Courtesy of my old pal Murray Anderson who works there, I got the insider’s tour yesterday of Portside Tower, Africa’s tallest “green” building and Cape Town’s first skyscraper in 15 years. The 131m, 28 storey office block, which was completed in 2014, will soon have a couple more high-risers alongside – massive residential blocks are planned to meet the huge demand for in-city accommodation.
Flourishing Cape Town is a reflection of what is possible in South Africa. Soaring property prices and straining infrastructure are the direct result of massive migration of skilled workers from other cities. They are also a concrete reflection of the contrast between the well governed and the corrupted.
The Democratic Alliance used the Mother City as its “prospectus” in August’s successful electoral campaigns in other major metropoles. There is nothing that sells quite as well as success. Temporary water issues aside, the Cape is on a roll. And the momentum is growing. There’s nothing more powerful than the truth.
