NMBT CEO celeb road show doccie released
01 June 2011
In December last year, Johannesburg-based editor of the South African branch of the sexy, tongue-in-cheek, men’s lifestyle magazine, FHM, Hagen Engler and his high-flying wife Nomfundo, events coordinator for high-profile company Omage, were invited by NMBT to experience the city as tourists.
A five minute documentary was shot on the couple’s experience of the changing face of the city with NMBT’s chief executive Mandlakazi Skefile. It has recently been released online and on YouTube and may be screened as a short on SABC in the coming future, said Skefile.
Another short documentary was shot when internationally renowned South African performer PJ Powers jetted into Nelson Mandela Bay in April 2011 for the second instalment of CEO Roadshow, hosted by Skefile.
A short documentary of Powers’ visit is also being edited and will be released next month.
The Englers were invited because of their age, high profile and lifestyle, said Skefile. “We want to promote the city as a destination for trendy, young go-getters who need to escape the stresses of big city-life. They also epitomise the quintessential new South African couple who promote nation-building.”
Using celebrity locals to promote the city both raises the profile of the Bay and gives the story of their trip to Nelson Mandela Bay national appeal, added Skefile.
The organisation is targeting other use home-grown celebrities to assist in marketing the city amongst whom are “Bay born-and-bred” Zolani Mahola from South African Afro-pop group Freshly Ground and singing sensations Zwai and Loyiso Bala. The initiative will also target other celebrities like Gareth Cliff and Simphiwe Dana and run until December 2011, she said.
The snapshot video, “24-hours with FHM editor in Nelson Mandela Bay” is part of a more engaging multi-media approach to destination marketing in line with global trends and making engaging use of the exciting social media platform,” said Skefile.
Watch the video on YouTube!
Hagen and Nomfundo: Celeb couple escape to a ‘city in the country’
OLD haunts, familiar faces, and that particular feeling of ‘same, same but just a little different’ – there is nothing quite like being footloose on your old stomping ground.
Regardless of what has changed, time and space away always give fresh perspective when re-visiting an old home town. It’s either you who is different – or the place. In it, perhaps everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia.
But, perhaps too, there are new experiences to add to the arsenal of a walk down memory lane whilst traversing an old space made new by vantage point, age, experience – and life in general.
This is what celeb couple, Hagen Engler and his wife Nomfundo – both Port Elizabeth-born “ex-pats” living it up in the Big Smoke – felt when they jetted down from Johannesburg for a two-day escape in the laid-back city.
Port Elizabeth (PE), along with Uitenhage and Despatch, is part of Nelson Mandela Bay, one of South Africa’s metropolitan municipalities. Port Elizabeth is a city like no other in South Africa. It may be thought of as a full-fledged city, but the lifestyle is so easy, everyone who lives here still calls it a town.
And for the Englers this is ‘hometown’ – a place 15 minutes to anywhere, a sense of community so tangible, strangers are greeted as neighbours – Nelson Mandela Bay is a small city with a big heart.
It’s lush and leafy, has amazing inner city sanctuaries like Settler’s and St Georges Parks, endless kilometres of beach on a diverse coastline where horse-riding meets sailing, its perimeter is laced with quaint small-holdings, cottage-style coffee shops and natural splendour everywhere – and the people are deemed its greatest asset.
Though clouds plump with rain rolled into the Bay when the Englers arrived, little could dampen high spirits and the instant reprieve the city’s country feeling inspired.
Hagen, editor of popular men’s lifestyle magazine FHM grew up in the PE suburbia; and his sassy socialite wife, Nomfundo, champion events coordinator for high-profile, Omage, originally calls one of Port Elizabeth’s sprawling townships, Motherwell, her “ekhaya”.
Hotshots with humble beginnings, the couple reveal, as they joined Mandlakazi Skefile on a Tour de iBhayi, through the avenues of their youth.
Returning to their home turf with the detachment of tourists conjured mixed emotions for the two as they compared notes from literally opposite sides of the fence.
Nomfundo, standing at a crafts centre in Ramaphosa Village informal settlement as part of a township tour, looked across the hill towards KwaZakhele where her grandmother lived – and many of her childhood years were spent – commented: “You see that rubbish dump over there? When I was a little girl, the toys and stuff Hagen threw away, we ended up playing with.”
Hagen countered recalling his years at a bi-lingual primary school conjuring a memory of lunch break games where the English kids would clash on the playground for stone throwing fights against the Afrikaans children. “The problem was that the Afrikaans kids would outnumber us English kids ten to one. I would end up coming home battered and bruised.”
The two certainly felt right bac home. But their trip was as much about rediscovering what the friendly city of Nelson Mandela Bay has on offer, as taking a peek through the lens of nostalgia.
