Day: 1 April 2021

Today, Wesgro, the official Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape put a spotlight on global opportunities for business in 2021.

The event, attended by businesses stakeholders, and senior representatives of all levels of government, also provided an overview of current trends, risks and opportunities. The agency was particularly pleased to welcome, Mavuso Msimang, one of the most experienced public sector leaders in democratic South Africa, as keynote speaker.

Mavuso Msimang touched on the need for a collective effort – from the public, media, the private and public sectors – to fight the scourge of corruption that has been holding South Africa back in the last 27 years and the need to demand accountability from those we have put in power. He went on to state that the last line of defence for South Africa is its citizens – citizens need to demand more.

via Wesgro outlines global economic priorities for Cape Town and the Western Cape in 2021 – Corporate | Wesgro.

South African billionaire Rob Hersov announced he is planning to convert the former Fisantekraal Airport into the “Lanseria Airport of Cape Town”.

Hersov and business partner Nick Ferguson bought the Fisantekraal Airport in November 2020 and renamed it Cape Winelands Airport.

The airport is located on a 150-hectare site 13 kilometres northeast of Durbanville. It is therefore perfectly situated to serve the Cape Town aviation sector.

When it was built by the South African Air Force in 1943 it featured four runways to operate Lockheed Ventura bombers.

Although all four runways are still visible in overhead photos, only two of these runways are currently in use.

There are numerous aircraft hangars on the property which are used for the storage and maintenance of private aircraft and helicopters.

The picturesque location makes it a favourite for flight training and offers an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport for private aviation.

There are now plans to grow operations at the Cape Winelands Airport and provide an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) for some aviation services.

via New Cape Winelands Airport plans revealed.

South Africa may not be top of the list for investors to put their money for the long haul, but foreigners are paying attention to several companies that have shown resilience during this Covid-19 pandemic.

via Foreigners show record interest in SA companies at investor conference | Fin24.

Amazon’s next chief executive made his name by launching one of the retail behemoth’s most profitable businesses—from South Africa. Andy Jassy, who joined Amazon in 1997 as a technical assistant to Jeff Bezos, started Amazon Web Services (AWS), of which he later became CEO. The web service business ushered in the era of cloud computing and now accounts for more than half of Amazon’s operating profit.

via The South African origins of Andy Jassy’s Amazon Web Services — Quartz Africa.