Sunday Times Spice Magazine: Sept 2015

SPICE

BUSINESS | INVESTMENT | FOOD | TRAVEL | CULTURE | DESIGN | VISION September 2015

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Strawberry ďŹ elds forever How the Gumedes found their juice

Treasure islands

Why KZN should trade in the Indian Ocean

Rich man, POOR MAN

High-flyer finds his simple truth in Durban

This dynamic region is a future platform for light industrial warehousing for industries focused on imported goods for redistribution and the export of finished goods to all parts of the globe.

With both Richards Bay and the Dube TradePort already established as industrial development zones, the entire province is poised for explosive growth.

In the heart of this north coast development is uShukela Industrial Park, a 27,350m2 mixed use greenfield site lying between Verulum, Mount Edgecombe and uMhlanga.

This development is in a prime position within the Cornubia site and comprises sixteen mid-size industrial units between 900m2 and 3 000m2. They’re ideal for light manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and similar applications. Final designs and fittings are flexible and will be in accordance with tenants’ needs.

Access to uShukela is excellent via the N2, M41and R102 and will soon be even better when the new four lane arterial into Cornubia is completed in 2015. Richards Bay is just 90 minutes away, Pinetown, Durban CBD and the harbour are no more than twenty minutes’ drive and King Shaka International is seven minutes down the road.

Occupation is scheduled for February 2016 so if you want to join the boom, now is a very good time to do it. Please contact Ross Eigenmann on 083 321 6011, Kale Bagwandin on 073 469 4894 or view the electronic brochure at www.redefine.co.za.

We’re not landlords. We’re people.

CHARLIE BRAVO #423-14

The KZN North Coast is booming.

Come and feel the noise.

TALES FROM THE SPICE ROUTE September 2015

“T

he roads here are paved with gold,” the diplomat said. He leaned across the table for emphasis: “There is so much opportunity in South Africa and all I hear are complaints.”

I was glad to have the chance to speak to him.

Foreigners can offer a refreshing perspective. Our friend bemoaned the lack of initiative and enterprise in South Africa. He also readily admitted that red tape was stifling.

“But businessmen complain that they can’t overcome this or that. That is their challenge as entrepreneurs, to find a way around these problems.”

Listening to the diplomat, I wondered how often men and women of such calibre and experience get an audience with politicians and, if they do, how much of their message falls on fertile ground. In all likelihood they speak candidly to journalists off the record but use silver-tongued diplomacy to avoid

offending political bigwigs with the same message.

I’ve always held that we should open our doors to foreigners. Our views can be myopic and most of us don’t travel widely enough to broaden our horizons.

Our culture and economy could benefit from an injection of new ideas. The influence enlivens us, gives us new perspectives and, hopefully, makes us more nimble in the modern economy.

Speaking of foreigners, in this edition of SPICE we carry an interview with British-born Raymond Perrier, who, in another life, was a big shot in the advertising world in New York. He had a bit of an epiphany about life and the universe, chucked it all in and spent six years studying to become a Jesuit priest. Check out the story on page 26.

I had the good fortune to meet Perrier at the Emmanuel Cathedral, where he runs the Denis Hurley Centre. We had an inspiring chat. Like many, I’m taken by the plight of the homeless; the sight of them at robots pricks my middle-class conscience and I’m reminded of my warm bed. There go I, but for the grace of God. While I’m empathetic, I think the city should pass a by-law making begging illegal. Allowing it simply encourages dependency, hopelessness and indolence.

The eThekwini council needs a coherent policy on homelessness. It seems to vacillate between ad hoc, ineffectual programmes, doing nothing real about the problem, then clamping down on vagrants when there’s a big gig in town. There’s no shortage of goodwill to solve the problem. It’s an issue of co-ordination between stakeholders.

Interestingly, Perrier says he’s not here to solve homelessness: he’s here to save lives. You will never stop poor people flocking to the cities looking for a better life, nor should you. You shouldn’t serve up slop to the poor or give them anything for nothing.

Treat them respectfully; give them clean clothes,

access to showers and food.

In return, ask something of them: let them pitch in to serve the food, clean the showers and, most importantly, help them establish purpose and dignity.

Another stimulating encounter in the compilation of this edition of SPICE was meeting Peter Cowan, SA chairman of Unilever. Cowan is South African, but has worked around the world.

Our conversation took me back to the one I had with the diplomat. In short, our economy is greatly enhanced by the expertise a big outfit like Unilever brings to Durban. It emphasises world-class benchmarking in a global economy and hundreds of KwaZulu-Natal firms are the richer for doing business with Unilever.

Trite though it may be to say this, we have to up our game in KZN. We have to think and act smarter.

“OUR CULTURE AND ECONOMY COULD BENEFIT FROM AN INJECTION OF NEW IDEAS” It is a joy to produce a magazine that concentrates on success and accomplishment in our province.

You get to experience great talent in action. This month’s edition has a focus on agriculture. It was a pleasure to reflect on the triumphs in the sugar industry. And to look forward to and consider new frontiers and niched businesses like those run by strawberry farmers Yoliswa and Xolani Gumede, as well as specialist dairy farmer Kevin Lang.

Enjoy the read and thanks for the support.

Please keep the emails rolling in, they are a source of inspiration.

GREG ARDÉ

ardeg@sundaytimes.co.za

SPICE IS INSERTED INTO THE SUNDAY TIMES IN KZN ON THE LAST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.

TO ADVERTISE, CONTACT VERNA PILLAY ON 082 452 6277, PILLAYV@SUNDAYTIMES.CO.ZA

September 2015

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CONTENTS September 2015

features Cool gear for the man who thought he had everything

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Booming Cornubia has scored a R300-million investment

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Let us take you down... to the Gumedes’ strawberry fields Home sweet home: The story of the KZN sugar rush An audience with cane king Charl Senekal Who dairies, wins: Kevin Lang’s Fairfield success story

12 13 14 16

Unilever SA chairman Peter Cowan on doing the right thing

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all-round appiness

SPICE

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The 50-year master plan for a new Richards Bay

Anice Hassim points companies towards

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EDITORIAL EDITOR Greg Ardé ardeg@sundaytimes.co.za 031-250-8500, 082-822-0001 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Megan Guyt MANAGING EDITOR Matthew McClure CHIEF SUB EDITOR Dave Chambers SUB EDITOR Nerissa Card DESIGNER Thembekile Vokwana CONTRIBUTORS Yasantha Naidoo naidooy@sundaytimes.co.za

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Put your business on Autopilot with Durban IT boffins

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The “mother of all SMME databases” is being built in KZN

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The Seychelles are an increasingly important part of the “Blue Economy”

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Shelley Seid seids@sundaytimes.co.za Beth Stols bstols@mweb.co.za Masood Boomgaard masoodboomgaard@gmail.com Nompumelelo Magwaza magwazan@sundaytimes.co.za EDITOR-AT-LARGE Philani Mgwaba

ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER Verna Pillay pillayv@sundaytimes.co.za 031-250-8500, 082-452-6277 PUBLISHER Andrew Gill

Printed by Paarl Media Published by Times Media (Pty) Ltd, 4 Biermann Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg.

culture Marketing whiz kid, Jesuit priest, and now head of the Denis Hurley Centre: Meet the fascinating Raymond Perrier Volvo discovers its inner cool in the new XC90 Botha House takes you back in time to the early 20th century Eric Apelgren introduces the Durban he loves

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26 28 29 30

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© Copyright: Times Media (Pty) Ltd. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the publishers.

The publishers are not responsible for unsolicited material. SPICE is published by Times Media (Pty) Ltd. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Times Media (Pty) Ltd. All advertisements, advertorials and promotions have been paid for and therefore do not carry any endorsement by the publishers.

SPENDING IT

THAT’S RICH For the man who has everything… stuff he probably hasn’t got TEXT SIPHILISELWE MAKHANYA PHOTOGRAPHY THULI DLAMINI, ROGAN WARD, SUPPLIED

HARMONT & BLAINE Panama hat: R4 000 Visit Casanova at 10 Ingcuce Road, Durban Contact 031-301-7985

MONTBLANC Meisterstück Solitaire Blue Hour Skeleton 149 Fountain Pen: R97 700

Piston fountain pen with skeletonised brushed metal cap and barrel overlay; handcrafted rhodium-plated gold nib; platinum fittings. A quartz and black onyx Montblanc emblem rounds it off.

Visit shop G133, ground floor, Gateway, Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga Ridge or www.montblanc.com

ARMANI Armani Collezioni woven scarf: R2 799.95 Fringed edges, cotton blend.

Visit Casanova at 10 Ingcuce Road, Durban Contact 031-301-7985

CAMPO MARZIO Document holder: R2 295

Soft leather A4 document holder. Available in mandarin, blue orchid, violet or black.

Visit campomarziodesign.co.za

HUGO BOSS Boss silk tie: R3 000

Visit Casanova at 10 Ingcuce Road, Durban Contact 031-301-7985

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September 2015

SPENDING IT AKSHAR CHOUDREE FINE JEWELLERY Men’s black and white diamond bracelet: From R75 000

3.43-carat black diamonds and 3.37-carat white diamonds set in 18-carat black and white gold.

Contact info@aksharchoudree.com

AKSHAR CHOUDREE FINE JEWELLERY Bespoke diamond cufflinks: From R75 000

A combination of diamonds in a micro pavé setting and mother of pearl, in 18-carat white gold.

Contact info@aksharchoudree.com

MONTBLANC Sartorial Collection briefcase: R13 000

Single gusset briefcase, one main compartment, front pocket, large zipped inner pocket, pockets for three writing instruments, compartment for phone, compartment for business cards.

