Latest news with #GlendaPerumal
Mail & Guardian
08-08-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
MBDA celebrates women who shape city's future
MBDA Board Chair, Glenda Perumal. The Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) joins the nation in celebrating Women's Day on 9 August 2025 to honour the contributions of women who are helping to shape the social, economic and physical fabric of Nelson Mandela Bay. As an agency mandated to drive urban renewal and inclusive development, the MBDA recognises that the future of any city depends on the full and equal participation of all its people. This means elevating the voices of women in every aspect of planning and implementation. Over the years, women's voices have shaped some of the MBDA's most meaningful projects. 'Women bring a vital perspective to urban development,' says Glenda Perumal, Chair of the Mandela Bay Development Agency Board, 'especially when it comes to safety, access, sustainability and community cohesion.' This understanding is reflected across the MBDA's leadership. The agency's Operations arm is led by women, driving some of the Bay's most complex infrastructure and urban renewal projects. Key portfolios such as Psychosocial Development, Special Projects, Risk and Audit, the Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre and others also benefit from female leadership. At governance level, the value of inclusive leadership is powerfully conveyed by Perumal. 'Being entrusted with this role in the city where I was born and raised is deeply meaningful to me. I understand the challenges our communities face from my own lived experience,' she says. 'Serving on this board means being able to guide decisions that affect the people of my city. I'm committed to ensuring that our work is both visionary and grounded in the everyday needs of our residents. It's a responsibility I carry with pride and care.' Her thoughts are echoed by fellow Board Member, Pinky Kondlo, who emphasises the need for a forward-thinking mindset: 'In every decision we make, we need to think long term. A development mindset means always asking how today's actions contribute to building tomorrow's opportunities. Women bring a powerful lens to that kind of thinking because we often hold a dual view that is both strategic and deeply human. That balance is essential to making development work.' The importance of women's leadership is clear to the MBDA's Operations Executive, Zinhle Thwala-Zulu, who oversees key construction and infrastructure projects: 'When we plan and deliver our projects, we shape how people live in the city,' she explains. 'On site, every decision matters. We have to think about timelines, quality, safety and a whole host of other factors. I make sure we deliver what's been promised, while also paying attention to the impact on the surrounding community. This requires technical skills and an understanding of how every decision affects people's daily lives. Our processes have to be embedded in community needs.' On the ground, women lead with community impact efforts. Lerato Muzah is the MBDA's Project Manager for Psycho-Social Projects. 'My role is about understanding people: their hopes, their challenges and their environment. Development has got to include that human element, otherwise it risks missing the point. People's well-being cannot be separated from it. Progress depends on how safe and connected people feel in their neighbourhoods, and in my experience, women are often the first to notice these changes in their communities.' Similarly, the Agency's Special Projects Manager, Isabel Myburgh-Vumazonke, highlights how the MBDA champions the drive to entrench culture and identity in development projects. 'Our city's identity matters. Whether I'm working on a heritage project or promoting creative industries, I try to make sure projects speak to where we've come from and where we're headed. The aim is to create spaces and projects that people connect with.' Behind the scenes, accountability is strengthened by the work of the Risk, Internal Audit and Compliance Manager, Tembela Bacela. 'My job is to help the organisation stay accountable to ensure clean governance. That means being alert, thinking critically and helping management to see risks and mitigate them effectively.' Female leadership extends to agency-operated sites, namely the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre. Managing stadium operations demands precision and teamwork, and the leadership team aims to deliver excellence to the city and to visitors alike. 'Every partnership or booking is an opportunity to enhance the stadium's economic role,' says Commercial Head, Zizipho Makwabe. 'I focus on creating value for the stadium and for the wider community. We all benefit if the stadium is a vibrant and busy place.' Singathwa Poswa, Research, Innovation and Sustainability Manager at the Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre, feels strongly about the role of her team in supporting young people in Nelson Mandela Bay. 'I want every young person who walks into the Nelson Mandela Bay Science and Technology Centre to feel like they belong in science, especially girls. We envision the centre as a vibrant hub of STEM, innovation and skills development, where young minds are empowered to explore, create and grow. Our focus is on building confidence and curiosity about the knowledge and opportunities that this kind of learning opens up. Exposure to the possibilities that STEMI careers offer can change the direction of a young person's life in fundamental and exciting ways.' 'Honouring Women's Day also means recognising that there remains much to be done,' concludes Perumal. 'We cannot build a thriving, inclusive city without weaving women's experiences and ideas into its blueprint.'
