mayoral committee | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Two weeks ago Cape Town Executive Deputy Mayor Ian Nielson, and mayoral committee member for Finance, had a lengthy opinion piece published in the Cape Argus entitled ‘Maintaining a city to be proud of’, and sub-titled ‘Cape Town’s annual report reflects a commitment to making a great city even greater‘. Not once in the half page broadsheet page does the word ‘Tourism’ appear, demonstrating that the city is paying lip-service to its supposed support of job creation via tourism development in Cape Town, and by its omission communicates that Tourism is not seen to make Cape Town a greater city.

Nielson was writing to ‘brag’ about his City’s 2010/2011 Annual Report, and its unqualified audit from the Auditor-General, the eighth in a row, and the City’s maintained credit rating. He also writes: “The city’s annual report for the 2010/2011 financial year demonstrates a commitment to making this great city even greater”, and the city is focused on good governance, eliminating corruption, and in creating just more than 13000 jobs in an Expanded Public Works Programme in the financial year. Its budget was R23 billion in the financial year.

Nielson focuses on achievements in a number of key areas, reflecting the portfolios of the Mayoral Committee members in the main. In respect of Sustainable urban infrastructure and services more than half a million sewerage, electricity, and water connections were supplied to domestic consumers; electricity consumption was reduced by 10% in the past three years, and hence the number of power outages declined in that period. The MyCiTi public transport system was the first step in the provision of a ‘public transport system that works and is inexpensive, safe, efficient and environmentally friendly‘, he wrote. In respect of Housing, more than 7000 ‘housing opportunities’ were provided, 3000 parks were maintained, (including the fantastic Green Point Urban Park), and funded the operation of 66 city libraries. In respect of Safety and Security, accidents at ‘high frequency locations’ reduced by 28%, drug-related arrests increased by almost 50%, 2000 taxis were impounded, close to 2 million traffic fines were issued, accidents in ‘hot spots’ were reduced by 28%, and arrests for driving under the influence increased markedly. In respect of Health, Social and Community Development, the city managed to curtail the number of days on which air pollution exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines to 55, reduced the rate of increase in TB and antenatal HIV, and installed a free-call telephone service to the municipality to report municipal issues. In respect of Energy, the MyCiTi bus service is aimed at reducing the number of cars coming into the city, and an educational campaign to raise awareness of carbon dioxide, and how carbon emissions can be off-set, was launched. In respect of Economic Development Nielson praises the not previously heard of ‘Cape Town Activa’ ‘ecosystem’ of promoting entrepreneurship in the city. He also highlighted the vast expansion which the Cape Town International Convention Centre will undergo, and for which funding was raised in the financial year under review.

Given the dominance of Tourism as a source of employment of and generator of income for the citizens and businesses of Cape Town, it is interesting to note that Nielson does not mention the Tourism, Events, and Marketing portfolio in his report at all, possibly as there are not any successes to show as far as Tourism, Marketing and Events go in Cape Town. Cape Town Tourism and the Cape Town Stadium, the two most visible projects in this portfolio, are not mentioned at all. Cape Town Tourism swallows R40 million of the City Council coffers per year, with little evidence of a good return on this expenditure, while the Cape Town Stadium is losing money and is being funded by ratepayers, as the City has not yet been able to find a paying solution for the ‘white elephant’! Just ten days ago the Weekend Argus reported that the City of Cape Town is being sued by architects, engineers, landscapers and other professionals, who were involved in the design and construction of the Cape Town Stadium, and are still owed money.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage

There is regular talk of a Grand Prix coming to Cape Town. The latest bid, one of three, proposes a Monaco-style street Grand Prix in September 2013, to be held in Sea Point, Green Point and Mouille Point, reports the Cape Argus.

The Cape Town Grand Prix Bid Company (Pty) Limited was invited by Formula One’s Ernie Ecclestone to present a proposal before the beginning of the new Formula One season in March. A 5,3 km route is proposed, which will have Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop, with magnificent benefits for tourism, given the TV coverage that the event would attract. The route includes the Cape Town Stadium, which is proposed as the start and end to the Grand Prix route.

