The Perseverance Cluster, the trailblazer which ignited the geographic clusters movement in the Bay, hosted its first Annual General Meeting at Spar Eastern Cape yesterday.
This Geographic Cluster, which is one of ten operating under the banner of the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber, has led the way in promoting collaboration and action to enable the experimentation and development of solutions to improve the ease of doing business. They became the first to become a formal business association – namely the Perseverance Business Association, and at the end of last year they won the Chamber’s Cluster of the Year Award.
During his presentation, Perseverance Business Association chairperson, Siyolo Dick, highlighted their origins, emphasising how a fire incident at a local substation underscored the necessity for businesses in the area to collaborate and tackle common issues as a unified voice.
The Association was formalised after it was established as a geographic cluster of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber towards the end of 2021. The Chamber currently has 10 geographic clusters in place which are supported by an over-arching Mega Cluster.
The Perseverance Cluster has grown to encompass 21 out of 46 businesses in the area as contributing members who are working together to sustain their businesses and employment in the surrounding communities, including longer term plans to elevate the status of Perseverance as a recognised eco-industrial precent.
Perseverance is a strong economic hub that is strategically located in terms of proximity and access to other key industrial areas in the Bay, including the Coega IDZ, and to transport and logistics linkages. The area was established in the early 1970s and businesses in the area have a collective annual turnover of R16 billion, and employ over 10 000 employees. A diverse range of businesses operate in the area from automotive components manufacturing, food and beverage distribution, engineering, construction and transport and logistics.
Dick said that businesses in the area decided to formalise their collaboration in order to effect positive change as a collective. “It is apt to refer to Perseverance as the trailblazer for the concept of geographic business clusters in the Metro, not only because we were the first but because we were literally born out of fire. The fire at a nearby substation caused severe disruptions to business and manufacturing operations in this area for days, weeks and even months afterwards,” said Dick.
“It was also the catalyst for realising that we needed to work together as business in our area to address shared problems – and that if we collaborated, we could amplify our impact as a united voice.”
Key challenges identified by the cluster include electricity outages, water supply issues, illegal dumping, road maintenance, and safety concerns. In response, the cluster has undertaken various initiatives, such as repairing potholes, securing the electrical substation, clearing illegal dumping sites, and improving water infrastructure.
“Due to many of our businesses being members of the Chamber, we approached them to take on the geographic cluster concept, thereby plugging this into their networks and task teams. This has resulted in the formalisation and strengthening of our cluster into something bigger which is now on a journey to realise a united vision for a better Perseverance,” he said.
As part of accessing provincial and national government support to upgrade infrastructure within the area, the Cluster has hosted engagements and site tours with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Eastern Cape Development Corporation, AIDC-EC and the Municipality. These engagements have laid the groundwork for potential support in declaring the area as an eco-industrial park, opening avenues for infrastructure development and integration into the national industrial system. “I believe we are contributing to creating hope for business and citizens, that the potential of the Bay can be realised if we all act and move together in a positive direction.”
The association also adopted its five year business plan which will guide its next steps and the feasibility of what it aims to achieve in its projected plans. Part of this includes the appointment of a project manager who will lead the activation of its plans.
Dick said: “We’re all here taking action because we believe that the Metro is a Bay of Opportunity, and we know that the only way to move forward is to take action ourselves, rather than sitting around and complaining.”
The Perseverance Cluster’s journey exemplifies the power of collective action and underscores the potential for grassroots initiatives to drive positive change within communities and industries. The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has geographic clusters located in the following areas of the metro: Baakens Valley, Beachfront, Deal Party, Fairview, Kariega, Neave/Korsten, North End, Perseverance, Struandale and Walmer.