Mail & Guardian
01-07-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Revamped World of Windows venue unveiled at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Revamped World of Windows venue unveiled at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. A new era begins for Nelson Mandela Bay's premier event space as the revamped World of Windows opened its doors to an audience of key stakeholders at an official launch to market on Friday, 13 June 2025. The uncharacteristically balmy winter evening allowed the venue to show itself off to its best advantage as guests mingled inside and enjoyed the late afternoon sun on the promenade overlooking the North End lake. The World of Windows has been thoughtfully renovated to create a comfortable and elegant space suitable for a wide variety of events and activities. Mandela Bay Development Agency Board Chair, Glenda Perumal, praised what she called 'the most beautiful stadium'. Representing the operator of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, she spoke of the MBDA's pride in the unveiling of the new venue, and of the stadium itself. 'Council in 2016 tasked the MBDA with a mandate to lessen the cost of the stadium by developing alternative revenue streams and commercial opportunities. At R2.3 billion invested, it is the biggest and best facility in our metro. We have successfully seen a number of major events hosted at our stadium – 46 within this financial year, including the inaugural Home of Legends Cup, which saw the best football clubs in Africa on our pitch. Bafana Bafana met the Republic of Congo in an African Cup of Nations qualifier, bringing record attendance of almost 40 000 spectators.' She continued: 'Events of this calibre do not simply happen by themselves. They are the result of sustained and deliberate efforts on the part of the stadium management and the Mandela Bay Develop Agency teams.' In attendance at the event were Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development, Agriculture and Tourism, Bassie Kamana, and Councillor Sinebhongo Kwatsha, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, as well as tourism, event and hospitality industry leaders. Shaun van Eck, a well-known figure within tourism circles currently representing Discover Nelson Mandela Bay, conveyed his excitement at the unique experience offered by the World of Windows as a venue. He praised the innovative use of space, and the venue's imposing window wall as the special, unique element that would give the stadium a unique competitive advantage. Raaziq Poole, Executive Stadium Manager, expressed his pride and excitement in the launch of the space. 'Everything you see here was completed by local suppliers from Nelson Mandela Bay – from design and manufacturing to installation. This is a proudly local project, rooted in our community and driven by our shared ambition to make the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium truly our stadium,' he said. The venue now offers 700 square metres of event space. It is designed to be flexible and dynamic – a multi-purpose space to host everything from live entertainment to conferences, exhibitions, product launches and more. 'This particular event space is the tangible outcome of our vision to transform the stadium precinct into the city's next premier tourism product and an entertainment hub. We believe the stadium hub has immense potential to attract mega-events in future.' Poole praised the foresight of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in its vision for the stadium precinct. 'Their decision to entrust the MBDA with the maintenance, development and commercialisation of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was done with the intention that this facility would become self-sustaining and economically impactful.' Perumal summed up proceedings: 'This stadium belongs to all of us as the people of Nelson Mandela Bay. A busy stadium is good for the economy, and in turn, good for all of us. We hope that you choose to do business with this beautiful stadium of ours.'
Mail & Guardian
30-06-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Helenvale celebrates grand opening of Extension 12 Play Park
MBDA - Helenvale Celebrates the Grand Opening of Extension 12 Play Park. The Helenvale community welcomed the official opening of the Extension 12 Play Park in Allan Heights. Community members joined the executive leadership of the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA), including Board Chair Glenda Perumal, Vuyani Dyantyi, Mxolisi Moolman, Khwezi Ntshaynyana and MBDA CEO Anele Qaba, Ward Councillor Pieter Hermaans, and the City's Deputy Executive Mayor, Gary van Niekerk, to mark the opening and kick off a day of activity in the park. Qaba made his pleasure at being on site today clear, noting the bustle of residents and youth who joined the opening. 'This project has been close to our hearts. We were tasked to deliver for all communities, and we are very happy to have worked with the community of Helenvale to make a place like this,' he said. 'This work was not done in isolation. Community voices helped shape and guide the project from the start.' This community facility is an intervention of the SPUU programme (Safety and Peace Through Urban Upgrading) – a multi-disciplinary programme consisting of both infrastructure and socio-economic projects aimed at increasing safety and peace in the community of Helenvale, funded via the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and KfW Development Bank of Germany. The development of the park is aimed to provide a safe, open play space for the children and youth of Extension 12 in Helenvale. The project work included the construction of a seated pavilion area, paved pathways, a soccer and netball court, play area and a gym facility. Civil works began on-site in 2023, with landscaping, fencing and finishing touches on-site completed by locally contracted SMEs. The project was handed back to the city at the end of 2024. Collaboration on-site included co-operation with the SAPS and Metro Police, in terms of the site safety strategy, and the mobilisation of community safety via the Ward Committee, Stakeholder Forums and other engagements. Yolanda Jassen spoke on behalf of the community to thank the project team for the care taken to engage, listen and involve the community at every turn. 'We felt it was a partnership,' she says, 'and the project reflects what the community wanted and needed.' She identified lighting as the next issue she wanted to see tackled as a resident. Nita Goss, also a resident of the area, said she was glad that there was now a safe space where children and the youth could play. 'This is a busy area. This project has taken what was a dump site and turned it into a place that will bring the children safely off the streets. It's place that we can use as residents, and we are very happy to see it open now.' The launch day saw the youth of the area participate in a soccer tournament, and the painting of a colourful rock garden begin on-site. Perumal was pleased to be part of the celebrations. 'It's a pleasure to be here today – not only as a representative of the Board that oversees the Mandela Bay Development Agency, but as someone who believes deeply in the value of public infrastructure that changes lives.' She said that as Board Members, their role was to ensure that the Agency worked with integrity, accountability and impact. 'This park is an example of what happens when vision, planning and strong partnerships come together. We are proud of what has been achieved here, and we are reminded why we do this work: to bring dignity, safety and joy to every part of our city.'
