Transnet National Ports Authority has hailed this past weekend’s port festival as a major success.
TNPA said that thousands of people flocked to the Port of East London on Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 June 2017 to support what was widely hailed as the successful return of the East London Port Festival.
“This was a very special weekend for the community of East London and the greater Buffalo City, as we brought back this much-loved event to South Africa’s only commercial river port, after an absence of five years,” said Acting Port Manager for East London, Alvin Singama.
“The diversity reflected in the array of entertainment, as well as the fact that this festival brought the community together across age, race, gender and socio-economic backgrounds, was a true reflection of a united South Africa,” he said.
TNPA thanked Buffalo City communities for their support and said attendance on the first day had been close to 13,000 and approximately 23,000 over the full weekend.
Singama said the event would not have been possible without TNPA’s partners Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Transport, the South African Navy, the South African Maritime Safety Authority, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and media partner Daily Dispatch.
Phyllis Difeto, TNPA Chief Operating Officer, said the festival had an underlying strategic focus.
“We want to promote awareness of the ports, recreational opportunities, and career and business opportunities offered by the maritime industry. We want our communities to experience the unique operations in the port, and its exciting people-centred vision,” she said.
Buffalo City Executive Mayor, Xola Pakati, said: “We are slowly trying to position ourselves as a tourist destination of choice and events such as this port festival are a testament of that.
“This event does not only have tourism-boosting benefits but also has substantial social and economic enterprise development benefits. It gives us the opportunity as the city to amplify efforts to make the city a tourist destination of choice as well as increasing employment opportunities,” he added.
(Statement:Supplied)
