Infrastructure giants join forces to create jobs, showcase Nelson Mandela Bay

BREAKING down the silos to develop a port city of the future in Nelson Mandela Bay. A memorandum of understanding between the municipality, Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), Coega Development Corporation (CDC) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) to do just that was signed yesterday.

Port Elizabeth Harbour port manager Rajesh Dana described the strategic partnership between the infrastructure giants in Nelson Mandela Bay as historic.

He said the agreement, a timeless document, would involve all parties collaboratively contributing to the city's integrated spatial planning.

"We can now speak with one voice with the purpose of showcasing the Bay. It is time that the Bay takes up its rightful place in the economy of South Africa," Dana said.

In the short term this involves the merging of ideas between the MBDA's Baakens River Precinct plans to develop the lower Baakens River Valley, and the TNPA's marina development plans for the PE Harbour.

Dana said the agreement, which was signed at The Boardwalk Convention Centre yesterday between representatives from the different entities, also involved the collective exploration of opportunities for new business development.

TNPA chief executive Tau Morwe said the synergy between the different entities was important and that they should no longer develop in different directions, as in the past, but for the joint purpose of creating jobs.

"We will sit down and engage with the city about development and come up with solutions for job creation. Next year we will come back to look at how the projects merged," Morwe said.

MBDA's Pierre Voges said many years of hard work had gone into yesterday's landmark understanding reached between the government entities which previously often had disjointed planning about the city.

CDC business development executive manager Christopher Mashigo said it was very important for the different spheres of government to work together in pursuit of "scoring the same goal". He said economic development in the Bay could spill over to the rest of the province.

Meanwhile, another memorandum of understanding was signed between TNPA and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) yesterday involving the donation of R200 000 a year over a period of four years from TNPA for the university to study the environmental impact of maritime operations on the marine environment.

One of the study projects includes the impact shipping noises have on the communication between whales, particularly cows and calves, in Algoa Bay. - Cindy Preller