US firm to build massive hotel in Bay for 2010 Cup
AN American real estate developer is due to brief provincial officials today on a five-star, 500-room hotel resort planned for Port Elizabeth.
While details of the proposal are sketchy, a statement released on behalf of the Virginia-based JayCo Real Estate Investment yesterday, claims that the development, called Madiba Bay, will also include airport upgrades in Port Elizabeth and other investments in tourism, undertaken in co-operation with the South African government.
It said the hotel would host the tournament referees of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The company‘s chief executive officer, Jay Cohen, is due to make a speech to the legislature in Bhisho today.
JayCo SA president Thabang Lesaoana, who hails from Welkom, was appointed on Monday and will lead the company‘s development in the country, based in Port Elizabeth.
Despite issuing a press release from its head office in the US yesterday, the company refused to divulge any further information on the development.
“We have partnered with Madiba Bay Holdings, but I cannot release any more information on the development yet because it is still premature,” said Lesaona.
Madiba Bay Holdings has a 50-year contract to lease 5 000 hectares of land along the Marine Drive for a proposed leisure park development.
However, Madiba Bay Holdings chief operations officer Johan Dreyer declined to comment last night.
“I don‘t know anything about JayCo SA and I will not comment,” said Dreyer.
Lesoana declined to give information on the exact location of the hotel complex.
“I cannot give the time frames and exact location of the hotel until next week. My colleagues in the US have issued a press release for all media,” he said.
He said a JayCo SA delegation had met with executive mayor Nondumiso Maphazi earlier this month.
Municipal spokesman Lourens Schoeman said an international company had shown interest in building a five-star hotel last year.
Article from http://www.theherald.co.za/
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