Gqeberha: We Need to Fix the Basics Before Dreaming Big
Port Elizabeth — now Gqeberha — has certainly seen better days.
It’s become something of a local tradition to make the wrong decisions and let opportunities pass us by. Our city is not short on potential — we have a stunning coastline, well developed industrial base, and amazing people. But time and again, we’ve failed to adapt, to lead, and to learn.
When the global feather market collapsed in the early 1900s, we didn’t pivot. Instead of building on our strategic advantages, we allowed our early prosperity to fade. The 1970s brought more pain, as we lost our competitive edge in the automotive sector. Once a proud hub for auto manufacturing, we suffered blow after blow — the downsizing and eventual departure of Ford, the slow unraveling of Delta, and a broader failure to lock down our role as the motor city of the country.
We’ve watched other sectors wither too: leatherworks, wool processing, canneries. All industries that once powered the local economy disappeared without much sign of a serious public or private effort to transition, retool, or reimagine what the next generation of work could look like in our city.
Fast forward to the late 2000s — a decade marked by political instability, neglect of critical infrastructure, and general policy paralysis. When the 2008 global financial crisis hit, Gqeberha staggered. But while other cities eventually bounced back, we never quite did.
The 2010s brought a wave of property developments — Wedgewood, Crossways, Kings Court, Baywest. Each promised to usher in a new era of growth. But none have delivered on the full promise. Many still struggle to find sustainable traction, burdened by weak investor confidence, poor urban integration, and broader economic malaise.
Then came COVID-19. The world hit pause. Remote work surged. Cities and towns across the globe scrambled to position themselves as havens for talent and investment. Gqeberha should have been a frontrunner: affordable property, beautiful coastline, strong suburban lifestyle, a lower cost of living than Joburg or Cape Town. But once again, we fumbled. Instead of seizing the opportunity, we were mired in loadshedding, rising crime, deteriorating infrastructure, and a worsening homelessness crisis.
Now, we’re faced with a new era of uncertainty: global trade wars, political instability, the AI revolution, coalition governments, and climate disruption. The question is: will we finally learn from our mistakes?
We like to talk about smart cities, tech hubs, green energy clusters. And we should be thinking big. But none of that matters if we don’t sort out the basics first.
A close friend and fellow economist put it to me recently using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You can’t expect a person to chase self-actualisation if they’re hungry or unsafe. The same goes for cities. Gqeberha can’t talk about economic transformation until it meets the basic needs of its residents and business community.
Here’s where we need to start:
- Safety first: Without personal safety and proper law enforcement, nothing else works. People leave. Investment dries up. Communities disintegrate. We need real, consistent efforts to address crime — not just more patrols, but serious social and infrastructural support to rebuild public confidence and community trust.
- Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure: Gqeberha is crumbling — from roads and sewerage to water supply and electricity. You cannot grow a local economy, attract investors, or even run a household properly if basic infrastructure is unreliable. This should be a non-negotiable priority.
- Public transport: Fixing our city’s public transport system is a monumental challenge — but it’s non-negotiable. The long-delayed and beleaguered Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) must be resolved, whether through reform, relaunch, or replacement. But more critically, we must confront the mountain that is the taxi industry.
For too long, the city has been held ransom by lawlessness, intimidation, and a lack of political will. This cannot continue. We need firm enforcement of the law, the imposition of reasonable operational standards, and a commitment to integrating the taxi industry into a safe, regulated, and modern transport framework.
Doing so will not only benefit commuters — it will also bring long-term stability, support, and legitimacy to responsible taxi operators. Without safe, affordable, and reliable transport, the city simply doesn’t work. - Housing: Our focus must shift to better implementing existing zoning laws and rationalising urban development patterns. The affordable housing backlog is massive, and we need to double down on enabling medium- and high-density developments that are well located and integrated with infrastructure.
But it’s not just about building more units — it’s about building better. The city must focus on developing sustainable, self-contained, and desirable suburbs — places where people not only have shelter but also access to schools, clinics, public transport, shops, and safe public spaces. We need to stop thinking about housing in isolation and start designing entire communities.
We should also look beyond our borders — to countries that have successfully implemented scalable short-term housing models to tackle homelessness and housing insecurity. These examples can offer creative, pragmatic solutions for delivering housing that upholds dignity, affordability, and integration.
Only once we’ve rebuilt the foundation can we start thinking about the future we want. Yes, our city needs big ideas. But those ideas must be grounded in the realities we face. Before we turn to ambitions around new industries, future technologies, or smart city dreams, we need bold, practical solutions to our most urgent and long-standing problems.
Fix the basics — then build the future.
