The Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Cllr. Zanoxolo Wayile, praised the sterling work done by the Mandela Bay Development Agency in changing the look and feel of the Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage Central Business Districts (CBD) in the Bay.
“The success of the MBDA confirms the strategic correctness of the decision the municipality took to create an implementation agency to focus on improving the look and feel as well as economic activity of the city. We must acknowledge in particular the visionary leadership of former mayors, Nceba Faku who initiated the project and Nondumiso Mapazi, who ensured continued support for the agency,” said Mayor Wayile.
To date, through funding from the municipality mostly, the Industrial Development Corporation and the National Lottery Fund, the agency has invested over R250 million in municipal infrastructure in the CBD’s of Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage.
“By giving the urban areas of the City a “face lift” and maintaining these nodes through cleansing and security, the MBDA has created opportunities for investors to invest into the city and boost the regional economy,” said Mayor Wayile.
The Mayor was speaking yesterday during the media launch of a Lifestyle Conference that will be hosted by the MBDA from Friday, 23 to Sunday 25 September 2011. The inaugural MBDA Lifestyle Conference will be used among other things to highlight the successes of the inner city rejuvenation project that has been implemented through the agency and the current and future development projects for Nelson Mandela Bay.
The R40 million creative arts project dubbed Route 67 will be launched during the conference on Heritage Day. It includes 67 pieces of artwork mainly by emerging local artists from the Campanile, up Jetty Street across Vuyisile Mini Square, through St Mary’s Terrace to the Donkin Reserve.
Route 67 will feature 67 places where the artwork will be featured and where there will be newspaper headlines showing what was happening in South Africa and the world during each of the years tata Mandela was in public life with a quote from the international icon. It is in these places that tourists/visitors can pause and reflect on the life of the international struggle icon. There will also be a special board for “graffiti” that will allow people to record their impressions or recollections.
The conference that will be attended by journalists from across the country, representatives from the construction and property development industry, and political and business leaders in the Bay, is expected to attract much needed businesses and investments into the CBD, the townships, the North End precinct and the Telkom Park Land area.
It will be directed by MBDA Board Chairman, Saki Macozoma whilst Achmat Dangor of the Nelson Mandela Foundation will address the conference on the role played by Arts, Crafts Culture as an economically viable sector.
According to the chief executive officer of the MBDA, Pierre Voges, the agency has secured other speakers such as Professor Nick Binedell, Transnet CEO – Brian Molefe, and Donne Putter of the Green Building Council of South Africa. The three will speak on the role of cities in making regions grow, the role of Transnet in city development with a special focus on Nelson Mandela Bay, and Tourism rreening: reduction of our carbon footprint, respectively.
“All of these topics will assist the city in our development and will open our minds as we explore Local Economic Development opportunities in Nelson Mandela Bay,” said Voges.
Editors Notes:
So, what does this all mean for the city?
Simply this – slowly we have gained an iconic set of installations that will go a long way towards putting us on the tourist maps as a must see destination. The artworks are not ‘forgettable’ but each one is iconic in it’s own right – together they make a statement that satisfies the curious, along with creating an experience that will be indelibly stamped in the minds of visitors to the Friendly City.
Iconic moments make for return ‘viral’ tourism – the images above are some that visitors to PE will be proud to display.