Visit shop G133, ground floor, Gateway, Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga Ridge or www.montblanc.com

GRAHAM Limited edition Tourbillograph Trackmaster Black: R565 000 One of only 100 made. Automatic.

Black steel. Black rubber strap.

Visit Lusso at 35-37 Moffat Drive, Ballito Business Park, Ballitoville.

Visit lusso-za.com

VERSACE Versace collection textured loafers: R9 899.99; belt: R4 999

Imported leather.

Visit The Style Network at 250 Umhlanga Rocks Drive or call 031-566-2269

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DEVELOPMENT

PACKING IN A packaging company with its eye on annual turnover of R1-billion is the latest to give a vote of confidence to the Cornubia estate TEXT NOMPUMELELO MAGWAZA PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE McCURRACH AND ROGAN WARD

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nterest in Cornubia Industrial and Business Estate is gathering momentum, thanks to a R300-million investment by global group Darvesh.

Darvesh, established in Mumbai, India, in 1909 and headquartered in the Middle East, has operations in eight countries. It is the latest group to buy land in the sought-after business precinct near Gateway.

Darvesh has operations in China, India, Nigeria and Portugal, across a diverse portfolio that includes property, manufacturing and information technology.

At Cornubia, Darvesh will invest R300-million in a state-of-the-art plastic and packaging factory.

Its subsidiary, Technova Packaging Industries, has a facility in New Germany and wants a new, modern building close to King Shaka International Airport and Dube TradePort.

Technova produces plastic bread bags, cling wraps and high-end multi-layer barrier film for meat and other products. It counts companies such as Tiger Brands, NPC, Pioneer Foods and ABI as clients.

Ahsan Hassan Darvesh, the president of the

Darvesh Group, was in Durban recently. “This investment means we will own our own property and we will be close to the airport, some of our customers and the business capital of Durban, Umhlanga,” he said.

The group, which has been in the family for four generations, is chaired by his father, Hassan Darvesh, rated by Forbes magazine as the 32nd most influential person in the Middle East.

The R300-million investment in Cornubia will go into the construction of a 60 000m² factory, double the size of the New Germany plant.

“The big move will take place at the end of December next year. We will start construction this year in November and move in next year.”

Ahsan Hassan said the current plant produced 30 000 tons a year. “We are planning to double production in the new plant and increase our turnover from R600-million to R1-billion by 2018.”

The company employs 300 people and needs to expand to cope with growing demand.

Ahsan Hassan said the group did not lease any property for business operations, part of the reason for the Cornubia purchase.

NORTH STAR

Cornubia Industrial and Business Estate has attracted a host of blue-chip companies, including Bidvest, Redefine and Afrox.

It is part of a wider partnership between the government and Tongaat Hulett Developments, is close to important amenities and has easy access to the N2.

In the past few months Investec Property has started building a R1.8-billion regional shopping centre.

JSE-listed property group Redefine has bought 146 610m² and is building about 90 000m² of warehousing and end-user facilities.

ZenProp has developed buildings worth R190-million and JT Ross recently signed a 160 000m² land deal.

Dave Williams-Jones from FWJK Quantity Surveyors has been closely involved in the early developments at Cornubia, having built two sectional title parks there. The 18 000m² Boulevard Park has 36 units, ranging in size from 350m² to 1 000m², while the Sugar Stone Investment Park is 6 600m².

“Prices have risen dramatically in a year, from R6 400/m² to R8 500/m². We pre-sell before we lay a brick and we are planning our third development, which will probably be about 30 units,” says Williams-Jones.

“We’re selling to investors and end users. There is a lot of interest in Cornubia, especially when people hear about the new bridge that will cross the N2 near Porsche on the Gateway side.

It will put Umhlanga 4km away. The bridge construction starts next month and is scheduled for completion in 2017. It’s a huge drawcard.”

Justin Swart, the commercial property head at FNB, said Cornubia’s popularity was no surprise, given its location near Umhlanga and the airport.

He said limited industrial land in Durban south and delays around Clairwood spurred development of the northern corridor.

Swart said rentals of at least R65/m² were being achieved in Cornubia and land was selling for between R1 100/m² and R1 400/m².

Talib Hassan Darvesh, Atul Vij, Hassan Miya Sulaiman Darvesh and Ahsan Hassan Darvesh

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ENTREPRENEURS

FIELD OF DREAMS Strawberries in Ballito? They were told it would never work, but Xolani and Yoliswa Gumede have proved the doubters wrong and created a juicy business TEXT SHELLEY SEID PHOTOGRAPHY ROGAN WARD

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“IT’S A DIFFICULT CROP TO MASTER, BUT WHEN YOU DO THE DEMAND IS ENDLESS”

X

olani and Yoliswa Gumede are not your typical farmers. Sophisticated and urbane, it’s easier to imagine the couple behind mahogany desks in Sandton than dressed in overalls, digging in the dirt.

They are strawberry farmers. “First generation,” says Durban-born Xolani, who has a Master’s in project management and more than one successful business under his belt.

“And at the mercy of nature,” says Yoliswa, who has given up a successful marketing consultancy to concentrate full time on the 17-hectare Cappeny Estates in Ballito.

It’s the first time in recorded history that strawberries have been grown commercially on the KZN North Coast.

The idea of rows of perfect, plump strawberries – gorgeously red, lusciously indulgent – is charming, but the choice of crop was, for the Gumedes, as far from whimsy as you get.

The decision was based on years of research, hard work and careful planning.

Part of the mandate of Xolani’s previous company was developing properties, which involved buying land and converting its use.

In 2009 he did a short course on hydroponics and greenhouse farming. “There was no depth to it, but it gave me a snapshot of what lay beyond. I went back to my professor and asked him to help me with a business plan. I didn’t say ‘let’s make strawberries work’.”

What followed was extensive analysis and

research – the land was not big enough for traditional crops like sugar, so going small meant the crop had to be high value.

They looked at proximity to the airport; proximity to markets; cost of the land; the climate; and what eventually emerged was a document outlining two crop options – cut flowers and berries. Each was further rated on its marketability, demand, barriers to entry and ease of growth, and the crops that made it to the top were strawberries and roses.

So began a second phase of research for the Gumedes – travel. They went to east Africa to see rose farms and visited Holland and Belgium for strawberries. These business missions, facilitated by the Department of Trade and Investment KZN, were invaluable.

Their conclusions? The Kenyans had rose production down to a fine art at costs that couldn’t be matched. With strawberries, the barrier to entry was higher, but, Xolani believed, “if we nailed it we would have a higher level of security. It helps that strawberries have a short shelf life.”

Xolani has always been a risk-taker, says Yoliswa. “When he came to me and said he wanted to start a strawberry farm I was worried that we might lose the toaster and the kettle as well as the house. He’s always had vision – this is the man who wants to build a Disneyland in Africa. I am the more cautious one, but when I saw the amount of thought and work that had gone into the plan I was fully behind it.”

Not everyone was as confident. Xolani looked at the land with a farmer who said strawberries would never grow in Ballito, the climate was wrong. “Not that they would grow poorly, but that they wouldn’t grow at all,” says Xolani. “But the research was saying something else and the strawberries don’t know they are in Ballito.”

One of the things they learned during their field research was that strawberry farms around the world are typically owned by families over generations, or major corporations. “Once the farm itself starts ticking over positively it becomes a difficult business to dispose of,” he says. “It’s a difficult crop to master, but when you do, the demand is endless.”

They were warned to give themselves three to five years to get the hang of things. “It’s a difficult thing to digest,” says Xolani. “You have to live and

eat and pay back the bank, but they say if you make it through that period you will be part of the 2% that keeps its farm for generations. We are going into our third year and it’s getting progressively better.”

It’s been a matter of trial and error. As they both say, no amount of research can tell you what onthe-job training teaches you.

They have invested more than R20-million and employ 75 to 100 people each season. Growth has been around 250% year-on-year, way more than expected. In the first year, most of the crop was sold as pulp for juice. “That’s been completely reversed – 90% is now sold as fresh fruit, which brings the best rate per kilo,” says Xolani. The phenomenal change was due to eventually settling on the variety of strawberry best suited to the soil and the weather.

“There is endless demand,” says Xolani.

“Basically, if we were the sole supplier to any retailer we couldn’t meet their demand.”

Glamorous they may still be, but they don’t miss the corporate world. “The community here has embraced and supported us,” says Yoliswa, “and we have had so many milestones. When we bought this land there was nothing – no electricity, no roads. We have had many firsts. When we built the dam, when we finished our building, when the very last of 48km of plants went in – it’s been very emotional.”

There have been endless challenges and steep learning curves. “But no matter how difficult, and it’s been difficult more often than not,” says Xolani, “when we walk onto the field in the late afternoon, when it is quiet and when the sun is setting, the serenity of the moment is very special. You start with nothing and then you look around you and see creation. The feeling is incomparable.”

SPECIALITY CROPS IN DEMAND GLOBALLY: Lavender Gourmet mushrooms Woody ornamentals (stems and branches used by florists) Landscaping trees and shrubs

Bonsai plants Japanese maples Willows (used for decorative purposes) Garlic Bamboo Herbs

NEWSFLASH! Cappeny Estates has leapt onto the world stage by being Global GAP certified in its first audit. This means it can export strawberries anywhere in the world. The Global GAP standard sets strict criteria for agricultural practices that farmers must comply with if they want to sell products to major retailers around the world.

September 2015

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INDUSTRY

SUGAR RUSH

HOME SWEET HOME

ê About 360 000ha or 31% of KZN’s arable land is used to grow sugar cane.

