After renewing its commitment to infrastructure development through a rigorous five-year master plan, the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) is eyeing a future of “certainty” for the metro.
At the heart of the bold strategy to facilitate wide-scale regeneration of the city is a newly fashioned Mega Project Impact Assessment, encompassing several big-ticket “catalytic” projects.
Launching the first few projects in the new year, the MBDA, working with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and developers, is assuming the role of facilitator and collaborator.
The master plan includes a drive to revive some of the forgotten parts of Gqeberha and work on the developments is expected to be concluded in June 2028.
Due to the size of some of the projects, public-private partnerships will be required.
According to the Mega Project Impact Assessment, ongoing and planned catalytic projects would cost more than R5bn to complete.
“Our economic modelling is based on moving trends and huge funding assumptions,” the MBDA’s new acting CEO, Mpho Mokonyama, said this week.
He said accessing funding for the projects would be a priority.
“Though we are under no illusion regarding timelines, some [projects] will take many years to fulfil.
“But through precinct and project management, we will make an immediate impact.”
“Catalytic” projects, the MBDA’s new board said, were in progress in six precincts across Nelson Mandela Bay.
These were:
- Bayworld and Telkom Park (R3bn);
- Inner city (R1.1bn);
- Mermaids (R934m);
- Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (R17.5m);
- New Brighton (R14.4m); and
- Kariega (R20m).
Other planned projects included the mixed-use redevelopment of The Mill building at a cost of R76m.
Full-scale R78m renovations of the council chambers were also in the pipeline, including refurbishing the mayoral committee office and Selley Hall and developing a multi-story parking area.
The MBDA said it would spend R9m in January as part of the Bayworld redevelopment, which encompasses 13 projects.
A big shake-up took place at the agency in November, with the Nelson Mandela Bay council approving the appointments of five board members and Mokonyama.
Speaking at the Tramways Building in Central on Wednesday, Mokonyama and new board chair Glenda Perumal said the MBDA was gearing up to be more resourceful and to accelerate spending on key upgrades and renewals in urban and peri-urban areas.
Unlike its sole shareholder, the municipality, which failed to spend a 2021/2022 grant allocation of R242m to fix roads and build houses, the agency does not want to be caught napping.
“A project management plan to assist the city tap into strategic grants and spend them is available,” Mokonyama said.
“As an entity of the municipality, we are not in competition. Instead, we complement [each other].
Discussing the economic modelling for the mega projects, Mokonyama said: “It is not about making promises or predictions, but forecasting — looking into the future and taking accountability.
“We want citizens to see and measure our results. That starts with forecasting and then planning accordingly.”
Mokonyama and Perumal reiterated the MBDA’s vision to become a high-performing service delivery agency.
“We thought long and hard about innovating our processes to build resilience, sustainability and multiply our impact,” Perumal said about the agency’s five-year plan.
“The MBDA turns 20 next year, and we know we can’t keep doing things the same as before.
“[So], the strategy focuses on dedicated total precinct management, meaning we will stay longer in some areas and deliver specific services on behalf of the municipality.
“It won’t be easy. We are fixing our own house, but we know how to do this, and the multiple clean audits [we have achieved] are proof of that.”
Since forming in 2003, the MBDA has raked in multiple successive unqualified audits.
Asked why the MBDA believed its new approach would yield better results, Mokonyama said it had learnt hard lessons.
“These areas [among others] would not be what they are today had we, in some way, stayed the course,” he said.
“We are starting to see the results of special rating area initiatives. Waste collection and safety are improving, which we plan to accelerate.
“We must tap into the latest digital technologies, predicting waste production and optimally deploying resources.
“We are excited about the prospects of what is possible.”
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