South African Business is an annual guide to business and investment in South Africa. Published by Global Africa Network Media in Cape Town, the 2016 edition is in its fourth year of publication.
The publication provides up-to-date information and analyses of the country's key economic sectors, as well as detailed economic overviews of each of the nine provinces in South Africa.
INTERVIEW Buffalo City
INTERVIEW Buffalo City on the rise Buffalo City municipality is comprised of two diverse munici palities—East London and King William’s Town— that merged into a powerful innovation and economic hub. operations that build on the city’s proximity to agricultural pertise and produce a wide range of dairy and other food sses that tap into the gateway potential of the ELIDZ and its al logistics networks located within and around its borders TRATEGY IS PREMISED ON AREAS SION IS IN FULL AGREEMENT. Alfred Mtsi so that we maximise the base our manufacturing and agricultural ll benefit of their presence ens participate to the best of ing their lives, their eir social space ensure that we provide ective services to our citizens ial of the city as a tourist teway to other parts of the tional institutions located sly develop our skills base O.GOV.ZA BUFFALO CITY METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY BIOGRAPHY Alfred Mtsi is the Executive Mayor of Buffalo City Municipality. He has been a member of the Eastern Cape Legislature since May 2014 and has served at various structures of the African National Congress (ANC) and its tripartite alliance partners. Born in Ncerha Village near East London, he is a former Provincial Secretary for Cosatu. What does the future hold for Buffalo City? There is signifi cant potential for economic growth over the next 15 years and we are actively seeking national and international investment and partnerships. The City has numerous core strengths and competitive advantages, including a large labour force and an abundance of natural resources. Much of the city’s wealth of resources is either undeveloped or under-developed, including arable land, water, hydrocarbons and our coastline. What are Buffalo City’s key attractions economically? We have a young population and a large pool of low, medium as well as highly skilled workseekers. Buffalo City is set to become a key benefi ciary of the Eastern Cape Job Strategy, which has set out to create an estimated 150 000 jobs over the next three years. What opportunities exist in the automotive sector? The Automotive Supplier Park (ASP) is up and running at the East London IDZ, offering attractive opportunities to component manufacturers, particularly those that supply the nearby Mercedes-Benz South Africa operation. There are numerous opportunities for investment into new component manufacture, automotive tooling, parts and components in the automotive component cluster. What support is there for local business? The city has consistent engagement with the Border Kei Chamber and has developed a number of strategies to support and drive SMMEs, including a Cooperative Development Strategy and an SMME Strategy. All these strategies have action plans that identify key activities in terms of projects and programmes that need to be implemented. The municipality provides Financial Support for SMMEs who require capital for expansion, particularly in the Agricultural and Manufacturing SMME sector. What is being done to promote women in business? The municipality supports initiatives such as the women-owned Agricultural Cooperatives (benefi ciaries of the Mdantsane Tunnels), while the Cooperative Development Fund has assisted in the acquisition of equipment for the BCMM’s Women Cooperative. SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESS 2016 160
BUFFALO CITY METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY VISION 2030 BUFFALO CITY IS CENTRALLY SITUATED IN SOUTH AFRICA’S EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE AND IS BOUNDED TO THE SOUTH-EAST BY A LONG INDIAN OCEAN COASTLINE. IT IS THE KEY URBAN CENTRE OF THE EASTERN PART OF THE EASTERN CAPE AND CONSISTS OF A CORRIDOR OF URBAN AREAS, STRETCHING FROM THE PORT CITY OF EAST LONDON IN THE EAST THROUGH MDANTSANE TO DIMBAZA IN THE WEST. EAST LONDON IS THE PRIMARY NODE AND THE KING WILLIAM’S TOWN AREA IS THE SECONDARY NODE. THIS REGION ALSO CONTAINS A WIDE BAND OF RURAL AREAS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR. BCMM Executive Mayor Cllr Alfred Mtsi Buffalo City consistently works towards meeting the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) and Provincial Development Plan (PDP) and their Vision 2030 via an anchor project strategy. We are supported in our actions by national and provincial government development initiatives. WE BASE MEETING VISION 2030 ON AN ANCHOR PROJECT STRATEGY THAT SUPPORTS: • Industrial parks • Educational institutions • Manufacturing enterprises • Logistics hubs and gateway systems • Tourism As a city with many public and private schools as well as Further Education and Training colleges and two reputable universities, we are poised to build the skills required to face the future. Our graduates are much sought after for their academic excellence and sporting prowess Fort Hare University - where Nelson Mandela and other struggle icons started their tertiary education - and Walter Sisulu University have well-respected track record in science, fine arts and technology training. The East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), which is partially owned by the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality has a wide range of innovative and new generation projects underway. We will work with the ELIDZ to promote and support economic development projects and programmes in the Metro. The ELIDZ has embarked on a range of initiatives that are firmly within the ethos of Vision 2030, including: • An organic vegetable farm that has been operational for three years • A science and technology park that encourages and supports the development of young talent as well as nurturing of start-up businesses • A variety of ocean economy businesses that tap into the potential for fish farming (abalone, cob, etc.) • A series of processing operations that build on the city’s proximity to agricultural land and substantial expertise and produce a wide range of dairy and other food products • A set of logistics businesses that tap into the gateway potential of the ELIDZ and its proximity to multi-modal logistics networks located within and around its borders OUR ANCHOR PROJECT STRATEGY IS PREMISED ON AREAS WHERE THE NDP 2030 VISION IS IN FULL AGREEMENT. THESE ARE: • To build our city region so that we maximise the returns from the asset base • To build and improve on our manufacturing base in the auto textile and agricultural sectors to realise the full benefit of their presence • To ensure that our citizens participate to the best of their abilities in improving their lives, their neighbourhoods and their social space • As local government, to ensure that we provide full proper and cost-effective services to our citizens • To maximise the potential of the city as a tourist destination and as a gateway to other parts of the province and country • To work with the educational institutions located in the city to continuously develop our skills base WWW.BUFFALOCITYMETRO.GOV.ZA BUFFALO CITY METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