ê There are about 24 000 sugar farmers who

It was in 1844 that cane made its debut on the verdant hillsides of KwaZulu-Natal. The man who brought it in went bust, but his legacy endures across thousands of hectares TEXT GREG ARDÉ

S

ugar is as synonymous with KwaZulu-Natal as Shaka. The sugar industry contributes a sizeable chunk to the provincial economy and thousands of people derive their living from it, be they in farming, milling or any number of the downstream businesses sugar has spawned.

You only have to look at how big, diverse and important the sugar industry is to appreciate how devastating a drought like the recent one can be to our province.

It is instructive to delve into the history of the sugar industry in KZN. If anything, it serves to reinforce the tenacity of farmers.

Sugar has nurtured fantastic talent in this province, from farmers to engineers to entrepreneurs. The legendary figures in the business, from CG Smith to James Liege Hulett, are representative of how fortunes were made.

The sugar story is replete with swashbuckling adventurers and dynasties, like those of the Bodasings and the Saunders.

Places like Umhlali, Renishaw, Sezela, Gledhow, Darnall, Mount Moreland, Felixton and Amatikulu are part of the DNA of KZN, and are entwined into the sugar story.

Durbanite Stuart Freedman partnered with Illovo Sugar to produce a book celebrating the history of sugar in KZN. The collaboration produced a vivid account of the sugar pioneers.

Freedman sourced amazing pictures of the sugar industry in the early days and found firsthand accounts of the struggles of the farmers, documented in heartwarming letters to their loved ones thousands of miles away.

The book features more than 100 pages of inspiring stories and beautifully reproduced paintings and early photographs of KZN. It charts the story from the Byrne settlers, and leaves you marvelling at the bravery and resilience of the pioneers.

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The first person to grow sugar was Edmund Morewood, Durban’s former harbour master.

In 1844 he imported 15 000 sugar cane tops from Mauritius and planted them on his farm in Compensation. He built a rudimentary mill and produced sugar crystals. Sadly, he ran out of money and, in 1852, while on a fundraising trip to England, his farm was sold in a liquidation auction. He left South Africa dejected and penniless, never to return. But luckier men built on the foundation he laid.

A far more successful story was that of Charles George “CG” Smith, who travelled from England to Durban at the age of 14. Described as courageous, enterprising and inquiring, Smith made the sugar trade his life.

He was a fantastic entrepreneur who was invested in about 30 businesses at any given time.

He started working for general merchants, then partnered with the Reynolds brothers and the Crookes brothers to form the behemoth that is Illovo Sugar today.

A fascinating feature of the book is how the sugar pioneers responded to floods, drought and all manner of challenges. Their most notable successes, according to the book, were in the engineering field, which probably accounts for why KZN is one of the world’s best sugar producers.

With sugar plantations all the way up and down the coast, one of the first challenges was getting cane to the mills before they dotted the countryside.

In 1860, the 50km trip from Umkomaas to Durban took five days by ox-drawn carriage, and involved crossing nine rivers without bridges. The same trip took eight hours in 1880 on the coastal steamer, Somtseu, and in 1895 the journey was reduced to less than five hours when the first train travelled from Durban to Port Shepstone.

produce about 20-million tons of sugar cane a year. ê This is processed at 14 sugar mills. ê The industry employs 77 000 people directly, and indirectly supports about a million people. ê The industry is buoyed by three big players: Tongaat-Hulett, Illovo and TSB, all headquartered in KZN. ê The province produces about 2 million tons of sugar a year and exports about 40% of its crop. ê The industry has a cane-growers’ association, a millers’ association and a sugar association, each with significant technical depth. ê The South African industry consistently ranks among the top 15 of approximately 120 sugar-producing countries worldwide. ê The South African sugar industry has transferred 21% of freehold land under cane from white to black owners since 1994.

O

ne of KwaZulu-Natal’s best sugar farmers says he’s toiled to get to the top but has yet to really savour the benefits of his labour.

“I’ve worked like a slave, but I haven’t had the chance to live like a king yet,” says Charl Senekal, a big man, who is not shy to talk about his accomplishments.

He’s rated by the SA Sugar Association as one of the province’s best sugar farmers. And while he may not have lived the life of a royal, when he poses for a photograph in his lush fields, he looks like the king of the jungle.

“I think I am a very ambitious person … wherever I go I want to see prosperity, because God blessed me with the ability to create prosperity in farming for the people,” says the man singled out

by President Jacob Zuma in this year’s State of the Nation address as “my good friend”.

Senekal bought 9 000ha in Umkuze from Anglo American in 1999.

He is the province’s biggest individual landowner and, in 2002, hosted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on his farm.

Senekal says he loves the tranquillity of the picturesque land over which he toils. From his porch you can spot elephant, impala, kudu and warthog, among other wild animals.

Senekal did not inherit wealth. He worked for every cent he is worth, he says. “My wife and I decided that, for about 10 years, we were going to save my salary and live off hers. It was not easy, but we had to because our goal was to buy land.”

He started his career as a technician at a sugar mill in Pongola, north of KwaZulu-Natal. His career in the sugar industry included a stint at the South African Sugar Association, where he was a laboratory manager.

“I left the association after being passed over for a regional management position. I also knew I did not want to do that.”

At the age of 31, Senekal bought his first 45ha farm in Mpumalanga, a dream come true for a man who, in 1980, had R350 to his name.

Of his 9 000ha, about 5 000ha is sugar cane, which produces about 400 000 tons a year.

The rest is used for a private game lodge and accommodation for tourists. “We are aiming to go to 450 000 tons next year, but we are running short of water in our dam because of the severe drought.”

This year the province experienced the worst drought since 1992. It has threatened not only the livelihoods of small farmers in Umkuze, but also Senekal’s R200-million water pipeline project, established in the early 2000s.

With then-Deputy President Zuma, Senekal was able to mastermind a project to pull water from Jozini Dam to Umkuze.

“The then-deputy president phoned me asking if I was serious and I said yes. He asked me if I had money to carry out such an expensive project.

I said no, but I have a quarter of that. It cost me about R55-million to lay a pipe from Jozini Dam to

KING CHARL The head of the Senekal dynasty has risen from penury to be the biggest individual landowner in KZN. And he has no intention of retiring to his well-appointed stoep TEXT NOMPUMELELO MAGWAZA PHOTOGRAPHY ROGAN WARD

FOUR FARMING TIPS FROM CHARL SENEKAL

ê Study your subject and know it ê Success in farming is an assertion - you make it work

ê Farming needs patience ê Stick to being the best and the rest will fall into place

my farm dams and to the rest of the town. Today, about 300 000 people and 200 000 cows and goats depend on this pipeline for water.

“Since we started delivering water to this community, there was never a single day nor a single hour that we did not have water in this town.”

Senekal says just thinking about the project “warms my heart”.

But not everything is as rosy as it looks in the little town of Umkuze. For the past five years, Senekal has been in the middle of a land claim battle with two communal trusts. They are claiming about 6 606ha of his land and Senekal is at pains to say that everyone should benefit from the claim, difficult as that may be.

“We must all walk away as winners. No one should lose out,” he says.

Sibuyele Ekhaya and Mbungulwane are claiming land earmarked for another mega-Senekal project, an R800-million, 16.5MW biomass plant that will partially power Umkuze. However, as a result of the battle with the communal trusts, Senekal has decided to pull the plug on the project.

The land claim remains in place.

“I really feel I deserve kisses and not kicks for this power station. It is a serious blow to the family.

We spent a lot of money on it and now we just have to walk away. We are disappointed that it is not

happening, but we have also accepted that it is not going to happen. We will find a way to move on,” he says.

Now Senekal plans to build an R85-million mill that he promises to share with 200 small sugar cane farmers in the area. The front-end mill will be used to clean the sugar cane before it is loaded on to the railway track, saving his neighbours about R20-million in transport costs.

The country’s largest private cane grower wants his wealth of experience as a farmer to be shared by the rest of the continent.

The company he has built with his three sons and a daughter, Senekal Sugar Farming, is buying farms in Zambia, Nigeria, Swaziland, Ethiopia and Mozambique. “Africa is opening doors for us; they are beginning to buy our products. They are hungry for knowledge,” he says.

His company employs about 1 200 people and supplies sugar cane to the Pongola Mill, owned by TSB, Umfolozi Mill (in which he has a 25% stake) and Felixton Mill near Empangeni.

Senekal say he loves what he does. “It gives me satisfaction. It proves that hard works pays. I have worked like a slave all my life.”

And at the age of 67, Senekal says he is not about to retire. “I can stop farming tomorrow and my children can take over, but I enjoy it so much that I will carry on till the day I die.”

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FARMING

MILKING IT

With turnover of R650-million, Kevin Lang says Fairfield is a small player.

That hasn’t stopped the awards flooding in. It seems that he who dairies, wins TEXT SHELLEY SEID PHOTOGRAPHY ROGAN WARD

H

owick farmer Kevin Lang, founder and chairman of Fairfield Dairy, could well be on a plane as you’re reading this, heading for the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin, US, which starts on Tuesday. It’s an annual event that attracts 70 000 visitors from more than 90 countries.

Lang is attending to collect an award – International Person of the Year – at the annual Dinner with the Stars Recognition Banquet. The award is given to an individual, nominated by his peers, who exhibits excellence and leadership in the dairy industry.

Lang, an unassuming, down-to-earth farmer who loves his cows, is no stranger to awards.

Fairfield has been Woolworths’ Supplier of the Year for the past three years; taken the Gold and Diamond Arrow PMR awards for stimulating regional economic growth; and, last year, won the 2014 Food Review/Symrise New Product Competition for the string cheese it produces for Woolworths.

