Dr Ivan Meyer, MEC for Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, convened a Western Cape Municipal Economic Summit under the theme “Stepping up tourism and investment”.

Held in Rawsonville, the summit brought mayors, councillors, senior government officials and industry leaders together to explore how municipalities can boost local economies through destination marketing, investment readiness and enhanced public-private collaboration.

Key areas of discussion included the role of public-private partnerships, leveraging tourism to drive economic development, principles of investment facilitation and streamlining municipal processes and policies to create a more investor-friendly environment.

“This was a very special summit where insightful information was shared – municipalities also received lots of homework to do. Breede Valley Municipality (BVM) was honoured to be the host for such an important summit,” said BVM councillor dr. Julian Kritzinger.

“The participation of executive mayors, municipal managers and officials highlighted the region’s readiness to attract and support investors,” said David Joubert, Municipal Manager at West Coast District Municipality (WCDM).

He stressed the significance of intergovernmental collaboration, and said as a municipality the WCDM had made great progress in streamlining its value propositions to potential investors.

“Our proximity to Cape Town, accessibility to the the Saldanha Port and world-class infrastructure have certainly caught the attention of investors. As municipalities we must continue to maintain and improve this investor-friendly environment.”

Heinrich Robertson, responsible for destination marketing and stakeholder relations, highlighted a more integrated approach to regional promotion. He said investors and tourists don’t see municipal borders. “They want value for money and a great experience. Our new approach to destination marketing promotes the district as investment-ready and world-class tourism destination. We are strategically aligning with the City of Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the broader Western Cape, and we’re already seeing results.”

The success of the summit in Rawsonville lays the groundwork for the upcoming Western Cape Investment Summit, scheduled to take place in Cape Town in November this year.