Bayworld proves its pulling power
ANYONE in the vicinity of Bayworld this past Friday or Saturday evening would have been astonished at the endless rows of cars stretching right across the surrounding network of roads.
As families with young children hurriedly made their way towards the complex, the excitement in the air was palpable – but the scenes reminiscent of the venue’s heyday seemed decidedly at odds with its current rundown state.
Not exactly. Any notion that what is now generally considered a tired beachfront attraction has ceased to have any pulling power was easily dismissed as its latest “Night at the Museum” spectacles got going at the weekend.
They are clearly – seeing as these were the fifth instalments – nights to remember.
It goes to prove that armed with the right offering, the magic of the venue – in this case, employing its treasure trove of artefacts – can be resurrected.
That should be uppermost in decision-makers’ minds as Bhisho looks set to make a decision on Bayworld’s future in the weeks ahead with a board of trustees charged with developing a turnaround plan.
As municipal public accounts committee chairwoman Yoliswa Yako – who was leading a metro site visit last week – pointed out, there is huge potential, but the conversations need to get kickstarted.
One of the trickiest of those is going to be the question of whether to once again house dolphins – a feature which would be a throwback to Bayworld’s golden era of packed audiences but which would, without doubt, revive huge controversy and rejection of such a proposal by many quarters.
That should surprise no one. There has been a gargantuan shift in world opinion on animals in captivity and reintroducing the concept, while commercially tempting, would undermine the value and work of what has always been a hub of environmental and conservational warriors.
But time is running out – and infrastructure is crumbling. The new strategy has to be imaginative and sustainable to allow Bayworld to survive. It can. It proved it this past weekend.