Lang began his agricultural career as a vegetable farmer in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. He then bought a herd of cows and started milking. His vegetables meant he had cemented relationships with various supermarket chains, so he offered them his milk.

Fortuitously, it was at this time that legislation was relaxing to allow in smaller players.

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Since there were only two major dairies supplying milk in Natal, Lang found himself in the right place at the right time.

He also did the right thing – he innovated. “We wanted to be different,” says Lang, “We wanted to stay ahead of the pack and lead rather than follow.”

Almost 25 years on, Fairfield Dairy employs 308 workers and processes 3.2-million litres of milk every month. Milk constitutes only about 22% of sales, with yoghurt more than double that.

Fairfield products also include soft cheeses, cream, smoothies, desserts and flavoured milks.

“All in all,” says Lang, “we have about 380 different product lines.”

And there’s no sign of things slowing down. With a partner, Andy Galliers, Lang has bought another farm in the lush Kamberg Valley.

Currently, it runs 1 200 Holstein cows. Lang is looking to grow that to 2 000, and for Fairfield to produce at least 60% of its own milk. “This gives us more security and more flexibility to control the flow of milk,” he says.

“We also need a herd of Ayrshires – as Woolworths’ requirements grow, so we need to increase supply.”

Fairfield’s annual turnover is in the region of R650-million, but Lang says the company is “not that big in the greater scheme of things. We don’t even have 2% of the market – we are small players compared to Danone, Clover and Parmalat. We see ourselves as a niche player.”

He is proud of Fairfield’s Innovation Centre, opened in 2013 and led by his daughter, Beth. The stringy Mozzarella cheese that won the product innovation of the year award is one of the centre’s many successes.

More recently, thanks to the public’s obsession with Banting, sales of full-cream products are on the increase and a new full-cream yoghurt range has been launched. A reduced-sugar range is also in the pipeline.

“We love Tim Noakes. We should probably send him a weekly hamper,” says Lang, who happily admits that his family eats plain Greek yoghurt, full-cream milk and lots of cream and butter, “and we are all in good shape”.

Lang is also passionate about sustainable farming. “In the past we used lots of chemical fertilizers, which did not create a particularly healthy environment for earthworms and microorganisms. We stopped this and planted clover, which has given the cows more palatable grass, with higher potassium levels,” he says.

“Over the past couple of years we have seen a difference in the structure of the soil – it is producing its own nitrogen. It’s very exciting.”

The farm has also introduced irrigation probes, which means water is applied more accurately,

“WE HAVE SEEN A DIFFERENCE IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE SOIL. IT IS PRODUCING ITS OWN NITROGEN. IT’S VERY EXCITING” with less waste, and a solid-separation system has been built, with the dung used for compost and the water for irrigation.

It’s important for Lang to contribute to conserving the environment. “We should hand our farms over in a better condition than when we got them. I believe that in our case we are making progress.”

dedication ambition vision

curiosity courage creativity resilience

It takes certain qualities to be an entrepreneur. One of them is curiosity: the need to constantly search for new answers, better answers, to age-old questions. It’s what made you wonder what you could accomplish if you started your own business, one of the many that keeps the economy of KZN flourishing.

As a proud sponsor of the Sunday Times FNB Shark Tank, FNB Business supports the answer-seeking entrepreneurs of KZN. We’ll continue to bring you the world’s most innovative banking, and South Africa’s best mobile banking*, to help you find those business solutions you seek.

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For more information on our business banking solutions, contact Andrew Hudson on 083 627 8767 or email hudsona@fnb.co.za. *As voted by the SAcsi Survey 2015 First National Bank - a division of FirstRand Bank Limited. An Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider (NCRCP20).

DEVELOPMENT

BAY OF PLENTY It’s time for the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone to convert promise into profit. CEO Pumi Motsoahae explains how his 50-year master plan will do just that TEXT: GREG ARDÉ PHOTOGRAPHY ABHI INDRARAJAN

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tories about industrial development zones have been knocking about for a while, big on promise and slow on delivery. Politicians like to wax lyrical about them, and the Richards Bay IDZ has been no exception.

Until this year, when it seems to have acquired a new lease on life, the Richards Bay IDZ signed a host of deals promising to turn a listless beast into a job-creating machine.

Former Transnet executive Pumi Motsoahae, CEO of the Richards Bay IDZ, is the first to admit IDZs have been associated with “underwhelming promises”. But now he and his team have a 50year master plan aimed at harnessing Richards Bay’s competitive advantages.

It has the country’s biggest port, with a 300m harbour entrance. It handles 44% of the country’s seaborne cargo and it is home to monster industries such as Foskor, Richards Bay Minerals, a coal terminal, aluminium smelters, AECI and Mondi.

Last year the government refined the IDZ laws, turning them into special economic zones (SEZs). Essentially, these are designated areas where the government bundles incentives to attract investors. For example, the corporate tax rate is almost halved, from 28% to 15%.

In Richards Bay there are disjointed parcels of land where the incentives apply. In the first phase, a 62ha plot near the waterfront unimaginatively named 1A, more than one million cubic tons of earth was compacted last year on hitherto unstable marshland. Now it is gated, fenced, plots are marked out, broadband

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has been laid and investors have secured 30-year leases, with rentals starting at around R6/m².

To cut a long and complicated story short, 1A already has committed investment of R362-million from industrialists, ranging from a PVC piping plant to solar and logistics companies. Construction has begun on two premises and should be complete this time next year.

Motsoahae and his team have been working determinedly on the Richards Bay SEZ longterm plan, recently endorsed by the provincial cabinet.

It is tricky terrain involving scores of competing stakeholders, from Transnet to the SA Revenue Service and the local municipality.

There are big environmental considerations in the heavily industrialised and polluted Richards Bay area. There is rapid urbanisation and some industries there are in distress. The Tata steel plant is in business rescue and one of the aluminium smelters has been decommissioned.

Motsoahae’s task has been to plan around that, harness existing, viable industry and lay the groundwork for new, sustainable enterprises that will still prosper when the subsidies disappear.

“There are enormous opportunities, but the landscape is complex. There is land, but it is disjointed, soft and marshy, and needs lots of re-engineering to elevate it above the highwater table, and to harden it before deploying supportive infrastructure such as roads and other utilities to service the site,” says Motsoahae.

“There are competitive advantages to being

in this area, but industries can only create jobs if they can make a profit and get their products to the market at the lowest production cost.

There are different phases to the plan, some running parallel. We want to maximise the metal beneficiation opportunities, especially in aluminium. We need to create more agroprocessing capacity. We have to optimise the port by looking at efficiencies and then a shiprepair facility. We have a 240ha site surrounded by water and we’ve seen what has been done abroad.”

Motsoahae says his team has also identified a 1 200ha site 20km north of Richards Bay, anchored around the N2, that has “sound development prospects”, far away from farmland and people. It can be used to lure heavy industry.

“At the end of the day, special industrial zones work. Look at Isithebe, it created 25 000 jobs.

But you have to plan comprehensively within a heavily regulated environment. Big investors need long-term projections,” Motsoahae says.

QUESTIONS: Enormous figures are bandied around about investments coming your way. What is guaranteed for the next year? How many companies, what investment in buildings, plant and machinery, and how many jobs?

The Richards Bay IDZ board has approved a pipeline of R8.3-billion of investment projects.

The portfolio covers renewable energy, metals beneficiation and manufacturing, covering five companies. Employment creation on Richards Bay IDZ’s own projects (infrastructure) was 1 800 construction jobs in the past year.

Estimated jobs to be created by the investment projects amount to 1 400 for construction and 900 operational jobs.

Twelve special economic zones are earmarked. Some are geographic and some

“THERE ARE ENORMOUS OPPORTUNITIES BUT THE LANDSCAPE IS COMPLEX”

sectoral, including one at Dube TradePort.

How will you distinguish Richards Bay, considering the sluggish economy and local competition?

Richards Bay possesses strong comparative advantages, given the existence of a deep-water port that has well-developed road and rail logistics. There is a strong industrial heritage and we have an array of opportunities. In the marine industry there are ship and boat repairs, servicing of oil rigs and taking advantage of the Mozambique linkages and oil exploration activities. We hope to establish agro-processing facilities for crop-drying, shelling/threshing, cleaning, grading and packaging. There is also scope for the beneficiation of pulp and woodrelated products. We would like to set up a techno hub and manufacture renewable energy items like solar panels and wind turbines.

We need to beneficiate materials from the existing aluminium and titanium smelters, and introduce other value-add to metals by fabricating products and creating electrical equipment, pipe and tube mills, and casting of iron, steel and nonferrous metals.

The Richards Bay IDZ offers investors a prime, secure, fully serviced industrial estate with a onestop-shop information service and a streamlined regulatory regime, with tax and duty-free incentives.

There is also a customs-secure area to expedite imports and exports. Other incentives are duty-free imports of capital equipment and raw materials, and VAT exemption.

You have an agreement for a R4.5-billion titanium dioxide plant, Nyanza Light Metals, on 65ha in Phase 1F. What has to happen for that to become a reality and what could derail it? There is also agreement around a R2-billion biomass power plant to generate 60MW on the same site. What needs to happen to make that a reality?

These projects are in the regulatory approval phase, including conducting environmental impact assessments, waste management and water-use licensing approvals. The Richards Bay IDZ provides support to these projects by ensuring quicker approvals.

Richards Bay has 26% of the world’s titanium.

What would you do to get the most out of that?

Establish a titanium beneficiation industry to manufacture components for the aerospace, medical and electronics sectors.

