By Nangamso Mabindla

The East London City Hall will be the setting of the Institute for Local Government of South Africa (ILGM) Conference in June this year, with international guests from as far a field as Europe attending this prestigious event.

In a meeting to establish the city's readiness to host the event, Buffalo City Director of Corporate Services Amanda Magwentshu said: "We are happy to inform the delegates that our preparations for the conference are well and truly under way."

The municipality was going to make sure the conference was a success, Ms Magwentshu said. "We would like delegates to leave East London satisfied with what we had to offer them. The delegates are going to be treated to some of the best facilities the city had to offer. The venue itself has undergone a facelift with a brand-new roof erected last month."

However, Ms Magwentshu said the City Hall was renovated to keep the city's most prized building in good condition as the citizens used it for various activities. "Our citizens need to be proud of their City Hall that is why we always make sure it's in good condition. That is also why we could easily select it as the venue for the conference."

ILGM President Kenny Leluma said he was happy with what he had seen, adding that he was also satisfied that they had chosen Buffalo City as host for this year's conference.

"My confidence was reassured when Buffalo City was voted the best municipality in the country. Now I know we will not have any regrets," he said.

He said the international delegates would not not know that the municipality was the best in the country and they would need to be convinced that South Africa had a lot to offer.

To ensure international guests were satisfied, Ms Magwentshu said the city would plan a tour that would take them "to some of the best spots in Buffalo City. We'll organise a game drive around the Inkwenkwezi Game Resort in Cintsa and to the Khaya Labantu cultural village in Haga Haga [35km from East London] to experience our rich culture."