KING Shaka's military kraal of KwaBulawayo in Eshowe, on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, has received a R8-million facelift.

This is part of the eco-tourism development hub that is expected to unlock a number of business and employment opportunities for the province.

King Shaka was one of the Zulu nation's greatest kings.

An upbeat MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Nomusa Dube, said: "We have always insisted that, as provincial government, our aim is to ensure that we stretch economic development across the province, through ensuring that the rural areas become a hive of economic activity, with increased infrastructure.

"This will also help to prevent an influx of rural people into the cities, an incidence that has many negative social issues. Many so-called outlying areas were ignored in the past, and this led to a number of problems," she said.

Dube's department has injected R8-million into the project in line with its mandate of developing various economic lynchpins in the province. The project consists of King Shaka's historic military kraal, which has been refurbished and turned into a tourist attraction, but one that also boasts restaurants and conferencing venues that have a Zulu cultural theme.

In keeping with the province-wide corridor development initiative, the refurbishment of the kraal has brought with it a massive enhancement of road, water and electricity infrastructure to the previously neglected area.

This infrastructure is set to attract big business investment in the form of retailers, among others, which will translate into further job opportunities to complement the tourism aspect of the village.