Brazil created 30 000 jobs in two years investing in shipyards to service offshore oil and gas finds. We have prospectors talking about massive oil and gas finds off Tanzania and Mozambique. How do we take that prospect from zero to hero?

Richards Bay is ideally located to service the oil and gas industries by establishing a marine manufacturing and repair hub.

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CORPORATE LEADER

OCEANS OF OPPORTUNITY Unilever SA chairman Peter Cowan presides over the country's best employer, with a reputation for doing the right thing TEXT GREG ARDÉ PHOTOGRAPHY VAL ADAMSON

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nilever South Africa’s headquarters is in a modern, state-of-the-art building on Umhlanga Ridge. It’s beautifully designed to let the light shine in and allow staff to soak in splendid ocean views.

It seems regimented at first: upon arrival you receive a notice with driving regulations for the complex. When you park, a red sign enjoins you to do so in gear, with your handbrake secure. And as you descend the stairs, a sign reminds you that it’s mandatory to hold the handrail.

The sense of foreboding this might invoke is dissolved on meeting Unilever SA chairman Peter Cowan. He’s a warm, genial fellow and he leads a business that is critical to Durban’s economy.

Unilever is a colossus, the world’s third biggest consumer goods company after Procter and Gamble and Nestlé. Around since the 1880s, Unilever has 172 000 staff (3 500 in SA) and global turnover of R720-billion last year.

Up there in the corporate stratosphere, you have to have order. You are responsible for hundreds of brands, millions of line items and a huge reputation.

In Durban, dealing with Unilever exposes you to a world of best practice, benchmarking and reputational risk.

Unilever people fervently guard the company name and everything it stands for. Everything appears well considered, from corporate governance to social responsibility.

A job at Unilever is coveted. The company has been voted South Africa’s top employer for the

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past two years. So you’re highly rated if you make it in the Unilever hierarchy.

Cowan’s casual demeanour belies an organised mind, well versed in successful systems.

The 61-year-old was born in Cape Town, but spent his formative years holidaying with his mom’s family in Durban. His grandfather was Paul Labuschagne, a pioneering mill doctor in Tongaat, and Cowan remembers accompanying him to dispense malaria tablets on sugar estates.

Cowan is not a crusader, but this childhood experience might have instilled a bit of Albert Schweitzer-style zeal in him.

He talks passionately about Unilever’s “brandwith-purpose” ethos. “The link is inextricable, not an addition. Our brands must touch people and improve their lives, they’re not just an add-on.”

For example, diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea stop 1.7-million children from reaching their fifth birthday. Hand-washing is one of the most effective and low-cost methods of preventing disease. So Unilever’s Lifebuoy “School of 5” campaign teaches children to wash their hands with soap on five key occasions in a day, such as after going to the toilet and before eating. It creates a lifelong habit (and a useful association with Lifebuoy).

Last year, Unilever hosted a hand-wash campaign in 25 schools and eight clinics. It reached 18 000 children.

Another example is Unilever’s global alliance with the World Toilet Organisation, to improve awareness of adequate sanitation. The “Cleaner

Toilets, Brighter Future” campaign saw the renovation of 24 primary school toilet facilities in South Africa in five years.

Unilever sponsors a host of enterprise initiatives globally and partners with NGOs such as Unicef and the World Wildlife Fund. It was also a major sponsor of Enactus, an organisation that encourages entrepreneurs. Cowan was a judge recently and two of the finalists were from KZN. The level of passion, skill and intellect, he says, was remarkable. “The Enactus World Cup, involving 36 countries, will be held in South Africa next month.”

Unilever’s purpose is to create a brighter future for all South Africans by improving the health, hygiene and nutrition of young children.

Cynics might say that’s enlightened self-interest: a brighter future means more sales.

“Of course it is about selling more products, but our brands can make a positive impact in society and we strongly encourage all our employees to support our vision … we are here to run a great business and build on the great legacy of our founders, but at the same time continue to build a sustainable and prosperous future for all stakeholders.”

Cowan works for a company that has a reputation for doing the right thing, with multiple stakeholders, for a long time. He studiously avoids personal aggrandisement, but you get the sense that while some people tick the boxes on social responsibility and sustainability, others, like Cowan, do it with heart.

“YOU REALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE AND BEHAVIOUR CAN SOMETIMES DRAMATICALLY AFFECT A COMPANY”

QUICK FACTS ABOUT PETER COWAN He started his career at Gilbeys in Stellenbosch, then worked for Johnson & Johnson in East London, the US, Australia and south-east Asia.

Aged 40, he was headhunted to work for the New Zealand Dairy Board in Wellington. He ran an international wine and spirits business in Sydney. He then took the helm of a mid-size beauty company in the Asia Pacific region. Unilever bought it.

He ran Unilever in the Philippines for two years, before taking the helm of Unilever SA two years ago. All in all, Cowan has worked in 11 cities on three continents.

Moving around, he says, has taught him resilience, how to adapt and to appreciate cultural nuance.

EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS “Working around the world in brands and corporate leadership has taught me valuable leadership lessons, particularly in the key areas of geographical and cultural diversity. You really need to understand how your leadership style and behaviour can sometimes dramatically affect a company, and individual motivation and output. Developing and refining your interpersonal skills is paramount, as is highly inclusive communication, collaboration and engagement.

Universally we want to be treated with dignity and respect, while having a true sense of belonging and wanting to feel included.”

ON HIS LOVE OF SPORT “It started at school. You cannot underestimate the fundamental skills you gain from participating in team-related sport. It teaches you the importance of teamwork, tactics, resilience, humility, how to bounce back from adversity and, above all, the magic feeling of winning. These are all extremely relevant in today’s competitive world.”

ON WORKING IN DURBAN “It’s a hidden gem with enormous economic potential to grow, attract investment and step up tourism. The harbour and surrounding infrastructure offer business easy access to international markets and domestic businesses. Unilever’s broad presence in Durban provides a compelling employee proposition and has continued to attract diverse and outstanding talent.”

ON FAMILY Cowan and his wife, Sue, live in Durban, but their three grown-up children are scattered overseas, as are many close friends and acquaintances.

ON REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT “In the past four years, a significant investment has gone into building new factories that utilise the latest, world-class green technologies. Our new factories, like the Indonsa factory in Riverhorse Valley, focus on carbon reduction, water neutrality and zero landfill.

The design of the Indonsa factory has become the Unilever blueprint for any dry-foods factory expansion worldwide.”

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BUSINESS

APPY DAYS Anice Hassim is working on the cutting edge of technology TEXT SHIRLEY JONES PHOTOGRAPHY VAL ADAMSON

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nice Hassim is a visionary on the planet of the apps. A thoughtful businessman, Hassim has made a point of acting local but going global, in the process giving his Durban company wings in the whirlwind world of technology.

“The real story is that we’ve been working with a number of large brands to bring their app presence to market. Apps like SuperSport came out of Durban from this team, Samsung, DStv and Computicket.”

We are midway through a two-hour discussion about the lightning-quick evolution of technology. IT entrepreneur, CEO and lead strategist of immedia, Hassim is opening up a world many find terrifying.

Immedia has grown into a multi-million rand enterprise that employs 40 developers, designers, technicians and strategy and support teams.

“When we started this journey, there were no app developers,” says Hassim. “Everyone thought apps were an extension of online.

There was a certain amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt. We went to our team and created capacity to be able to create apps, starting with Apple. Now we have moved on to most of the ecosystems.”

Hassim believes the future of technology lies in the tension between art and science – a belief he traces back to his childhood in the Grey Street Casbah as the son of author Aziz Hassim.

He completed matric with what seemed to be an incongruous collection of art and sciencebased subjects, and went on to study computer science. However, he graduated with an English major and began working as a journalist.

In 1995, he and a friend set up a

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communications company, Icon Summer. Its first client was an IT company, East Coast Access. Ultimately, the two merged to form immedia.

“We were on very separate tracks – there was the marketing, advertising, messaging and content industry, and then there was the networking and IT industry. One was very art and one was very science. We realised we could blend both.

“Today, we are a media ecosystem and everything has changed. But the problem is that it’s very dense and complex, so it’s easier to say we are basically a fully converged solutions provider that had its roots in art and science.”

In the early days, the concept of convergence was in its infancy. “In the early phases of any kind of revolution or technology, the guys with the deep and special skills are important.

Once the technology has been commoditised or become well enough understood, the application belongs to those who synthesise life’s experiences.

“At the end of the day, we are living in a human environment. Technology has to be accessible or it’s pointless. As technology matures, the people who synthesise it choreograph it to meet the more generalised skills set. I think that is the evolution we are seeing now,” he explains.

Hence Hassim’s belief that no single problem can be solved by one set of skills. Instead, the choreographer needs to understand the limitless potential of people and the “very limiting elements of technology, even though it might seem like magic”.

Then he has to overcome the fear of change.

“Most people don’t go too deep into change

because they find it uncomfortable. They are only pushed into it if they don’t have any choice. We prefer that our clients don’t wait for armageddon before they step into the future.

The reason many are reluctant is because they can’t have the future explained to them in a way that makes sense to them. The technology and the science can do what it says on the box, but how you apply that is a personality choice. It’s what’s right for you.”

What many don’t realise is that each business has a personality. This means technology choices and solutions are created by teams which can interpret those personalities, he adds.

Hassim smiles as he recounts how clients believe an app will solve their problems. “The answers are there, but are you prepared to make the change and embrace certain things to ensure the answers you choose for yourself become a reality? Most organisations don’t have that ability and believe buying a software program can solve everything. But if you don’t make the best use of it and consciously look at how you will use this change, then you are not going to leverage everything that is there.”

