Absa held its annual Absa Run Your City 10 km in Durban. Run Walk for Life (RWFL) affiliates participated in the event.
Fourteen members of Run Walk For Life (RWFL) Amanzimtoti took part in the Absa Run Your City 10km in Durban on July the Seventh. According to the official race website, the Durban Race, which started in 2017, is a mass-participation road race that grants all entrants the unique opportunity to explore their city on foot. “Runners and walkers look forward to an action-packed 10k journey that highlights important landmarks and features exciting live entertainment.” RWFL Toti Franchisi, Ciska Elston, who finished with the club’s second-fastest time of 00:58:34, said it was great being a part of 10 000 runners on the streets of Durban.
“There was an amazing vibe with lots of action all along the way – definitely an experience. Well done to everyone who took part,” she said.
Sporting events such as this are important to promote being fit and healthy and athletic. These events are also good for promoting tourism and generating jobs in the catering and hospitality sectors. Participants are able to explore the city and promote its beauty back home. However, the municipal authorities have a role alongside business and financial outlets to encourage and promote such events. They promote charity and bring in income to the city. The participants will be able to enjoy Durban’s beautiful scenery. The promotion of the city through these events can be done through social media, and word of mouth. The number of runners at 10 000 is a good way to showcase the importance of good health and participate in challenging activities.
The participants and organizers have a right to be proud of being a part or hosting this event. It will attract business.
Speaking of business there has been an upsurge in confidence in the manufacturing sector.
Confidence in Durban’s business climate surged to a record high as it increased by 17.07 index points to 55.49 points in the second quarter of this year – up from 38.42 points in the first quarter. According to the BCI report compiled by the Macroeconomics Research Unit at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, this was the first time since its inception in the third quarter of 2024 that the index breached the 50-point mark, which signified a strong rebound in confidence in Durban’s business environment. The unit said while Durban’s BCI typically moved in the same direction as the national BCI, it was currently far from above the national index compiled by the Bureau of Economic Research (BER).
The resurgence in business confidence is a good sign that the city could be going in the right direction. It is interesting that this new found focus on business confidence comes after the general election when no political party won an outright majority. This gave rise to the Government of National Unity (GNU) and the importance of having diverse and divergent views in the cabinet. This has been reflected across the Business Confidence Index (BCI) at national level. The Macroeconomics Research Bureau at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s main purpose is to examine public support and feelings towards the private sector. This is because the private sector is largely responsible for generating income and creating jobs. It is the state through the government at national and provincial levels and municipalities that provide rights.
Overall, it said all sectors recorded improvements in business confidence, leading to a substantial rise in the overall confidence in Durban’s business climate. “On the whole, this improvement can be attributed to the outcome of the recent general elections in which no political party obtained an outright majority, forcing parties to form coalitions and consequently leveraging each party’s strengths for the greater good,” the unit said in its report. “The ease and speed with which the government was established in the province of KwaZulu-Natal also signalled a political commitment to servicing the province.” Sihle Ngcamu acting CEO of Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) welcomed the optimism expressed by the business confidence index in Durban following the May, 2024 elections.
Business confidence is a reflection of political goodwill. If the government is well intentioned in using its strengths to benefit the businesses, then the people will be happy with the outcome as it reflects the future. This is especially true of having a coalition where different views can be harnessed to obtain a better perspective on state policy. Businesses could find themselves in an era of significant financial growth depending on their cooperation with the powers that be. Ethekwini Municipality can use Durban’s location as the hub of tourism to improve the economy by cooperating with the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal and the new administration in Pretoria. If all goes well Durban could revive its place as South Africa’s major coastal tourist destination. Its all a matter of will power and the right focus.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
