Final ride for Durban's 'Disney' as lease woes force its closure

Purple elephants will stop soaring through the sky, Mother Goose will stand grand for the last time, the swing boat will draw its final piercing screams and the red cable cars will cease forever when the owner of Durban Funworld strips the beachfront attraction bare.

Auctioneer Dale Brothers will conduct an online auction of the rides and other assets belonging to the 80-year-old amusement park from April 20 ahead of its closure on May 1.

Operating month-to-month since its municipal lease expired in 2017 has made the situation untenable, says Durban Funworld owner Nic Steyn.

He has been trying to sell the rides and other assets to a suitable operator for the past 12 years.

Steyn said he had received offers to purchase the entity as a going concern.

“But they have all hit the same stumbling block of not being able to secure a lease for the premises from its landlord, the eThekwini municipality.

“Before the expiry of the lease, in July 2016 the municipality issued a letter stating that they would extend it for a further eight years, for a committed buyer at the time who had funding in place. However, after the municipal elections in August 2016, this was not honoured. The buyer and his funders had no option but to abandon the purchase.

“In December 2020 the municipality passed a full council resolution to purchase all the amusement rides and attractions to add to Ushaka Marine’s entertainment offering.”

Steyn said the resolution, “despite what the municipality claims, is purely for the purchase of the assets. However, I am led to believe that Ushaka did not want to take on the responsibility of running and operating Durban Funworld.

“I have offered to continue to operate Durban Funworld should the municipality wish to purchase all the assets and then put the premises and assets out on tender as a going concern, to find a suitable operator.

“That offer, as well as my letter of notice to the municipality dated February 27, has been met with a deafening silence.”

The resolution passed by the city in 2020 granted approval for nearby Ushaka Marine World to acquire the rides and to support the attraction with a “growth strategy to enhance the overall beach experience, at an estimated cost of R40m, which costs will include equipment refurbishment; cosmetic upgrades and rebranding".

While the ANC supported the acquisition, the DA at the time felt “the continuing financial dependency of Ushaka Marine World on the municipality” was concerning, as were the declining footfalls.

“It was considered necessary to enlist the service of private sector to run this facility,” the council document stated.

Steyn said he has no choice “but to unfortunately add to the Durban beachfront degradation”.

Steyn said while the family-run business “is not Disneyland,” it has long been part of the city's identity.

“It’ll be a sad day for Durban and especially the beachfront when I strip Durban Funworld bare. This could so easily be saved by the municipality,” said Steyn.

In 1977 the amusement park was the first public entity to open its doors to all races.

In response to Sunday Times questions about the tender process and what a proposed upgrade would look like, the municipality said these were “premature”.

“The city will communicate any other developments in due course.”

In a media statement, the city said Steyn's notice to cancel the lease “comes when eThekwini was already working on big plans for future use of the site”.

“One of the many options the city explored was to make the theme park part of Ushaka Marine World. However, this fell through because the current operator was not willing to provide the financial information that would have enabled Ushaka to make an informed decision.

“The city is working on a tender to attract developers to upgrade the site in line with the zoning of the beachfront. The entire precinct’s look is to be upgraded to meet world-class standards of modern theme parks.

“The property will be going out to tender this year to invite proposals for redevelopment.”