The strength of immedia is that it embraced change. In the early 2000s, the company began working with radio clients such as ECR, Jacaranda and KFM, changing their digital strategies.

By 2007, the iPhone was out. “We quickly realised that apps weren’t just another new extension of online. They were a completely new thing. They were a better medium and, within them, they actually converged and collapsed all of those ‘siloed’ things that were happening before.”

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BUSINESS

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here’s a natty little graphic doing the rounds on Facebook that sums up what a small but influential Durban IT business is doing. It shows how Uber is the largest taxi company, but owns no cars; Facebook is the world’s most popular media owner, but creates no content; Alibaba is the most popular retailer, but has no inventory; and Airbnb is the largest accommodation provider, but owns no property.

In a way, Autopilot is a representation of that idea: companies need workflow processes, but they needn’t own or implement them. Autopilot director Adam Shapiro and his team have built a tool to navigate the confusing paper and email trails that have dogged businesses forever.

It is a cloud-based workflow management system that makes automated business procedures and recurring tasks less complicated to set up and more straightforward to manage.

“We are talking to business owners and managers about solving their headaches. We are giving managers and business owners a bird’seye view of what’s going on – a dashboard and operational overview.”

These headaches, according to Shapiro, could see a small business owner chasing down email trails to get to the root of problems or sorting through piles of paper or computer files and folders to track down invoices, orders or delivery notes.

“If business practices are erratic and inefficient, you spend too much time fighting the chaos in front of your nose instead of spending the time looking at strategic things, like planning ahead and

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CRUISE CONTROL A software product developed in Durban helps businesses to run more smoothly TEXT SHIRLEY JONES PHOTOGRAPHY VAL ADAMSON

Hannes Bantjes (left) Adam Shapiro

improving the way you operate,” says Luke Smith, a member of the product team.

As he explains, even though the Autopilot solution has complex intelligence under the hood, it is user-friendly for the small business owner.

More importantly, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) cannot afford sophisticated solutions to streamline the flow of data through the business, standardise the way people and processes work, increase organisational efficiency and reduce operational costs.

Shapiro says a cloud-based system means no more on-site software, custom hardware requirements or costly user licences, no software maintenance and upgrades, and no need to be on the office network to access business data.

“Autopilot works across internet-connected devices. You can analyse and act on your business activities wherever you are, rapidly review what’s happening and what needs attention, and have peace of mind knowing things are going according to plan without hand-holding, and nothing is slipping through the cracks.”

As an entrepreneur himself, Shapiro has firsthand experience of running a small business.

His first venture was pilotfish, a software development company that he and three colleagues (including his current business partner, Hannes Bantjes) started in 2001 to build bespoke workflow solutions.

During the decade they spent in that market, they spotted a need for a leaner, self-setup product that was accessible to more types of businesses. In 2013, they began to make that a reality, and after two years of hard work Autopilot signed up its first customer in January.

Since then it has secured others, including a JSE-listed company.

One of Autopilot’s greatest challenges has been creating the array of workflow templates that enable companies to implement standard business, admin and service routines quickly.

“The forms, flows and schedules can be used as is, self-configured by customers or set up with assistance from the Autopilot support team, if required. It is aimed at businesses with between 10 and 50 employees, and can even facilitate seamless collaboration with outside service providers such as travel agents and logistics companies involved in company workflows,” he says.

Autopilot also offers a “corporate supplier and enterprise development pack”, which Shapiro says allows corporates to buy Autopilot licences for suppliers or SMMEs they are mentoring or developing.

So far, Autopilot has been marketed online via blogs and search-engine optimisation. Word-ofmouth has also helped, as has working closely with existing clients, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Microsoft.

“Our plan is to solidify things in Durban and then move out nationally, before taking Autopilot overseas. We want to reach African markets and start to sell in the United States,” Shapiro says.

SMALL WONDER T

he International Labour Organisation is involved in a host of projects in South Africa, including a sustainable enterprise development facility.

SPICE spoke to Valerie Flanagan, the facility’s chief technical adviser, who is working on a pilot in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State to create the “mother of all databases” for small, medium and micro enterprises.

What types of databases already exist and how many SMMEs are on them?

There are a vast number of databases that serve different purposes and needs but capture similar data.

They include government institutions and business associations. All of the organisations and institutions aim to provide information or support to SMMEs, and are guided by similar metrics. The SA Revenue Service would like all the businesses registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) to register and pay taxes. Likewise, the CIPC would like to have SMMEs register and pursue more formal business practices. The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) would like to ensure businesses become sustainable by implementing good business practices, such as having a business plan and implementing sound financial management systems.

Meanwhile, business associations are there to assist SMMEs in finding new markets through information-sharing and networking.

Who came up with the idea for this and why is it important?

The idea emerged out of the Sustainable Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) attempt to help the Free State economic development department understand the SMME landscape. Out of our enterPRIZE Challenge, which captures more comprehensive data about SMMEs online, we started working on developing a database platform that could provide a performancemanagement tool for the province, while at the same time enable them to deliver more demand-driven business development support.

How will it help SMMEs, municipalities, provincial and national government departments, the banks and other companies in the private sector?

The SMME register will provide all tiers of government with more information about the landscape of SMMEs in their specific geographic areas. This will help to inform

A new database should make it easier for SMMEs to find business and access finance policies around SMME development and ensure the government is more responsive to their needs. As the database develops, it will also help SMMEs to provide banks and other financial intermediaries with more information about their level of business formality, which may improve their risk profile. Ultimately, the aim is to provide private-sector companies with information about SMMEs from which they may be able to procure goods and services.

How will the information of an SMME be protected?

All contact details are encrypted. The data is also stored in a cloud that has its own security features, which means it can never be copied or stolen. Within the government, different hierarchies of access will be issued, which will prevent the use of the information by anyone other than authorised administrators.

How can SMMEs register?

They can go to www.sedfafrica.co.za. They will be directed to a page where they can enter their basic information before going on to the SMME questionnaire. The information is for statistical purposes only and will provide their local business advisers with an understanding of their needs. Later, once the system is fully functional, we hope to have the SMME register linked to a rating agency, which will also give SMMEs credit for implementing good business practices and becoming more formalised.

What have been the challenges in establishing this database?

The main challenges have been in getting the database to be as user-friendly as possible and not making it too onerous for SMMEs to answer the questionnaire. It’s challenging to get SMMEs to register, while at the same time empowering local business advisers to understand how to use the system and to start benefiting from the reports it can generate. We also still need to find better connections for SMMEs to access agencies and institutions in their local areas that can help with their business development needs. Each month, however, we are making progress in this direction, so we hope that SMMEs will soon be able to benefit from the services they can and should receive.

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INVESTMENT

TREASURE ISLANDS The Seychelles has joined South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland in East3Route, presenting KwaZulu-Natal with the opportunity to fuel trade and tourism across the Indian Ocean TEXT GREG ARDÈ PHOTOGRAPHY ABHI INDRARAJAN/TIKZN

NEVILLE MATJIE

T

he Blue Economy is a hip phrase that’s getting plenty of airtime. It refers to a book of the same name written

by Gunter Pauli, who proposes creating 100 million jobs in 10 years using 10 innovations, mainly through entrepreneurship, ecological sustainability and harnessing local connections.

Much was made of the benefits of the Blue Economy at a recent investment conference in the Seychelles, where members of the East3Route gathered to discuss areas of mutual interest. The East3Route is a collective conceived by the governments of South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland, and when it originated in 1998, it envisaged co-operation around the Lubombo area, where the three countries share a border.

East3Route has grown to incorporate the Seychelles, though it will not change its name.

The countries co-operate in areas of trade and tourism, and the Seychelles meeting saw KwaZulu-Natal businesses showcasing their products, even though there isn’t much trade between KZN and the Seychelles.

According to University of KZN economist Jennifer Houghton, KZN exports to the Seychelles in 2013, mainly appliances such as fridges and washing machines as well as wood and plastic products, amounted to R176-million.

Houghton says while the Seychelles economy isn’t big, island countries are significant importers and KZN should be “working very hard” to boost its exports to the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar.

Neville Matjie, the executive manager of strategy and operations for Trade and Investment KZN, says the sharing of economic development experiences in the areas of small-medium enterprises is core. Since 2012, the annual East3Route investment seminar has been held on a rotating basis to showcase trade and investment opportunities and provide a platform for engagement on tourism and related economic activities in the region.

“The acceleration of cross-border trade is the key element. This … directly translates into partnerships for economic growth and vibrancy in the tourism sector,” Matjie said.

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ALAIN ST ANGE is the minister of tourism in the Seychelles. He spoke to SPICE South African interest in the Seychelles has been significant in recent years, especially through the construction of Eden Island (an exclusive residential property development, near the capital of Victoria, worth R5-billion). What is your message to South African companies wanting to do business in your country?

Look at the success of Eden Island and the number of South Africans who have taken the Seychelles to heart and who have invested their future there. That says a lot about the natural partnership that exists between us. There are many areas of our economy that would benefit from South African expertise.

A number of KwaZulu-Natal firms have done business in the Seychelles.

How would SA firms (especially in the hospitality and tourism sector) go about exploring prospects in the Seychelles?

We have the Seychelles Investment Board that was established to assist foreign investors find their way in the Seychelles, and my ministry is also well positioned to offer advice and guidance.

The Seychellois are fiercely protective

of the islands’ natural treasures. You obviously regard that as integral to attracting tourists. How do you foster that culture?

Seychellois have an innate pride in their country and environment. Children are sensitised at school to the attributes of their country and there are many NGOs which do a great job sensitising the public to different aspects of our environment. There are also many television and radio programmes that touch on these matters. Every little bit helps.