The Englers and Mandlakazi visited the city’s growing urban hotspot, Richmond Hill – one of the oldest parts of the city, characterised by cute Settler cottages. Over the past three years the area has undergone a grassroots gentrification process becoming a magnet for trendy yuppies, creative business start-ups, fashionistas, foodies, and first-time home owners.
The trio took a leisurely stroll around the area now defined by its burgeoning bohemian café society, stopping in at the vintage shops, galleries, and up-market restaurants. Once such place – the unassuming but bountiful boutique, Retrovibe – a surprise treasure trove of vintage clothing with an African shweshwe twist slipping the trio into a 1930s time warp so fitting of the suburb.
Hagen was meanwhile enchanted by the sounds of a street-side busker, Meri Ke, performing on the traffic circle opposite the shop. He grabbed the opportunity to join her ‘on stage’ to belt one of his signature spoken rhyme beats, much to the amusement of the restaurant patrons.
After the high street shopping and his mini-busking performance, they stopped to digest the morning at the über-trendy concept bakery, Vovo Telo – conceived by Bay entrepreneur Matt Repton – for a light luncheon. “I can’t believe how much the area has changed. It’s incredible, we might even consider buying here,” said Hagen.
Despite light drizzle they decided to walk lunch off with a snapshot visit of neighbouring Central, strolling past the famous Afro-cosmopolitan eateries on the recently upgraded Parliament Street. Of course, en route, there were multiple shouts as people recognised the legendary wordsmith, surfer and soon-to-be filmmaker, imploring him to touch base.
Home, heart and transformation coalesced as Mandlakazi showed the couple the Donkin Reserve – the creative centrepiece of the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s inner city revival programme aimed at making the old CBD a bastion of arts, culture and inspiration.
The Donkin Reserve is home to the local lighthouse and stone pyramid structure – both tourist attractions – and the biggest South African flag in the country. The huge eight by 12 metre flag was launched during the World Cup and has become an iconic symbol in the urban landscape, attracting visitors to the city centre and reserve, which doubles as an outdoor art gallery. The open-air artworks celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 67-year role in politics.
On thoughts of democracy and with an impending visit to the townships of the Bay talk soon turned to ‘smileys’ and Nomfundo was set on stopping over at the hustle-bustle township turnstile of Njoli Square in New Brighton, to get a nibble of the traditional lamb delicacy.
The mission ended up quite entertaining as the crew tumbled out onto the square, crossed the traffic-ridden road and launched themselves at a group of entrepreneurial traders selling ‘walkie talkies’ and smileys.
The “mamas” did not take too kindly to the onslaught or the cameras, but the wares were acquired much to Nomfundo’s satisfaction. “There is one person you do not mess with,” joked Hagen. “That’s a mama sitting next to a fire with a big axe and lamb heads in front of her.”
Returning home to the township, but on a ‘tour’ got Nomfundo thinking and she suggested to Hagen that perhaps there should be a change to the format of such tours. “You know, people always come to see how poor black people live. Maybe we should turn the tables a little and see how poor white people live too, so that we get both sides of the story?”
But the tour goes on, and it is the poor – black or white – who need the socio-economic lift responsible tourism can generate, reminds Mandlakazi.
All the weight of reality called for something light. A Windhoek Light to be exact, as the day ended at the vibrant and colourful Las Vegas tavern, colloquially known as noBarbara’s. “This really feels like coming home: the food, people, ama-jigga-jigga, taverns. It’s like we are getting a taste of a life we know, but no longer know. Home through a hologram,” said Nomfundo.
The following day took Hagen and Nomfundo out to the Kragga Kamma Game Park. Only 25-minutes from the city-centre, its lush coastal forest and grassland is home to vast herds of African game, including White Rhino, Buffalo, Cheetah, Giraffe, and Zebra.
Hagen, Nomfundo and Mandlakazi watched in awe on their game drive as a Wildebeest gave birth to wobbly-legged offspring and the herd moved in circles to protect the new-born from a jealous brother trying to get a look at the latest addition.
Later, two stately White Rhino took an interest in the land rover and decided to mock charge the vehicle. “Ok, ok, we’ve seen enough, time to go…,” squealed Nomfundo. “Another day in Africa, but not what you might expect in a city!”
Weekend ways in Nelson Mandela Bay proved to be more than the beach cliché for the trio – and it showed how the city is expanding its appeal for both out-of-towners and the locals.
Though, for Hagen and Nomfundo the comforts of home will always be viewed through the lens of nostalgia: pasta at Angelos, cheap sunglasses from Spitfire, a beer at Barney’s overlooking the pier, Red Windmill ice-creams, smileys at Njoli – and a good jol with old friends.
Below is the video documentary:
Author: Amy Shelver
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