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An official sod-turning ceremony this week has reignited a dream to turn the East London harbour into a vibrant waterfront tourism hub.
The stop-start R147m Latimer’s Landing project at the Port of East London was first announced in 2019, and back then completion was expected within 12 months.
However, “the project is targeted for completion by April 2027”, Transnet National Ports Authority acting CEO Phyllis Difeto said this week.
The area’s revitalisation plan had included the demolition of the historic old wooden jetty, named after Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, the museum curator who identified the thought-to-be-extinct coelacanth fish in 1938.
Transnet had to wait for permission from the Eastern Cape Provincial Heritage Resource Authority to demolish the jetty, which was protected under the National Heritage Resources Act.
On October 23 2020, five years ago to the day, the Dispatch reported the jetty was to be demolished to make way for a new, modern structure.
The newspaper reported at the time: “The planks or walkway of the jetty have almost all been removed. They appear to have aged from years of exposure to water and weather conditions.”
But according to John Barry on Wednesday, owner of Latimer’s Cruise & Cafe, who operates his restaurant and whale-watching business from the quay, there was no need for explosions: the old jetty, about 115m long and 10m wide, was so rotten that most of it just fell quietly into the water.
Between then and now, there have been two years of Covid-19 lockdowns, followed by crippling load-shedding schedules.
In all, the public has been barred from the quay for about 15 years.
Barry is excited that things are up and running again.
“We need something positive in East London. They’ve been busy here for about four months now.”
Difeto said the Latimer’s Landing project had already created 44 new jobs and a further 11 would be generated before the 24-month project was over.
The appointed contractor, Stefanutti Stocks, has committed to collaborating with local small, medium and micro enterprises to create additional business opportunities.
Barry is pleased. “Stefanutti is back. Excellent crew. They did that project as well,” he said, pointing to the MBSA car-loading berth on the West Bank side of the lapping, blue-green Buffalo River.
“And they came in under time.”
Many more jobs could be created indirectly by a booming hospitality sector, especially those that are tourism-related and driven by trade.
Transnet, Buffalo City Metro and provincial authorities are determined the project will play a central role in boosting tourism, not only in and around the harbour.
Driving the project is a vision of a growing stream of visitors — local, national, continental and international — who will boost the hospitality trade up and down the coast as well as inland, from hotels and B&Bs to eateries and wildlife parks, as well as promote the city’s economic growth.
“The new quay structure will not only bolster the transformation of the wider Latimer’s Landing waterfront development but serve as a vital port infrastructure asset,” Difeto said.
Plans include development of various harbour business operations, including restaurants and entertainment centres, as well as related activities that will draw traffic into the precinct.
The project charted a new course for the provincial economy, where supporting value-adding industries was a key component, Difeto said.
It will add so much to our offering as a city, particularly in the tourism space
Tourism is high on Transnet’s list of priorities, and a development like this invites private sector participation so that citizens can share in the goal of stimulating economic growth.
“This milestone comes at a time when the port is focused on growing and stabilising itself through Transnet’s ‘Reinvent for Growth’ strategy,” she added.
The sporting calendar is very much in Transnet’s sights as it widens the port’s service offering by positioning it for the tourism and leisure market.
The harbour, originally designed for operational marine use only, has over the years transitioned into a public recreational area that lends itself to local tourism activities and water sports.
Several big sporting events take place annually in the district, and the crowds they draw should put the city on the tourism map and swell its coffers.
In the 1840s and later, East London’s Buffalo River mouth was once where British troops were put ashore, during the Frontier Wars.
The harbour, first known as Port Rex, was established in 1836 by the Cape Colony governor at the time, Benjamin D’Urban.
“The first mention of any development in the area today known as Latimer’s Landing, is the construction of the passenger wharf at First Creek in 1894,” according to the Facebook page “What’s On In and Around East London” five years ago.
“It is highly likely to be the same wharf that is today called Latimer’s Landing.
“The jetty is claimed to be the only remaining wooden jetty in the country. Historical records indicate the original purpose at the time it was built was to serve as passenger landing.
“It was constructed 10 years after the dredging of the sandbanks of the harbour started in 1886.”
Once a busy centre for trade with the hinterland, the East London harbour is still the only active river port on the South African coast.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Lizelle Maurice said the chamber was very excited about the project.
“It will add so much to our offering as a city, particularly in the tourism space,” she said.
“The chamber has resolved to strengthen our manufacturing sector, our SMME development, and our tourism, agriculture and agri-processing sectors, so having one more really special leisure place for tourists to visit that wasn't there before is something that is going to really boost everybody's efforts.
“It is still in the distance but at least the sod has been turned and the action is now flying ahead.
“What we need to do now is market our city as the hidden gem that it is and make sure that East London is open for business.
“We have yet to tap into the tourism potential of this area and Latimer's Landing is a project that will really make a substantial difference to our offering as a city and strengthen our tourism sector.
"Well done, Transnet! We wish you well.
“We wish the implementing agents, Steffanutti Stocks, well, too, as they implement this project.”
Daily Dispatch
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