Eastern Cape Business 2017 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
Valley in the southwest has enormous deciduous
fruit orchards, the Alexandria and Grahamstown area
produces pineapples, chicory and dairy products. It
is the leading livestock province in terms of numbers
and supplies a quarter of South Africa’s milk.
Tourism is a major growth industry with a growing
number of national and international events taking
place in the province. Events such as the Ironman
World Championship, to be held in Port Elizabeth in
2018, make a big economic impact.
The Addo Elephant National Park is the largest of
the province’s four national parks and there are more
than a dozen provincial parks and a large number of
upmarket private game farms, lodges and reserves.
The province’s beaches and waves are very popular,
with adventure tourism attracting tourists wanting
to go on 4x4 trails, jump off bridges or fly micro-light
aircraft. The National Arts Festival, held annually in
Grahamstown, attracts huge crowds for 11 days, even
in the midst of winter.
PE plans
The big new retail development in Port Elizabeth’s
western suburbs has spurred a R300-million upgrade
at Greenacres, the city’s first big mall development
which attracted shoppers away from the
central business district (CBD) in 1981. Even the CBD
itself has received an overhaul. The old Main Street,
renamed Govan Mbeki Avenue, was turned by the
Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) into a
useful and pedestrian-friendly precinct.
The MBDA is also behind the most recent change
to the city’s landscape. There has been a total transformation
of the Old Tramway building at the entrance
to the Baakens Valley, near the yacht basin of
the Port of Port Elizabeth. The MBDA has not only
moved into new offices in the renovated building,
but is letting it out as an events venue. Other retail
property developments have happened in the valley
(including a popular brewery), drawing attention
to the potential of Port Elizabeth’s green lung to be
even more useful in future.
A scheme to restructure the yacht basin in the
harbour has been on the books for some time. A
key blockage is the location of manganese storage
dumps on the edge of King’s Beach. When those are
moved to the Port of Ngqura, as is planned, then the
marina development can go ahead. A cruise liner
terminal could also form part of this development.
The Baakens River Valley is one of Port Elizabeth’s
hidden gems and the MBDA has commissioned
studies on how the valley might best be utilised for
leisure and new housing without compromising its
unique natural features.
Alfred Nzo District Municipality
Towns: Matatiele, Mount Frere, Mount Ayliff
The smallest district is located in the mountainous
north-east, with hiking trails for tourists. There is
tremendous scope for expansion of tourist activities,
and a transfrontier park between South Africa
and Lesotho could boost the area’s economy.
Subsistence agriculture and forestry are the major
economic activities.
Amathole District Municipality
Towns: Cathcart, Stutterheim, Morgan’s Bay,
Willowvale, Butterworth, Mazeppa Bay, Alice,
Bedford
The rural Amathole District surrounds the metropolitan
area of Buffalo City. Pineapple and forestry
are two of the most important agricultural activities.
Popular resorts on the Wild Coast attract many
tourists to the area. Hogsback and other towns near
the Amatole Mountains offer beautiful scenery and
popular beaches. The main campus of the University
of Fort Hare is located at Alice.
Sarah Baartman District Municipality
Towns: Graaff-Reinet, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay,
Grahamstown
The western part of the province contains the biggest
municipality and is one of the biggest contributors to
provincial GDP. Large commercial farms in the Karoo
produce high-quality meat, wool and mohair, while
the coastal belt has dairy farming and some forestry.
The Kouga Valley is a big deciduous fruit producer,
while the Kirkwood/Addo area is known for its citrus.
Sarah Baartman has three of the region’s national
parks and several private game farms. Grahamstown
hosts the National Arts Festival, Rhodes University
and a number of fine schools.
EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2017
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