Speech by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille
City signs cooperation agreement with municipality in Turkey
Note to editors: the following is an extract from a speech by Mayor De Lille at
the signing a cooperation agreement with the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality
in Turkey today, 9 December 2014.
Mayor of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Mr Aziz Kocaoğlu,
Honorary Consul of South Africa, Mr Tamer Taşkın,
The İzmir Council’s Secretary General,
The South African Embassy’s representative,
The Director of Foreign Relations and Tourism of the İzmir Municipality,
The City Manager of Cape Town, Mr Achmat Ebrahim,
Members of the media,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning.
On behalf of the City of Cape Town, it is a privilege and an honour to sign this
cooperation agreement with the City of İzmir in Turkey.
This agreement has been a long time in the making.
I remember when I came here more than two years ago.
I was immediately struck by the similarities between our two great cities.
We both seek to build vibrant economies that can support our people.
We both have a desire to distinguish ourselves as a distinct place of business
in our countries – for us, to attract people from the traditional centre of
Johannesburg, and for you to target the traditional centre of Istanbul.
I know that for both of us, these goals and targets are within reach.
The 21st Century is the age of the city.
The McKinsey Global Institute has shown that growth over the next few
decades will be driven by cities.
And not just any cities.
While existing centres and primary metros will remain important, the real age
of growth will come from smaller, secondary cities who find their own markets
and their own distinctive identities.
This kind of perspective has formed the basis of the argument from the
world’s foremost thinker on strategy, Professor Michael Porter of Harvard
Business School.
In the analysis of the features of competitive advantage for nations and
cities, Professor Porter argues that those places that have the drive and will to
develop new sectors, that have room for growth, and that can specialise by
cultivating those sectors, stand to position themselves for the future.
I know that both of our cities are seized with this objective.
But the beauty of cooperation agreements like these is the realisation that we
do not have to do it alone.
Cape Town does not need to start from the beginning to discover what İzmir
has already learned, and vice versa.
Rather, we can learn from each other.
We can share our knowledge of governance, policies, and systems to learn
from and grow with each other.
In terms of our cooperation agreement, this means a cultural exchange.
It means learning from best practice from each other.
And it means the exchange of business contacts and investment possibilities.
Indeed, as we in Cape Town seek to grow, we are looking at new and
unexplored markets, including the powerhouse that is Turkey.
That includes promoting ourselves as a place of tourism for the Islamic market
by promoting our rich Islamic history.
In Cape Town, the use of the red fez that the Malay Choirs wear is a clear
trace of Turkish influence. The use of the red fez and hijab in Cape Town are
attributed to the arrival of Turkish sheikh, Abu Bakr Effendi.
Sheikh Effendi opened the first Hanafi Mosque in Cape Town and was also
instrumental in teaching people to read and write in Arabic.
He died on 29 June 1880 and is buried at the Tana Baru Cemetery on Signal
Hill in our city.
This area forms part of what is locally known as the ‘sacred circle of Kramats’
in Cape Town.
There are about 23 Kramat sites across Cape Town.
Each one is characterised by its proximity to the beautiful scenery with some
of them in the shadow of Table Mountain.
The Kramats contribute to the important historical mapping of the city with
their landscape, outlining a story of Islam that has taken root and blossomed
in Cape Town.
The City of Cape Town welcomes and looks forward to creating a partnership
and forging stronger relations between ourselves and Turkey.
And in conclusion, we look forward to welcoming all of you to our city.
In that regard, I would like to extend a personal invitation to Mayor Ziz
Kocaoglu of İzmir to visit us in Cape Town.
You, and the people of İzmir, will always be considered our distinguished
guests.
Thank you.