05/06/2026
๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ๐ฌ
A reflection from our Group CEO, Erica Elk:
Last Tuesday, 26 May 2026, we officially opened the doors to the Circular Maker Space at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal alongside our partners at the V&A Waterfront and I am still taking it all in.
The Circular Maker Space was funded by the V&A Waterfront and reflects a belief that Graham Wood, CEO of the V&A Waterfront, expressed on the evening: that investing in small business and creative enterprise is an investment in Cape Town's future.
Built on the foundation of the V&A's longstanding commitment to enterprise development through initiatives such as Makers Landing and their broader SMME support programme, the space places South Africa's creative community at the centre of one of Africa's most visited destinations, welcoming more than 24 million visitors each year.
For our members and the wider creative sector, this means real visibility, access to tools and networks, and a base from which to experiment, collaborate and grow. We conceived the space as far more than a local facility, it is a centre of excellence for creators across the country and the continent, and we are open to the partners and possibilities it will bring.
On the evening, guests were invited to tour the space and experience first-hand the range of activities it has been built to support โ from making and prototyping to collaboration, skills development and business growth. The ribbon was cut, the doors were opened, and the room was full of people who understood what this moment meant.
Special thanks to our longstanding partners, Alderman James Vos Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, City of Cape Town, and Najwah Allie-Edries, Head of the Jobs Fund, whose support has been instrumental in bringing us to this point. We are also grateful to Shado Twala, CDI Board Chairperson, and Graham Wood, CEO of the V&A Waterfront, for their presence and the significance it lent to the occasion.
And to everyone who joined us on the night, thank you. Your presence and support made the evening everything it was meant to be.
Two decades of investment in South Africa's creative sector brought us here. The next chapter starts now.
