By Nangamso Mabindla
03 July2008

IN an effort to improve its delivery and define its role, Buffalo City’s local economic development team spent the day visiting its projects around the city.

Among those taking the tour, on Wednesday, 2 July, were the department’s new portfolio head, Mankomo Pango; the acting general manager, Lawrence Valeta; and its programme managers.

The projects are in the agriculture and rural development; the small and medium enterprise; and the tourism development sectors. The Buffalo City Fresh Produce Market is one of the department’s programmes.

Valeta said that one of the aims of the tour was to improve working relations between programme managers. “We want each programme manager to be aware of what other managers are doing, so that in turn they can align their strategies with those of the whole department.”

It also aimed to improve delivery in the department. “We also want to define the role of [the local economic development unit] in the City and look at our mandate; to improve economic development and play our part in the alleviation of poverty in Buffalo City,” he explained.

The tour was also used to introduce the new portfolio head to the department and to give her an overview of the projects being undertaken by the department.

First stop was the busy Buffalo City Fresh Produce Market in the Wilsonia industrial area of East London. The market supplies fresh fruit and vegetables to hawkers, wholesalers and residents.

From there it was off to the Amalinda Fish Farm, which is run in partnership with the national government. The fish farm is part of the Amalinda Nature Reserve. Keeping to agriculture, the next stop was the award-winning Mdantsane Organic Farming Co-operatives.

Tourism is another of the City’s economic development focus areas. One project, the Kiwane Holiday Camp, is being established in partnership with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Kiwane community.

About 35 kilometres from East London, overlooking the Indian Ocean, the initiative is still being built. It is expected to be completed in 2009, when it will boast chalets, a restaurant and a conference facility.