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Speech by the Executive Mayor, Dr Danny Jordaan, on the occasion of the signing of the memorandum of understanding of Bayworld – 1 July 2016

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Programme Director, MEC of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Pemmy Majodina, Vice Chancellor of Nelson Mandela University, Professor Derrick Swartz, Mandela Bay Development Agency CEO, Dr Pierre Voges, Fellow councillors, Members of the media, Ladies and gentleman;

I am delighted and honoured to be here with you on this occasion to sign the Memorandum of Understanding of the handover of Bayworld by the EC Provincial Government as represented by the MEC Pemmy Majodina of the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is a major milestone in our endeavour to create jobs and grow the economy of our metro.

The Bayworld is one of the iconic tourism experiences in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and the MOU signed here today will provide us with a committed approach to working more closely together with the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, in our pursuit to create jobs. Each side will create significant opportunities on one end the Metro will take over the management and development of oceanarium while the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture will continue to manage the museum.

Today marks the unleashing of the potential of the Five Golden Years 2016-2022 and this ceremony of the handover of the Bayworld will undoubtedly amplify our coastal and marine tourism. The extraordinary beauty, cultural wealth and great diversity of the metro’s pristine coastline make it a preferred destination for many holidaymakers across the globe.

On offer is a wide range of facilities and activities for those who seek recreation for mind and body and the Bayworld will rise to the occasion and offer a memorable experience. The key driver of the Five Golden Years is job creation and the socio-economic transformation of our metro.

I stand before you today to remind all and sundry, that you cannot argue against progress and service delivery. No one can argue that the Bayworld is designed to be a major source of growth and jobs, especially for the young. With the handover of the Bayworld we have our work cut out, the task that lies ahead is to exploit the potential sustainability in order to offer attractive jobs to our people.

We started our journey by capturing economic benefits generated by cruise tourism. The metro facilitated stops for cruise liner tourism – enabling passengers from around the globe to disembark and discover the destination’s attractions. And now we have yet another attraction in store for them – Bayworld. I would like to thank all for the ongoing dialogue between cruise operators, ports and coastal tourism stakeholders which will deliver more jobs for our people and spur economic growth.

The metro has earned a new adorable title as the Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World. The estimated population of the bay is close to 30 000 dolphins. This number surpasses other areas around the world and we are proud of this status.

We have demonstrated in the past year that we mean business. We have proved to the citizens that we can be trusted with the task of delivering jobs, growing our investment portfolio and accelerating service delivery. It is for this reason that we say with chest beating bravado that you cannot argue against progress.

Some of our highlights include:

  • We have raked in R20bn in our investment portfolio.
  • 100% of households in the city have access to water and we will deploy five plumbers per ward to arrest the issue of water leaks
  • The Metro Police has been launched and already have low key success in combating crime and enforcing by-laws.
  • 4 000 serviced sites have been built thus far this year, and 3000 houses
  • 24 km of gravel roads have been black-top surfaced, with storm water channels
  • 2 215 homes have received electricity connections
  • The Nooitgedacht low-level water supply scheme has been heavily funded and phase two is nearing completion
  • Fishwater Flats Waste Treatment plant is being massively extended.
  • The imminent desalination plant is underway
  • Weekly waste collection is now beginning all over the Metro
  • The “Love where you live” campaign is yielding results.
  • The Take Back Your City campaign has signs of progress and on Saturday we will host another massive drive to raise awareness on crime.
  • The waste management plans has been augmented with a number of new vehicles
  • A new traffic management system has been implemented, resulting in a great improvement in the collection of fines
  • 3 modular libraries have been handed over to Kuiga, Colchester and Zwide communities
  • Landfill sites have been rehabilitated, and the Kragga Kamma Waste Drop-off centre reopened after renovations.
  • Over R50 million has been spent on control measures for storm water
  • All high-mast lights now have energy efficient (and much brighter) LED fittings
  • Universal wi-fi availability is underway.
  • The Tramways building has been extensively remodelled by the MBDA, and plan for the redevelopment of the Port Elizabeth Harbour and its neighbouring Kings Beach, the old CBD and the Baakens Valley has been finalised.
  • 40 sports facilities are being upgraded, with 2 hard-surfaces being installed
  • Heritage sights are being repaired and enhanced
  • The municipal old age homes, primarily run by private sector operators, are being taken back by the Metro to improve living conditions for our honoured elderly citizens
  • Various public works programmes have created nearly 7 000 job opportunities
  • Much investment has been facilitated, with the recent announcement that a fourth motor-assembler is to establish itself in the Metro being the biggest of many existing investments.

Now we tick another important box in the form of the Bayworld. Work will begin in earnest to do technical assessment, business plan and renovations and finally open the doors of the Bayworld. I would like to plead with all to be patient as we ensure that this work is completed.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone whose dedication and efforts have contributed to the finalisation of this MOU. I would like to single-out the MEC Pemmy Majodina for showing political will and leadership during the negotiation phase. It would be remiss not to thank the Nelson Mandela University and the Mandela Bay Development Agency, who are faced with the arduous task of ensuring that the Bayworld is sustainable and economically viable.

Finally, I would like to say that I am confident that through our efforts and commitment to the Five Golden Years, we will be able to achieve more in terms of job creation and continue to develop even stronger relationships with our stakeholders. The metro will do whatever it takes to provide a fruitful and successful implementation of this MOU.

I thank you.

D. A. Jordaan
Executive Mayor

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