Mojo's wins nine-year lease for Durban beachfront municipal property
Written on
Durban hospitality business Mojo's Investment CC has secured a nine-year and 11-month lease to run a municipal property at 17 Erskine Terrace on the city's beachfront after a legal challenge to the tender award was withdrawn.
Durban-based hospitality business Mojo's Investment CC has secured a nine-year and 11-month lease to operate a municipal property on the city's beachfront after a legal challenge to the tender award was withdrawn.
The eThekwini Municipality announced on Tuesday that Mojo's had been appointed to operate the property at 17 Erskine Terrace, South Beach, following a competitive bidding process initiated in November 2023.
The award was delayed after an unsuccessful bidder lodged an appeal against the outcome and then launched legal proceedings to challenge the municipality's decision. The city said an independent appeal authority dismissed the appeal and upheld the tender award, and that the unsuccessful bidder subsequently withdrew the judicial review proceedings.
"The Notice of Withdrawal was filed with the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Pietermaritzburg on 1 October 2026," the municipality said in a statement. It added that the withdrawal had cleared the way for Mojo's to take over the premises, although no opening date has been announced.
Mojo's began as a car-wash business in Chesterville 20 years ago and expanded into hospitality and entertainment through its Mojo's Carwash & Shisanyama brand, later opening Mojo's on Davenport in Glenwood, which added a restaurant and entertainment offering.
The municipality said the move will add to the diversity of food, hospitality, entertainment and leisure experiences along the Golden Mile and introduce the Mojo's concept to a broader market of residents and visitors. It said the award forms part of a strategy to attract private investment and revitalise underutilised municipal assets along Durban's beachfront, alongside other projects such as a 50-year lease with Southern Sun for the Elangeni and Maharani hotels and the planned redevelopment of 137 Lower Marine Parade, where construction is expected to begin in January 2027. The city said municipal property allocations must comply with legislation requiring fair, equitable, transparent and competitive bidding, and that it would work with Mojo's to get the beachfront business operational as soon as possible.