The Cato Ridge Development Company (CRDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Assmang Limited, plans to rezone and subdivide its own and Assmang-owned land north of the N3 highway in Cato Ridge over the next 25 years in three phases. The development’s phasing is dependent on the provision of bulk services infrastructure in the Cato Ridge area.

A Water Use License Application process has been completed for the proposed Cato Ridge land development and release project on CRDC landholdings in Cato Ridge, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. The Cato Ridge area is intended to become the next industrial complex and logistic node for the eThekwini region to meet the growing demand for industrial land and provide logistics support to the Port of Durban.

The proposed development will include the following key components:

Industrial sites (leased or sold) – The land will be used for light industry, warehousing, and logistics, with the exact final uses and designs to be determined once end-users are known and subject to sale or lease agreements.
Applicant’s operations area and offices – including supporting infrastructure such as offices, ablution facilities, parking lots, paved areas, access roads, storage areas, and access-controlled areas (as per end-user requirements).
Road network – An internal precinct road network will be constructed to service the sites. Roads will have requisite traffic controls, signage and markings.
Power supply – Electrical substations and power lines (x2) will be installed subject to agreement with Eskom, and a roadside electrical network will provide power to individual sites.
Bulk sewerage – A sewer pump station, collection sump, roadside sewer pipeline network, and a 2ML/d modular wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) will be installed.
Bulk stormwater – A stormwater system will be constructed, including roadside drains, diversions, attenuation ponds, and discharge points.
Bulk water – Roadside water supply pipelines and a 500kℓ elevated storage tank will be installed and connected with the regional water supply system.

The proposed activities triggered with respect to the National Water Act (Act No 36 of 1998) is as follows:

• Section 21 (c): Impeding or diverting the flow of water in a watercourse.
• Section 21 (f): Discharging waste or water containing waste into a water resource through a pipe, canal, sewer, sea outfall or conduit.
• Section 21 (g): Discharging waste or water that may have a detrimental impact on a water resource.
• Section 21 (i): Altering the bed, banks, courses, or characteristics of a watercourse.

Zutari (Pty) Ltd was appointed as the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP). The application for a Water Use License will be submitted to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Water and Sanitation. The Draft Integrated Water and Waste Management plan (IWWMP) and WULA Summary Report is to subjected to public review and comment ending 20 October 2023.