The Bid Company’s Chief Communication Officer, Esther Henderson, said of the bid: “Green Point is ideal for a street circuit like the one in Monaco because we have so many beautiful sights in the area. So while Monaco is the “French Riviera” we can have the “African Riviera” in Cape Town”.

Western Cape Minister of Tourism Alan Winde said he had not yet been approached by the Bid Company to endorse the proposed Grand Prix, but said :”…..generally, I think this is something we could put within the strategy of attracting major events. We would support that as a city and a province, absolutely. A Grand Prix would profile the city very well”. If the streets in the area were to be used (at a cost of R100 million to adjust them according to the international rules), instead of building a costly new track (at R4 billion), it would inconvenience locals, as the Argus Cycle Tour does, but the race would be good for the city, Winde added. A Grand Prix race usually spans a period of Thursday – Sunday, with practices and qualifying phases, and the actual race on the Sunday.

Last year Ecclestone told the BBC: “(Africa) is another continent where we should be. Hopefully, now people will think what the World Cup has done for Africa would be good for Formula One. It would be nice to think we had then more or less covered the world”

The last time South Africa hosted a Grand Prix event was in 1993 at Kyalami in Johannesburg.

POSTSCRIPT 1/2: The People’s Post reports today that the Grand Prix bid is “pie-in-the-sky”, as the ratepayers’ associations of Mouille Point and Sea Point have ‘slated’ the proposal, but have stated that they cannot comment until they have seen more concrete plans. However, the City of Cape Town’s Executive Director for Economic Social Development and Tourism, Mansoor Mohamed, disagrees, says the report, and he visited China in November to study their Grand Prix circuits. He has presented the proposals from the Cape Town Grand Prix Bid Company and the South African Grand Prix Corporation to the mayoral committee, and has been given the go-ahead to commence with an economic impact assessment and event viability study. The two companies will present their bids to F1’s Bernie Eccelstone later this year. The bid by the South African Grand Prix Corporation proposes a newly built race track on the West Coast.

Last week it was reported that Cape Town Tourism CEO Mariette du Toit-Helmbold had spoken out about the Grand Prix bid, fearing for the environmental impact of the event. One wonders what pipe Mrs Helmbold was smoking in making such a comment, given that her organisation assisted the Cape Town Grand Prix Bid Company with its choice of month to host the event, and that the event would be a valuable tourism catalyst in such a quiet month (September).

POSTSCRIPT 7/7: The Formula One head Bernie Ecclestone has been quoted as saying that Cape Town could host a Grand Prix within two years, the Cape Argus reported yesterday. Of the three Cape Town Formula One bids, the Monaco-style one going through Green Point appears to be the favoured one. The Formula One was last held in South Africa almost twenty years ago.

POSTSCRIPT 9/7: Cape Town Stadium may be incorporated in the Cape Town Formula One course if Grand Prix SA’s bid is accepted, reports the Cape Argus. Cars would be driving in and out of the Stadium via the street-level gates, and it would allow up to 60000 motor racing fans to sit in the stadium, to enjoy the action. The grass would have to be lifted, and the area would have to be tarred, the pitch returned after the three-day event. The cost of adapting Cape Town’s current roads for the race is estimated at R670 million, compared to R 4 billion to build a brand new track. Two further bids have been prepared for the race – one near the airport, and another on the West Coast. Grand Prix SA is quoted as saying: “I’ve said that Cape Town is a very sexy location, it’s a gateway location… for broadcast. No matter where you position a camera, you will capture the city’s landmarks, marketing Cape Town”. City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee member for Tourism, Grant Pascoe, said that the Grand Prix supports the city’s bid to ‘establish Cape Town as the events capital‘ of South Africa. He qualified his support, by saying that the City and the province had not yet received an official proposal to host the event. The financial benefit for the city is vast, and the City’s Mayoral Committee member for Finance, Ian Neilson, has estimated the value at R770 million in tourism value, based on Singapore Grand Prix figures.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage