The Eastern Cape Province continues to be home to the popular international reality competition show Survivor South Africa. Season 8 was shot on the Wild Coast and the latest instalment of Survivor South Africa: Return of the Outcast Season 9, was shot at the Great Fish River Resort in the Ngqushwa Municipality and will be flighted in July 2022.
The partnership between the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and M-Net sees a substantial financial injection into the province with a variety of skills being transferred to local people as well as the utilization of local talent, especially that of the rural parts of Ngqushwa, surrounding the Great Fish River.
“The ECDC’s investment of R4 million towards the production of both Season 8 and 9 of Survivor South Africa shot in the Wild Coast and the Great Fish River respectively, resulted in an economic impact value of R79 million and created 169 local jobs, with 25 local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) participating in the film production value chain. It is through these strategic partnerships that the continuous investments into the film industry yield results that have a positive impact on the economy of the province,” added Ayanda Wakaba, ECDC CEO.
With international filmmakers taking a keen interest in South Africa’s most distinct and breath-taking locations for their projects, the Eastern Cape Province intends to support the film industry to leverage its untapped potential to attract investment.
The film industry has proven to be a stimulant of massive returns through the promotion of ideal leisure destinations for tourism as well as skills transfer for SMME development.
Since its implementation, the ECIFF has shown noteworthy economic impact where R268 million worth of return on investment was realised, with 450 local SMMEs actively participating in the value chain and 6 500 jobs created for the duration of the various projects supported by the fund.
