DUBAI World Africa Services ceo, James Wilson, says the solution to South Africa’s electricity crisis is for government to privatise power generation.
“We would be very interested in getting involved,” he told TravelHub in Cape Town last week at a media briefing ahead of Emirates’ daily services to the Mother City on March 30. Wilson said the current electricity crisis was “very concerning, but we have confidence in the government. They need to start privatising power,” he said.
Dubai World Africa Services – which forms part of Dubai government owned Dubai World and investment house Istithmar - is investing US$2bn (R14bn) in property development in South Africa. It already co-owns the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, the Pearl Valley Golf Estate in the Cape Winelands and several game reserves. Wilson said the company was investing in another 20 properties in South Africa, including Sol Kerzner’s R900m six-star One&Only Hotel due to open in 2009 and game reserves in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape.
He said Cape Town needed another three or four five-star hotels to meet demand. “We expect the 2010 Fifa World Cup to be the biggest marketing and global branding opportunity to hit this country. Cape Town is an international city and the World Cup will do for Cape Town what the Olympics did for Sydney. Hence the global brands like Emirates are moving in,” he said.
