Block by block and street by street, Port Elizabeth’s historic Central is steadily being reclaimed and regenerated as a vibrant hub of live-work-and-play activity, housing students, young professionals, creative and professional businesses and tertiary education institutions as well as popular tourist attractions.

The Eastern Cape will get a R2,7bn a year boost with the construction of a R4,2bn manganese smelter in the Coega industrial development zone, but much of the benefit will be limited to the Nelson Mandela Bay metro area.