In July, you credited KZN MEC for economic development Michael Mabuyakhulu for the success of the East3Route initiative, of which the Seychelles recently became the fourth member. What real benefits have the parties gained from the collaboration?

East3Route is an excellent example of Africa learning that partnerships and synergies are the way forward. We have opened each other’s eyes to what is possible through our respective investment forums and other networking opportunities. A number of memorandums have been signed and partnerships formed.

How many tourists visit the Seychelles every year, what nationalities account for the biggest proportions and what percentage are South African?

The tourist arrival figure for 2014 was in the region of 230 000. Our traditional European markets provide us with the lion’s share of visitors to the country, with 15.4% from Germany, 13.3% from France and 8.5% from Italy. What is remarkable is 12 866 people from South Africa came to the Seychelles in 2014, providing 5.5% of our visitors.

How long do tourists stay?

Some 1 206 visitors to the Seychelles were surveyed during the first quarter of 2015.

They spent a total of 11 970 bed-nights, indicating an average length of stay of 9.9 nights. Their total expenditure was SR6 586 314.

What is the general rate to fly on Air Seychelles return from Johannesburg?

There are three flights a week from the Seychelles to Johannesburg, with prices varying between SR7 500 and SR12 000, for a return trip, depending on the time of booking.

Is there anything in particular that KwaZulu-Natal and the Seychelles can share in the areas of hospitality and tourism?

As we both share the same ocean, this domain is a natural one for future partnership.

The Blue Economy is gaining traction and most certainly is an area we should look at, although our already close ties do not exclude partnerships in other areas of tourism, such as our new Seychelles Tourism Academy.

If you were to recommend to a visitor the top five things to do in the Seychelles, what would they be?

A visit to the legendary Vallée de Mai, home to the Coco de Mer; a stay on one of our coral islands to get a taste of the diversity on offer; a gastronomic adventure into the wonderful world of Seychellois, Creole cuisine; a cruise around the islands by boat to get a taste of the beauty of the archipelago; and a visit beneath the waves, either snorkelling or diving, to witness the extraordinary beauty of our underwater world.

KENNETH COLLINS is a KZN-born entrepreneur who runs Collins International, based in Durban. The group has diverse interests, including a significant property portfolio. Eight years ago it developed a 300-room lodge and 35 private villas on Desroches Island after securing a 70-year leasehold from the Seychelles government. Forbes magazine voted it one of the top 10 remote hotels in the world. SPICE spoke to Collins about his experience doing business in the Seychelles.

What was the key attraction of doing business in the Seychelles?

The Seychelles is a “new economy”, having only really made a drive to open up to foreign investment in the past 10 years. We wanted to be part of that growth. The Seychelles gets about 240 000 visitors a year, while the Maldives and Mauritius get in excess of two million each. The beauty of the Seychelles, in my view, surpasses its competitors, so it made sense that there is huge untapped potential.

You said previously that while the government was “unbelievably supportive”, working in such a remote area is painstaking because materials have to be flown in and nearly all the technicians were foreigners. What would your advice be to anyone doing business in the Seychelles?

Do your research and use the government agencies that assist with investment. They are very welcoming and efficient. Don’t try to take any shortcuts. It is a small business community and, as always when investing in another country, go about your business with humility and respect for the country you are investing in. South Africans tend to be a bit “gung-ho”, and with a proud nation like the Seychellois this is very important. Understand the challenges that you will face so you can plan for them.

You garnered great experience developing on a remote island. What did you learn about logistics, forward planning and selfsufficiency? A hell of a lot. You have to learn

about boats, planes and all the expensive things in life. Forward planning is the name of the game … three months to get anything onto the island is quick, so you just can’t go round the corner and buy something. It is about planning, planning and more planning.

Would you say there are any obvious, untapped opportunities on the east coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean island region? Yes. Gas and oil finds off the coast of Mozambique and Tanzania are great opportunities. The near-eradication of piracy is a big help. Mauritius is creating a bit of a financial hub, so things are moving in the Indian Ocean region. But as with Africa, there are challenges.

What opportunities do you think exist in the Blue Economy, and is the notion of locally sourced a pie-in-the-sky idea?

No, I don’t think it is pie in the sky. Your question is a double one. We believe there is an opportunity in what we deem a “Blue Safari”, whereby we will be doing a marine safari on the other island products we control. It will be like a game drive on water and over the reefs with experienced guides.

There is as much to see and experience on an island surrounded by coral reefs as there is in a Big Five game reserve, so this is a concept we will be introducing. On the Blue Economy, I do believe this is an opportunity for growth and interlinking between the various Indian Ocean regions, especially in tourism, shipping and financial services and tax havens.

September 2015

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COMMUNITY + MOTORING + RETREAT + VISION

RICH MAN, POOR MAN In his 49 years, Raymond Perrier has been a New York business superstar and a penniless Jesuit. Now he runs Durban's Denis Hurley Centre TEXT SHELLEY SEID PHOTOGRAPHY ROGAN WARD AND JACKIE CLAUSEN

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Raymond Perrier

W

HURLEY HARMONY

World Religions in Concert: A centenary concert in honour of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley At sunset on November 9, exactly 100 years since the birth of Denis Hurley, 800 people will gather in the refurbished mall between the cathedral and the new Denis Hurley Centre.

The muezzin will sing the call to prayer from the roof of the mosque; the bells of the cathedral will ring in reply; and the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra will respond with a specially composed overture. Be one of the 800 people joining the orchestra, massed choirs and children of different faiths for this unique and inspiring celebration. Booking is now open at Computicket.

edged between the Edwardian Emmanuel Cathedral, the imposing Juma Masjid Mosque and the buzzing Victoria Street Market, the Denis Hurley Centre gives life to the late archbishop’s vision of “community serving humanity”.

Hurley would probably chuckle at the irony that the man at the helm of the centre is Oxford graduate Raymond Perrier, a marketing whiz kid responsible for the death of Lion Lager, who threw it all in to become a Jesuit priest.

At the turn of the millennium, Perrier, 49, was running the New York office of Interbrand, the world’s most powerful brand consultancy. “I had more money than I could spend, it was just before 9/11, New York was at the peak of its confidence and I had a ‘what-am-I-doing-with-my-life’ moment.”

This led to him giving it all up and joining the Jesuits, a congregation within the Roman Catholic Church devoted to missionary and educational work. As a novice, he took the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Although his background was strongly Catholic (“three of my aunts are nuns”), Perrier had no affiliation with the Jesuits.

“But it seemed inevitable,” he says, “that I would go to the other extreme.”

One of his first placements was as a teaching assistant in Glasgow. “We were given pocket money.

I remember sitting in the playground and working out that this monthly stipend was what I used to earn per minute.”

Two of his six years with the Jesuits were spent in a Sudanese refugee camp. “It was like living in a parallel universe. There is this world and that world.

Very occasionally the worlds collided. At one point I was trying to raise money for a skills development programme. I wrote to a mate, the head of marketing at American Express, and said I needed $5 000 by the end of the week. I got it immediately.”

His business skills have been put to good use in his missionary work. It’s a question, he says, of how to make them work in a different situation.

Perrier first visited South Africa in 1993, when Rembrandt Group’s Johann Rupert asked for a meeting. He had read Perrier’s book, Brand Valuation (still regarded as the definitive text book on the value of branding).

“It sowed the seed for a love of South Africa,” says Perrier, who went on to consult with Absa, Tiger Brands and South African Breweries. It was at SAB that he advised the company to narrow its

focus – and that as part of the process it dump Lion Lager.

Although he left the Jesuits, he continued to work for the church, and in 2010 he accepted a job in Johannesburg as director of the Jesuit Institute of South Africa. In February he became director of the Denis Hurley Centre.

With his good hair, funky glasses and naughty sense of humour, Perrier is as unconventional as the building in which he sits. The glass and concrete Hurley Centre is singularly modern, uncompromisingly functional.

It has been built solely through gifts from a broad community, and according to Perrier there is nothing surprising in the fact that some of the largest donations came from a Muslim, or that clinical equipment came from a Jewish foundation.

“The land was sold to the Catholic Church by a Muslim 100 years ago. This centre is a symbol of Durban’s ability to show the rest of the world that faith groups can work together – we don’t have to kill each other. It has always been the case in Durban.

Not just peaceful coexistence, but collaboration.”

It is fitting that the centre should be in the heart of the inner city as a catalyst for all faiths to work together to serve and help the poor.

“When people talk about creating a museum here we say we already have a museum – this is a living legacy. Yes, we will tell the story of what Denis Hurley did, but we connect what he did with what we are doing today. It’s almost an insult to his memory if we don’t.”

LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS

Perrier’s parents were born in India and married in the UK. His father worked in market research and his mother was a teacher.

He decided to take the job in Durban because he always wanted to live by the sea.

His three priorities at the Denis Hurley Centre are to create ways for people of different faiths to work together, to find creative ways to help the poorest in the city and to help the poorest and the richest see each other as fellow citizens.

He lives at North Beach and swims every morning.

His favourite things about Durban are the sunrise over the Indian Ocean, the food, the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra and learning to be “an Indian”.

September 2015

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27

MOTORING

COOL SQUARED With the new XC90, Volvo has finally shed its reputation for making conservative, boxy cars TEXT MASOOD BOOMGAARD PHOTOGRAPHY ROGAN WARD

L

et’s face it, Volvo was never a name you associated with words like “cool” and “sexy”.

In fact, the Swedish cars have been the complete opposite of sexy. They were conservative, safe boxes driven by older white gentlemen who went fly fishing. All this, however, has changed.

