SA’s City of Hope - Mayor GHL on the rise and rise of Cape Town

In December, 317,000 international visitors landed in Cape Town, a record for a single month. The multiplier effect on the local economy of so many visitors spending hard currency is enormous, supporting a virtuous cycle confirming good governance’s dividend. The city’s executive mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis (37), fresh from a mini-speaking tour abroad at the invitation of his counterparts in New York and London, has just unveiled another initiative to support a campaign promise of making the city load-shedding free by 2026. The progress on electricity is one of numerous ways SA’s “City of Hope” has become a template for other Metros. GHL reckons it all begins with financial stability. He spoke to BizNews editor Alec Hogg.