A major refurbishment of the Courtyard Hotel forms part of City Lodge Hotels’ wider investment in its Gqeberha properties, while beachfront businesses are investing in infrastructure and security as they navigate the metro’s service and safety challenges.

City Lodge Hotels is investing in its Gqeberha portfolio as it bets on the metro’s tourism potential, with the refurbishment of the Courtyard Hotel in Summerstrand creating seven permanent jobs.

The investment comes as Nelson Mandela Bay grapples with rising unemployment, which climbed to 33.1% in the second quarter of 2026, from 29.8% in the previous quarter and 26.4% a year earlier.

About 183,000 people were unemployed in the metro during the period, while employment was 49,000 lower than a year earlier, according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey.

The situation was even worse across the Eastern Cape, where unemployment rose to 47.5% in the second quarter, up from 44.6% in the first quarter and 39.5% a year earlier. The province had 1.219 million people who were unemployed and actively looking for work.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber said in August that the figures showed the need for more investment, business growth and job creation.

Read the full article by Kyran Blaauw in Daily Maverick here.