The Beachfront Cluster has become the seventh geographical cluster to be established under the banner of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber to facilitate a more efficient and collaborative approach between businesses in the area to tackle key issues which affect the operations of their businesses.
At the inaugural launch of the Beachfront Cluster this week, an interim MANCO was established to enable the businesses to begin the process of identifying key priorities and developing action plans to respond to these together with the existing structures in the area such as the neighbourhood watch.
The interim committee structure consists of Mike Neubert as chairperson, Tati Tsunke as vice chairperson, Lee-Anne Vasi and Glenn Pappin as additional members.
Commenting on the establishment of the new cluster, Neubert said: “The beachfront is a valuable asset for the citizens and tourist dependant businesses of Nelson Mandela Bay and we need to keep it safe and clean for all to enjoy. The cluster’s strategic intent is to grow beachfront tourism for the city through collaboration with beachfront and multiple stakeholders.”
Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said the coming together of the businesses in the area to work towards a shared goal provided a strong basis through which they can collectively address some of the challenges they are faced with.
“We are placing a strong emphasis on the mobilisation and collaboration of role players to positively influence the trajectory of our local economy. It is not about finger pointing and worrying about who is to blame, but rather it is about adopting a mindset of finding and implementing constructive solutions which will make a difference,” she emphasises.
“Ultimately our aim is to utilise our joint resources and expertise to retain much needed investment and jobs in our metro. Nelson Mandela Bay has so much potential and particularly in terms of our beachfront area with its spectacular beaches which are among the best in the world. We should not allow valuable natural assets such as these to deteriorate and thus need to all work together to ensure that the environment is safe and clean. This in turn will help to attract local and international visitors who spend money at hotels, restaurants, shops and participating in leisure activities.”
The clustering approach is an initiative of the Chamber, which over the last year has facilitated the establishment of various sectoral and geographical clusters geared towards representing the needs and interests of business, with the primary focus of retaining much-needed investment and jobs in the Bay.
Over the past year, the Chamber has facilitated the establishment of the Deal Party, North End, Perseverance, Struandale, Neave/Korsten and Kariega clusters, which have successfully developed action-orientated strategies to effectively respond to challenges they are faced with such as safety and security, illegal dumping, cleanliness, vandalism and lack of municipal infrastructure maintenance.
Earlier this year, the Chamber and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality signed a memorandum of understanding which has paved the way for businesses to partner with the metro to implement solutions in response to the multiple challenges in the operating environment. The geographical clusters, with their collective resources, are well positioned to drive action and to achieve positive impact, which has a knock-on benefit in their immediate surrounding areas.