Ready, Route 67, go!

ONE of the highlights of the 2012 Tourism Indaba expo in Durban, was the long-awaited and successful launch of the Route 67 liberation struggle heritage initiative – a trail meandering through Nelson Mandela Bay’s key heritage sites – which promises to be a competitive national and international tourist attraction.

The event was hosted by Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) and the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) at their joint stand at the Albert Luthuli international conference centre.

“Indaba is a great opportunity to showcase Nelson Mandela Bay’s offerings. Many Southern African tourism products and services come together here each year for the international exposure it grants – and this is why it was the perfect place to launch what is set to become a huge tourism attraction in Nelson Mandela Bay, Route 67,” said NMBT chief executive, Mandlakazi Skefile. “It is a great privilege for our city to have had the launch of Route 67 at this event.”
 
MBDA head Pierre Voges said the city has a unique historical and political heritage that needs to be leveraged as an attraction, which is what Route 67 ultimately aims to do. The MBDA is tasked with upgrading the Donkin Reserve, and other key nodes in the city, which forms the central part of the route.

Focusing on the anti-apartheid struggle, Route 67 honours the 67 years Nelson Mandela gave of his life to politics. The route starts with the 67 steps at the Campanile, a tall brick tower near the railway station built in 1923 to commemorate the arrival of the 1820 British settlers.

It continues up onto Vuyisile Mini Square, past the Port Elizabeth library and St Mary’s Cathedral, and up to the giant South African flag on the Donkin Reserve which is populated with public artworks, of which there will ultimately be 67, in keeping with the theme.

The commissioned outdoor artwork include everything from a depiction of the early British settlers’ arrival through to the birth of political freedom, with life-size laser cut steel figures of former president Mandela and a queue of children beside him entitled, the Voting Line.

“Route 67 has enabled us to have a product that pays tribute to the international icon and soldier of human rights, former president Dr Nelson Mandela, as we are the only municipality in the world that is named after him. It takes us from the old to the new,” said MBDA spokesperson, Chuma Myoli.

In support of developing the Route, most recent work by the Agency had focused on the colourful bricks inlaid in the pavement flagstones, inscribed with words chosen  through a public participation exercise by residents, to communicate what kind of a person Mandela is to them.

The other recent focus had been on the Donkin, where the construction of an amphitheatre would start this month, with completion expected at the end of the year. It would be used for mainstream shows and also community events, Myoli said.

Also on show at the stand was a high quality video shot by Numb City Productions which features a group of downhill longboard skateboarders in action on “the snake”, a skateboard track which winds down the Donkin alongside the steps. The new track is the venue for a major skateboard competition in June

“Attracting local and international tourists is an important part of Route 67’s establishment, however, it is also has the purpose of lending educational experience to our city’s youth,” added Skefile.