Name: Mansoor Mohamed
Organisation: Cape Town City Council
Position: Executive Director of Economic, Social Development and Tourism

What initiatives does the council have to help promote tourism in Cape Town?

We are working to enhance Cape Town’s international tourism competitiveness. Firstly we are building the capacity to meet the expected growth in visitors. Locally, we are developing the much-needed skills in partnership training institutions. We are investing in our tourism assets, such as attractions, ecology parks, and public open spaces. We are also building tourism products to enhance the visitor experience.

The council wants to make Cape Town a 24-hour city. What is the council doing to achieve this?

We are attracting more people to live in the cosmopolitan city centre and are encouraging businesses to trade later, now that people are living and shopping in the city centre. We have also granted permission for more hotels to be built and established, night markets, and similar events over the festive season. This all contributes to a 24-hour City.

What is the council doing to attract big business to Cape Town rather than Johannesburg?

Cape Town is focused on becoming a globally competitive city that will have a core SMME component. We will sell Cape Town as a tourist destination, a highly efficient and cost effective business destination, and a highly competitive leisure, events and entertainment destination. Businesses are relocating to Cape Town to secure a better lifestyle for its employees.

What is the council doing to help stimulate more foreign direct investment?

Firstly, the cost of doing business in Cape Town must be competitive. The City recognises it and has therefore made the retention, attraction and development of skills a key focus of our infrastructure led economic development plan. Businesses are attracted by a safe and clean environment as well. Cape Town has recently been ranked as the cleanest city in South Africa (and perhaps even in Africa). Cape Town’s visitor safety record is amongst the best in world. The city recognises the role multi-national enterprises play in attracting foreign direct investment. We are putting in place some basic building blocks that will attract multi-national enterprises to Cape Town.

What is the biggest challenge that Cape Town’s council faces?

The Council’s biggest challenge is housing provision for 400, 000 residents living in informal settlements. We have detailed plans to help the City address this challenge.

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