Nelson Mandela Bay

The only metropolitan city in the Eastern Cape, Nelson Mandela Bay – incorporating Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch – is situated on the South Eastern coastline of South Africa.

The official gateway to the Eastern Cape, this affordable, fun-in-the-sun family focussed metropolitan city is situated 736km east of Cape Town. It boasts the honour of having the fourth best climate in the world for a coastal city.

Nelson Mandela Bay is South Africa’s fifth largest city in terms of population and the second largest in terms of area, covering an area of 1,952km².It is the economic capital of the Eastern Cape and a popular tourist destination. The population of 1,5-million has earned the city the name – The Friendly City. The predominant languages spoken in this city are Xhosa, English and Afrikaans.

The Nelson Mandela Metropole is the largest single economy in the whole province. The main economic sector is manufacturing providing 34% of formal employment. Another significant industry in the district economy is the automotive industry hosting two of the six vehicle assemblers in South Africa, namely General Motors and Volkswagen. Catalytic converter production has grown at a rapid rate as well. Other main manufacturing industries include food processing, furniture, textiles and clothing, and light engineering. The tourism industry also plays an important role in the district’s economy, being the strongest in Port Elizabeth as it famous for its beaches and being the starting point for the Garden Route. The Nelson Mandela Metropole is also used as a starting point for many tourism routes to the rest of the Eastern Cape Province. There is low informal employment, which reflects the strong manufacturing base. The Nelson Mandela Metropole has the lowest unemployment rate in the Eastern Cape.