On Wednesday, 16 th October, the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), operators of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (NMBS) on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) unveiled the Home of Legends Cup, a four-team tournament to be played at the iconic stadium on the 16 th of November 2024. The tournament is only part of the Home of Legends Week concept featuring concerts, summits and sports development initiatives.

*this article first appeared in The Herald newspaper on Friday 4 October*

With the first quarter of our financial year done, i.e. July to August, we’re starting to see the fruits of a concerted and proactive approach to getting the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the city’s pride, humming again. The improving events calendar and development initiatives taking shape at the Bay Stadium is what the city needs. The measure of success for multipurpose facilities like the Bay Stadium is not only through what is collected at the tills, but also about the stimulus effect they have on the economy. The events economy is mainly a downstream value creator, meaning, the impact is seen through economic activity and incomes generated.

The MBDA is excited to announce the showcasing of our new e-Tendering platform. The e-Tendering platform will allow potential service providers and companies to interact with the various tendering processes in a much more efficient and effective way.

It is common cause that I joined the MBDA at the tail end of the financial year under review, and though I have presided over the preparation of this Annual Report, it is the efforts of my predecessors. My initial engagement as the CEO with staff and management of the MBDA gave me the opportunity to realise that a lot more can be achieved by this entity with an improved and efficient organisational structure, culture, policies, and up to date business processes that respond to current realities.

02 September 2024, the MBDA welcomed two new senior staffers in line with the entity’s strategy and structure. Tembela Bacela, a seasoned public sector Internal Auditor has a BCom in Accounting and an Honours degree in Monitoring and Evaluation. Bacela has 18 years’ experience, starting out in Internal Audit in the Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Government and later pursued performance management & monitoring at various Municipalities, she joins the MBDA as its first Internal Audit, Risk and Compliance Manager.