As SA prepares to mark 30 years of democracy, significant milestones have been reached, but crime, poverty and the use of bucket toilets serve as reminders of the ongoing struggle for equality. Today we explore the changes to Central.
It is early in the evening, and a chill is setting in.
But on this night, it is not the cold air worrying Lawrence Munaku, 57, as he sets up his stall in Parliament Street, Gqeberha.
It is the drizzle that is likely to turn into a downpour that worries him, as has been the case all week.
That means fewer customers — students to be exact.
Munaku sets up his stall in front of a tavern every night on weekends and peddles an assortment of kebabs, fried Russians and chips on buns.
“On a good night, you can make something like R800,” he said.
“Tonight, I am not so sure.”
Munaku is part of a milieu of contemporary Parliament Street entrepreneurs that line the street as the sun sets.
Hair salons, convenience stores and fruit sellers keep the street busy during the day.
Despite the presence of several pubs along the street, the once vibrant thoroughfare bears the weight of desolate establishments nestled between abandoned buildings and makeshift rest areas frequented by the homeless.
In less than a decade, this once bustling avenue, once the epicentre of the city’s nightlife, has faded into a mere shadow of its former self.
Parliament Street is perhaps the quintessential example of how the central business district of Nelson Mandela Bay has declined.
A woman, who only wanted to be identified as Zanele, spends several weeknights between Deare Street, Bird Street and Havelock Street hoping to entice clients.
“I cannot say prostitution here is getting worse,” she said.
“I came here because another girl who is from where I come from in Motherwell said this was a good place to get clients.
“At the end of the day, no-one wants to be here because it is unsafe.
“We get attacked, police sometimes harass us but we are all trying to survive.”
Twenty years ago, amid concerns about investors leaving, cultural erosion and safety issues, the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality started a revitalisation project.
More than R200m was put into the area in hopes of returning it to its former glory.
The project culminated in 2010, with a vibrant nightlife scene in Parliament Street, a revamped Govan Mbeki Avenue, and the establishment of the popular Route 67 as the city was abuzz with Fifa World Cup fever.
However, today, the Donkin Reserve, once teeming with craft sellers showcasing their wares next to a coffee shop overlooking the harbour and beachfront, stands as a stark departure from its intended role as a tourist attraction.
The once-vibrant art murals now crumble, and the Mandela Unity Walk monument bears the scars of vandalism.
Metal signposts along the route have been vandalised and removed
The centre is notorious for crime, with tourists regularly robbed as they visit monuments.
In response to this, many businesses have pulled out of the area and abandoned buildings are again common.
One of the latest to leave was the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society ending its stay at the iconic Little Theatre at The Athenaeum.
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said the state of affairs was particularly sad when considering the heritage value of many of the buildings.
While some of the historical cathedrals in the precinct have palisade fences, the King Edward Hotel in Athol Fugard Terrace is partially bricked up.
“Key factors causing this situation include a lack of safety and security, lack of enforcement of relevant bylaws, the dilapidated state of many buildings and the removal of parking bays,” she said.
“It is vital that safety and security is prioritised through proactive measures such as surveillance and monitoring, as well as a visible SAPS and municipal police presence on the ground.
“All building owners must take responsibility for maintaining their properties, while the municipality and other state-owned entities must ensure that the roads and sidewalks, as well as its buildings in the area, are maintained.
“These actions also need to extend up into the Central area which faces the same issues as the CBD,” she said.
Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) chief executive Anele Qaba said the decline was spurred by the withdrawal of a dedicated security cluster in 2016.
“It has been gradual and now to get back where we were, we would have to restore some of the things we already did,” he said.
The MBDA was tasked with revitalising the inner city in 2004.
“The project was a response to the businesses withdrawing from the city centre because of the 2002 recession.
“It was a worldwide trend, not unique to us.
“Cape Town and Johannesburg faced the same problem of legacy companies moving out to suburbs and in our case Greenacres and Walmer,” he said.
As was the case in 2004, Qaba said the secret to restoring the inner city to its vibrancy depended on two things.
“A clean and safe Central.
“Before any brick was put in place, there was a very aggressive security programme which was then followed by a top-up cleaning service,” he said.
“[In] Govan Mbeki Avenue, Parliament Street, Strand Street, Gordon Terrace and Bird Street — which was the main artery.
“It worked because we could see the more we moved in with infrastructure projects, businesses came back in.
“Ahead of 2010, we were already attracting money from other spheres of government like the R40m from the department of arts to revamp the Donkin.
“We spent R20m on Parliament Street while property owners spent an additional R50m on their properties.
“The success of the project could easily be seen from the private investments that ensued after a R17m upgrade to Bird Street.
“This then led to the revamping of the high court, the opening of satellite Nelson Mandela University Campus new office developments and the ArtEC Community Art Centre.
“While the CBD has experienced a flight of businesses, demand for accommodation has seen more and more high-rise buildings, and apartment buildings in Central transformed into student residences.”
The MBDA has, meanwhile, touted its R5bn catalytic projects as the lifeline that can rejuvenate not only the inner city but also transform the metro’s fortunes.
“These game changers will require external private sector participation or foreign direct investment to materialise and that is why we are doing a lot to build a business case/commercial and precinct plans,” Qaba said.
“The inner city has a mix of capital projects to be done and these include: Vuyisile Mini Square, a zip line, new council chambers, and civic precinct which will consolidate with publicly owned, derelict and unutilised properties.”
Bemprop Group property manager Lynn van Niekerk said the revamp had hurt the central business district.
The group owns about 30% of commercial properties in the central business district between Vuyisile Mini Square and Russell Road.
“The situation in the CBD has significantly deteriorated since 2018, and we are having to contend with increased crime levels, further exasperated by the lack of security.”
She said the one-way design of Govan Mbeki Avenue led to limited parking.
“Paid parking should also be considered as currently the limited parking bays that are available are more often than not occupied by staff members.
“In our opinion, the only way to resolve the issues would be to reverse the upgrade undertaken by the MBDA.
“Rentals have more than just stagnated, and renewals are mostly concluded with rental reductions, to entice retailers to stay on.
“Lack of maintenance is a major problem, and in general the area is an eyesore,” she said.
On this, Qaba said the MBDA would invest about R15m over the next five years to improve parking.
“There is ample parking in the Govan Mbeki Avenue, however, this is in parking garages that can be used by customers and residents.
“Unfortunately as a city, we have found it difficult to change the culture where people prefer parking bays.
“We have been in discussion with stakeholders where the issues were ventilated and part of our five-year plan is to improve the avenue without overhauling it,” he said.
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