annum".
Expanding on the benefits of the film studio, he said the economy would benefit from the spending on production, which results in a multiplier of up to seven times - a production with a local budget of R100 million would result in an economic impact of R700 million on the city’s economy.
"It is estimated that during the entire construction phase of 10 to 12 years, the development would generate over 20,000 jobs.”
Singh said the City has not yet installed water and electricity. The City also re-valued the property to R1bn, which Singh said was five times higher than the value when he bought it for R71 million in 2022, meaning he would need to pay higher rates.
He said: “eThekwini indicated a cost of R200 million for an electricity substation, which we would have to bear, resulting in us trying to foot the bill. We have been on this journey for 23 years and remain committed to bringing this development to fruition for the citizens of Durban,” he concluded.
One former city official stated that a lack of proper administrative leadership in the City was contributing to the problem. “A catalytic project is something that itself might not make profit, but it creates many other opportunities, like the Moses Mabhida Stadium, for instance. People come to the stadium and they end up doing other things in Durban.”
He said the attempts to pass off the installation of electricity to Singh were ludicrous as the deed of sale had stipulated that services would be provided up to the boundary of the property.
“Look at the City of Cape Town's film studio; it has brought in hundreds of millions of dollars and is booked out for the next two years.”
Asked about Singh's concerns, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana, said: “Since the allegations relate to a contractual matter regarding the installation of bulk services (water and electricity), legal advice will have to be sought before responding. The municipality can, however, confirm that a dispute regarding the municipal valuation of the property has been lodged by the property owner.
However, as this matter is currently subject to a formal dispute resolution process in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act, the municipality is not in a position to comment further. Importantly, the municipal leadership has an open-door policy and continues to engage various stakeholders, including business leaders, on pertinent matters."