Transnet National Ports Authority in Port Elizabeth has signed its first long-term leisure and recreational tenant lease in the Baakens River Precinct at the harbour.

Port Elizabeth Port Manager, Rajesh Dana said: “The signing of this lease takes the port further along on its journey of evolving into a ‘Smart People’s Port’ with improved community access and recreational activities.

Dana said the future marina development was envisaged as an integral part of the harbour’s development and would link up with the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s plans to develop the city’s Braakens River for leisure and recreational purposes.

Lebolog, which owns and manages shisa nyama restaurants and events in Cape Town, has opened the Shisa African Restaurant in the vicinity of Baakens Street in the harbour. It serves traditional dishes like umleqwa (fresh farm chicken), ulusu (tripe), idombolo (steamed bread) and umngqusho (samp and beans), and sophisticated seafood dishes and kiddies’ meals.

“Our primary aim is to simultaneously uplift the image of Nelson Mandela Bay and the Port of Port Elizabeth by contributing to and being a part of the much-anticipated Port Elizabeth Waterfront,” said Lebolog co-founder, Zoliswa Majodina Nkosi. “We also aim to create a leisure and relaxation venue away from home by combining African cuisine with the traditional South African shisa nyama experience, accompanied by entertainment from local Marimba and live jazz bands.”