Bay theatre complex set to reopen in October after revamp

While some shows were cancelled due to restoration efforts at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, with heavy rains putting a further damper on renovations, officials remain confident the curtains will rise come October.

The theatre complex had secured R17m worth of funding for much-needed renovations.

The renovations, which were necessitated by vandalism and rain damage to its infrastructure, commenced earlier this month and are set to be concluded over the next five months.

Facilities use manager of the complex, Siyanda Mapinda, said vandals had targeted the facility since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They broke into the facility, using the roof, causing another problem as far as leaks are concerned,” Mapinda said.

“It didn’t help that air-conditioning facilities were vandalised during the pandemic.”

Mapinda said the recent floods also played a role, causing them to postpone a host of shows including the Mandela

Bay Jazz Legacy Festival, which was scheduled to take place on May 27.

The theatre complex’s chair, Palesa Kadi, welcomed the ongoing restoration process of the building, which is situated on the corner of John Kani Road and Winston Ntshona Street in Central.

“This is a heritage building so we want to make sure we restore ... that’s why [the restoration] takes longer, there’s certain protocols that we work with in terms of building an infrastructure development,” Kadi said.

“We have set aside a budget sufficient to take care of the needs so that we won’t be sitting here [in this position] again.”

Kadi said the heavy rains might have hampered the rebuilding process.

“It’s rainy season now, fortunately, the metro is getting rains but it might have an impact on the process.”

The chair further said that artists who were supposed to perform at the complex during the restoration time frame would be asked to grace the stages of other local venues.

“We also feel that we have to have ways of engaging artists while we are taking this break and focusing also on other areas of our mandate because it’s not only this plot [theatre complex] but also working throughout the province,” Kadi said.

Kadi extended an invitation to the public, urging them to contribute their ideas and visions for the building. “This is a public institution, it belongs to the people of Nelson Mandela Bay, so their views are most welcome,” she said.

Chief executive Monde Ngo-nyama said he expected the theatre to reopen in October.

“But there are a lot of factors that could influence this date,” he said.