Public-Private partnership to reposition Sun City Resort on the cards
The North West Provincial Government delegation led by Premier Prof. Tebogo Job Mokgoro recently met with the management of the Sun City Resort which is located north of the platinum rich Rustenburg town, to pursue public-private partnership aimed at taking the resort to greater heights.
The government delegation which accompanied Premier Mokgoro included the MEC for Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation Galebekwe Tlhapi, Acting Head of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism Department Sarah Manone, while representatives from the Presidency and National Department of Tourism joined the discussions virtually.
In the deliberations parties were looking at ways to expand the resort and improve the different infrastructure that would unlock the maximum tourism boom in the resort which is regarded as the key tourism asset in the country, during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resort presented future plans to expand the establishment which included the new hotel to attract more visitors for sports, conferencing, arts and culture activities or leisure amongst others.
Speaking during the meeting, the Sun International General Executive Office, Mr Anthony Leeming, indicated that the resort is a massive asset which requires a massive investment in infrastructure through collaborations across different industries, this to secure the ability to stimulate tourism activities and create much needed jobs in the sector.
“Getting Sun City to work better will help the province. It is critical that we find a balance between what the resort and what the provincial government is doing. We have got an amazing beauty in this country that we can really take to the next level and attract foreigners in large numbers and Sun City is the key in achieving that” Leeming commented.
The Chief Operations Officer of Sun City, Mr Graham Woods highlighted the importance of the support from government for growth and sustainability of Sun City.
“We need the support in the road infrastructure especially on the maintenance and upgrade of roads around the resort, improvement of roads and buildings in the Pilanesburg National Park, renovations of the Pilanesburg Airport infrastructure, support in the sports campus marketing and bidding of massive events” remarked Woods who also requested government to assist in fighting illegal gambling which is affecting their business.
Premier Mokgoro who committed to champion the process by highlighting the provincial government’s shortcomings, believes this is a business case that the province must secure its success.
“This is a very important initiative. Here we’re talking about the economy of a region. The Office of the Premier will take care of ensuring that all key departments are on board. This is the business case that we would also broaden to look at other economic sectors in the region because the inter-linkages are very important” said Premier Mokgoro.
All parties agreed to formulate an action plan with deliverables to kick-start the partnership. A follow up meeting to monitor progress will be convened in due course to achieve the envisaged vision of bringing the tourism boom in the resort to the benefit of the surrounding areas and the province.
For enquiries, contact:
Vuyisile Ngesi
Spokesperson - Office of the Premier
Cell: 061 056 3623
Brian Setswambung
Head of Communication - Office of the Premier
Cell: 076 012 4501
