Industry expresses high hopes for Jhb bridge

THE recently-opened Nelson Mandela Bridge will not only make a major contribution to the traffic network in Johannesburg but will also bring additional tourists to the city. So believes Aggrey Klaaste, chairman of The Johannesburg Tourism Company, who says the importance of the bridge as a catalyst for tourism advancement should not be underestimated. “It will link the tourism nodes and facilities of central Johannesburg and Sandton, arguably the two key nodes in the city,” he says. Klaaste says the Johannesburg Tourism Company applauds Blue IQ and the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), for its initiation of the Nelson Mandela Bridge project and for bringing it to fruition so successfully. He points out that, situated as it is, the R85m bridge is the gateway to the Johannesburg CBD and to Blue IQ’s R300m inner-city renewal project that focuses on developing Newtown as the arts, music, crafts and cultural centre of Johannesburg. “The bridge will get people into the heart of the city and open up Newtown with all its cultural venues,” he says. “In this regard, I subscribe to the view that the Nelson Mandela Bridge could become the physical icon of “Brand Johannesburg,” as Table Mountain is of Cape Town, the Eiffel Tower of Paris and the Statue of Liberty of New York,” says Klaaste. “Johannesburg has historical and vibrant Soweto, a man-made forest, the Cradle of Mankind, a nature reserve within the suburbs and buildings of historic architectural value. But in more than a century of history we have lacked one crucial asset: an internationally recognisable landmark.” That, he believes, will now change. “Around the world Nelson Mandela is a living icon symbolising the best of South Africa and the bridge named after him could well become the landmark that people everywhere will instantly associate with Johannesburg,” concludes Klaaste. (Adéle Mackenzie)