Loeries bring creativity to city

DURBAN is hosting the largest creative platform in Africa, the Loeries Creative Week, for the third consecutive year, and it is expected to generate about R170m in revenue for KZN.

The Loeries, which attracted 22 participating countries outside South Africa, started on Monday at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and will run until tomorrow.

The event is geared toward empowering and uplifting members of the local creative community by exposing them to leading creative minds from around the world.

Acting Deputy City Manager for the Economic Development and Planning Cluster, Phillip Sithole, said the event would be a major boost to the local economy.

He added that the weeklong programme presented an opportunity to also showcase the city’s rich diversity and natural beauty.

Andrew Human, chief executive of the Loeries, said the ripple effect of hosting the awards would be felt much longer than a week.

“By growing the local creative economy and educating the youth, Durban’s economy grows through new talent and new opportunities.

“We employ around 500 people directly during the Loeries Creative Week and create more than 380 local annual jobs with a total payroll of R35.8 million,” Human said. AN ABANDONED property, described as “filthy” by local business people in Morningside’s Stamford Hill area, has riled the business community.

They are calling on the ethekwini Municipality to take swift action. The business community on Woodford Grove, near Stamford Hill, say the deserted building was affecting their business operations. The building was neglected for about three years and was now a home to vagrants.

The neighbouring businesses, an automotive and panel beating business, said this was affecting them negatively.

The businesspeople also say that people are now using the property to run a minibus taxi repair business without a valid lease agreement with the city. DESPITE the city not granting permission for the march, the civil movement Right2know carried out their Marikana commemoration march as planned on Wednesday.

The march was part of a series of country-wide solidarity events, marking five years since the Marikana tragedy, to deliver a memorandum of demands to end police brutality, respect the right to protest and bring justice for victims at