MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
“ Pietermaritzburg offers a challenging and satisfying business environment that provides opportunities to develop and prosper .”
When I first moved to Pietermaritzburg some 30 years ago , I was an enthusiastic young partner in an international accounting firm with great intentions of bringing all the excitement and developments of the big city into this rather sleepy hollow . Instead , I was personally transformed into a much broaderminded and clear-thinking individual who was able to balance the challenges of a high-powered professional career with the very necessary other elements of living on this planet – sport , social and family life . So how best can I try to describe the pleasures of working and running a business in Pietermaritzburg ? Firstly , it is a challenging and satisfying business environment that provides many with opportunities to develop and prosper , whilst also providing many others with satisfying job opportunities . Our airport ’ s numerous daily flights to and from Johannesburg ensure that local businesspeople are never far from the hub of the SA economy , and our proximity to the largest container harbour in Africa as well as the N3 corridor allows our manufacturers easy access to many varied markets . We have the third largest business chamber in the country , which offers a strong voice to its members as well as many training opportunities and services that can assist young entrepreneurs in building successful and profitable operations . Pietermaritzburg has a fascinating history with its Boer and
British Imperial connections and , through the influences of Gandhi , Mandela , Luthuli , Paton and many other great South Africans , it has risen to its pride of place as the capital of the thriving province of KwaZulu-Natal . It has the attraction of some of the finest schools in the country and a number of vibrant tertiary institutions , along with muchadmired private and public medical facilities that have attracted some of the best medical practitioners and surgeons in the country . The city has also attracted many renowned sporting events such as the Comrades Ultra-marathon , the Dusi Canoe Marathon and the Midmar Mile and has been proclaimed by the UCI ( the international cycling federation ) as Africa ’ s “ Bike City ” along with Melbourne for Australia and Copenhagen for Europe . This has resulted in numerous international cycling events in the city . It also is the proud home of Maritzburg United ( the Team of Choice ) – a strong PSL football club . From being a stepping stone in my own personal career — one that was intended to take me to the pinnacle of success in Johannesburg , London or New York — Pietermaritzburg became my “ City of Choice ”. It was the finest decision I ever made !
Leo Quayle
President — Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business
Capital | Issue 2 | 1 .