Billion Group's R5bn boost for Buffalo City

He alternates between a pitch-black Porsche Cayenne, a sleek Mercedes S-Class and crosses the globe in a private jet.

Yet the soft-spoken executive chairperson of Billion Group, Sisa Ngebulana, does not easily talk about the R5 billion he plans to invest in East London over the next four years.

However, two of the group's investments - the Hemingways and Mdantsane malls - are already among the largest private sector construction projects in East London today.

Billion's latest development, Gqunube Golf Estate that will change to Sinati Coastal Golf Estate, was given the green light by the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (DEDEA) in December. The up-market Gonubie development is currently subject to an appeal window period which lasts until the end of January.

Ngebulana said his vision was to see East London develop into a golf tourism destination.

"I can't really talk about 'my views for the city', I am just a citizen. However, as a developer I would love to see this area become a golf tourism mecca and a place with all major facilities and infrastructure of a great city.

"If we provide the infrastructure and an East London 'signature welcome', full of smiles and service, the tourists will come. Tourism offers large-scale employment, and it is far easier to train a person for the hospitality industry than most other sectors, which makes them almost immediately employable," he said.

In a recent visit to the city, Ngebulana provided Buffalo City mayor Zintle Peter, with a sign of things to come in the shape of the R500m Mdantsane City Mall ahead of its scheduled launch in April.

Construction of the R2.3bn Hemingways Super Regional Mall adjacent to the casino is well underway with the launch date set for October 2009.

"There is a great spirit of support by the politicians who want to see the city developing responsibly which needs to be carried down at official level.

"This will encourage other investors into East London," said Ngebulana. However, he expressed his concern over costly delays in the approval process before developments. Ngebulana, or "Ngaps" as his friends know him, grew up in Corana village near Mthatha.

By the time he matriculated from the prestigious St Johns College in Mthatha, Ngebulana had already gained experience in all spheres of construction, from bricklaying to fitting roofs. He exhibited an entrepreneurial flair and qualified as an estate agent while reading law at the University of Natal. After moving to Johannesburg and working for Eskom, Ngebulana tried his luck in transport, mine dump removal and catering before finding his niche in property development 10 years ago.

Early last year, Ngebulana spent a couple of months in the US studying the property development industry in that country. He also mentions developments in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Pretoria, and in other parts of the world, like India, US and EU countries. "I can't be too specific. Firstly I have competitors ... If I published every thought, I might disclose confidential information, that is a great weapon for competitors."

Article via I-Net-Bridge