Hollywoodbets Durban July set to boost metro’s economy

The Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday is expected to give the metro’s economy a R130 million boost.

Organizers say 48,000 people are expected to attend.

eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, says in a statement that patrons are expected to spend R65 million at Greyville racecourse, while the event will be creating 1,500 jobs.

Kaunda says about a hundred metro police officers will be deployed around the racecourse where a number of roads around Greyville will be closed.

Kaunda says metro police will ensure that the Durban July is incident-free. This, as a meme, is doing the rounds on social media, claiming that the event is so-called cancelled due to poor governance of the city and poor service delivery, demanding the municipality to be held accountable.

Kaunda says, “The municipality respects people’s right to express themselves, but has added that lawlessness will not be tolerated. He says intersections will be manned around Greyville to manage traffic flow and to react to any suspicious movement. Kaunda says the social media posting is a desperate attempt to cash in on the exposure the premier event receives.”