Speak to Volvo Umhlanga’s brand manager, Tony Halstead, and you’ll see his eyes light up with excitement when he talks about the new Volvo image, best manifested in the XC90, an SUV that has been named car of the year by Auto Express and Women on Wheels. Expect more accolades, as the XC90 is a handsome, sophisticated beast that has its German rivals shaking in their boots.

The XC90 is just what Volvo needed. “Its launch is, in fact, the relaunch of Volvo as a global luxury brand,” says Halstead. “The XC90 is the first model of many to come to use the new SPA (scalable platform architecture) and the Thor Hammer headlight design architecture, with floating grille. This, and the new uncluttered interior design philosophy, is the hallmark of all future models.”

With the XC90, Volvo has upped the brand’s cool factor without alienating its traditional support base.

“Volvo is unique, and has never followed other manufacturers,” says Halstead. “Safety, quality

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September 2015

and the environment have been, and always will be, Volvo’s core values. However, what has changed the face of Volvo is its ‘designed-aroundyou’ philosophy. Everything starts with people.

Designed around you is Volvo’s mission to make people’s lives easier, simpler, safer and better. It’s the Volvo way, and the result has been cooler cars.”

He says the XC90’s design is beautiful and simple, using the highest-quality materials. In other words, luxury has been redefined.

The range is powered by Volvo’s new Drive-E engines, which are powerful, compact and efficient.

Drive-E combines the low fuel consumption and emissions of a four-cylinder, two-litre engine with the handling and performance of a six- or eightcylinder, resulting in a smooth, powerful ride – with fewer stops at the pump.

Next is Sensus, which is Volvo’s philosophy behind all technologies that connect people to their cars and the world around them. Each feature is thoughtfully designed, allowing you to control and personalise every aspect of the drive. Featuring a reimagination of traditional in-car controls, the XC90 driver interface is based on tablet-like touchscreen technology and an intuitively tiled menu system. The result is a dashboard with just eight buttons.

Volvo’s Sensus control system delivers a range of useful cloud-based applications and services which can be operated via the touch screen, through steering wheel controls or using the voice control system.

With Intellisafe, the XC90 encapsulates a host of safety features and delivers two world firsts – run-off road protection, and auto brake at intersections, and includes features such as active high-beam, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot

“DRIVING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, I FELT LIKE A PRESIDENT” information system, lane-keeping aid, cross-traffic alert, collision-warning alert, pedestrian and cyclist detection, park-assist pilot, graphic headsup display and a 360-degree camera.

Finally, the XC90 is a true seven-seater, built for adults, and with ample load space.

And how does it compare to previousgeneration models? “Driving it for the first time, I felt like the president of a country,” says Halstead.

“There is no comparison to previous models.

Words cannot describe the feeling of sheer luxury and the feeling that you are protected against every eventuality. The controls are intuitive and easy to master, giving you complete control over all functions without being distracted from driving.”

RETREAT

ANNIE’S PLACE Built for the prime minister’s wife in 1920, the perfectly preserved Botha House is now run as a boutique South Coast hotel TEXT SHELLEY SEID

L

egend has it that sometime in the early 1900s Prime Minister Louis Botha, while admiring the views on the KZN South Coast, turned to his friend, sugar baron Sir Frank Reynolds, and said, “I’d like to put up a small cottage for Annie”.

There was nothing modest about the holiday retreat Reynolds began building in 1919 as a gift for the prime minister and his wife. Set on an elevated piece of land, metres from the shoreline, construction began on a Cape Dutchstyle mansion. Behind it lies Umdoni Park, 210 hectares of indigenous coastal forest, presented to the public by Sir Frank.

Three months into construction, Botha died.

Sir Frank was undeterred and by May 1920 the house was ready, furnished with teak pieces made to order in Durban, carpets from Parker, Wood and Co, crockery from Harrods and cutlery from Mappin and Webb.

Annie Botha travelled to the coast a month later and was presented with the house. When she died in 1937, it became available for use by all future prime ministers. Today, Botha House is open to the public, and run by Lynne and Tony Hallett.

Were you convinced from the outset there was a market for a product like Botha House?

Yes. It had been very low-key before we took over seven years ago. Initially we wanted to market it only for golf tours – it’s alongside the highly rated Umdoni Park Golf Course. But then we realised the interest in the market for accommodation that is not the standard hotel experience.

Why does it work?

The privacy and peace are very attractive. We have

six double rooms, so we can only accommodate 12 people. In front of the house is a tidal pool that was built for Mrs Botha’s use, as well as the remains of the old changerooms. The fishing off the rocks is very good at that spot.

What makes it different?

People are intrigued by the story. They enjoy old homes. All the furniture is original and was made for the house. Whether you are walking up the magnificently carved wooden staircase, sitting in the lounge or standing on the upstairs landing, your eye will be drawn to the dark teak furniture and the large oil portraits. The two deluxe rooms upstairs, that housed heads of state, are massive, with verandas offering views across the ocean.

Has your occupancy grown?

It has more than tripled over the past seven years.

Are guests coming back?

We get plenty of return business, with people coming back for the golf or because they particularly enjoy the house.

Average duration of stays?

A weekend is the norm, but we also have people staying for four or five nights. We have had a number of overseas guests who stay for two weeks.

What recurring feedback do you get?

Guests always mention the tranquillity, and special attention from the staff, most notably our assistant manager, Charles Pillay, who has been here for 18 years. His father worked at Botha House for 40 years and met all the presidents and prime ministers up to 1994.

How do you hit the “service” balance between privacy and attention?

There is a fine line. We are on site all the time, answering questions about what to do in the area and about the history of Botha House.

Describe your typical client.

We attract the more mature client, and we get a lot of golfing groups.

Oddest request or behaviour?

We had a family book out the entire house because they wanted to hold a Downton Abbey weekend.

They all dressed appropriately for dinner.

Particular point of pride?

We are proud of the pristine condition of the house, and that we have kept alive the style and spirit of the era.

Don’t miss?

The forest walks, the beach walks and Nancy Pillay’s curries. She is Charles’s cousin and our housekeeper. If people request dinner in advance we can arrange for her excellent Durban curry.

Had any celebs popping in lately?

In the old days we had cabinet ministers, of course. These days we get film crews and radio personalities.

What else particularly deserves a mention?

This is the perfect venue for a grand wedding.

Rack rate?

From R730 per person, bed and breakfast, for the deluxe room.

Botha House, 1 Don Knight Avenue, Pennington, 039-975-1227

September 2015

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29

FAVOURITE PLACES

HOME TALK Eric Apelgren, eThekwini’s head of international and governance relations, on why he loves Durban TEXT SIPHILISIWE MAKHANYA PHOTOGRAPH THULI DLAMINI

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September 2015

What is your favourite place in Durban?

The beachfront.

Where do you relax in the city and how?

At the beachfront and at The Chairman in Mahatma Gandhi Road. I cycle, swim and listen to music.

Where do you like to meet your friends?

At the BAT Centre on the Victoria Embankment, the Rainbow restaurant and jazz club in Pinetown and the KZNSA Gallery in Glenwood.

Which are your favourite restaurants?

The Corner Café in Glenwood for the best cappuccino and friendly staff. It opens at 7am, so I can drop my son at school, grab a coffee and get to work on time. I also like the Habesha Café Ethiopian restaurant in Glenwood. I enjoy engaging with the owner about his life in Ethiopia.

If you were to show a visitor to KZN three places, where would they be?

The Moses Mabhida Stadium for its diverse entertainment; Stainbank Nature Reserve in Yellowwood Park for its strong mix of nature, history, art and heritage; and the Warwick markets for their amazing energy, colours, smells and bargains.

What place in KZN brings back your best memories?

Treasure Beach on the Bluff – fishing with my dad and learning how to swim and body surf with my friends from Wentworth.

Where do you go for peace and solitude?

The Bluff Headland, where you can occasionally see dolphins and whales.

What is the best place for families in KZN? uShaka Marine World Which is your favourite building in Durban?

The Emmanuel Cathedral, sitting side by side with a mosque. It illustrates and celebrates Durban’s diversity. It’s also now home to the Denis Hurley Centre, which provides care for the inner city’s destitute citizens and migrants.

If you could redesign Durban, what would you include?

I would bring back trams. I would also redesign the city so people break free from their cultural and racial boxes.

What is your favourite place in Durban?

My 120-year-old wood and iron house in Seaview, with its mango, litchi, banana and pawpaw trees.

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KWA Z U L U - N ATA L

Exploring our Hidden Gems...

A myriad of towns that colour an already picturesque landscape, blend into a melting pot, creating the breathtakingly unique province of KwaZulu-Natal, complete with its own African flavour.

Exceptionally rich in cultural heritage and featuring two amazingly scenic World Heritage Sites, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park... This is the Zulu Kingdom.

Sunshine, blue skies and warm waters all year round that let you indulge every priceless coastal pleasure.

If the perfect combination of luxurious seaside getaways and beaches that beckon along an enticingly beautiful coastline is what you seek, look no further than the Zulu Kingdom.

Magic every minute - This is what falling in love with our Zulu Kingdom is all about... Exceptional.

Tourist Junction Building: +27 (0) 31 366 7500 Fax: +27 (0) 31 305 6693 Airport Office: +27 (0) 32 436 0013 V&A Cape Town Office: +27 (0) 21 418 1684

www.zulu.org.za

Johannesburg Office: +27 (0) 11 390 1000 Customer Care: 0860 101 099 uShaka Marine World: +27 (0) 31 337 8099 Email: info@zulu.org.za