GAMING FOR AFRICA
Gaming For Africa
Casino International’s Africa partner is the excellent Gaming For Africa magazine, bringing you the continent’s latest developments
New Lease of Life for South Africa’s Second Oldest Casino Resort
Wild Coast Sun has reason to celebrate, having just been awarded a 20-year gaming licence on the eve of the property’s 40th birthday celebration this month. The Wild Coast Sun was opened in 1981, two
years after the launch of Sun City. The Resort straddles the Eastern Cape side of the Mtamvuna River border with KwaZulu-Natal. Transkei Sun International limited, which owns The
Wild Coast Sun Resort, has been in discussions with the Eastern Cape Gambling Board (ECGB) to renew its casino licence. Graham Wood, Sun International’s Chief Operating
Officer for hospitality said, “It has been a long road, but we are delighted to now have a 20-year casino licence, which will expire in 2041. We have worked very hard with our partners, The Mbizana Development Trust and The Mgungundlovu Communal Property Association to secure our casino licence. This brings certainty to our employees and our surrounding communities.” For the past 40 years the property has also
positively contributed to the Eastern Cape Provincial fiscus through its contribution in taxes, gaming fees and levies. The Resort also provides support to the surrounding community through its various social and enterprise development efforts. The Wild Coast is Sun International’s only
beachfront Resort where visitors can step out of their hotel and onto the beach. From its earliest days as a casino and hotel the property has grown into what is now an exciting beach Resort with an endless array of fun activities for the entire family to enjoy. The Resort’s General Manager Peter Tshidi said,
“The timing of our casino licence is momentous as we are about to celebrate our 40th birthday toward the end of this month. We now have the certainty that for the next 20 years this incredible resort, and all of our people, can continue to create great lasting memories for all our guests long into the future.” The Wild Coast Sun resort can be seen in the
current MNet Survivor series which was filmed in a bio-bubble on the property during lockdown.
26 OCTOBER 2021
Casino Escapes Fire - Operations to Commence Shortly
In the aftermath of last week’s devastating fire that razed large parts of Mmabatho Palms Hotel, Casino and Convention Resort, Peermont has confirmed that the casino operation, along with the convention centre have emerged unscathed. The full scale of the damage is still being
ascertained, but it is confirmed that the 4-star Walmont hotel has been destroyed (with exception of the wing containing the Executive Villas). Peermont Management also confirmed that all
employee jobs are safe, and counselling has been made available to all employees and guests affected by the tragedy. Until further notice the Mmabatho Palms resort
According to a media statement released by the
Eastern Cape Gambling Board, the casino licence term, among other benefits, brings substantial socio-economic dividends to the local community and to the Province. Forty nine point nine percent (49.9%) of the shares in the Wild Coast Sun Casino are now held by the Mgungundlovu and Mbizana communities. The Mgungundlovu Community Trust, (now)
owners of the land as a result of the land restitution process, will for the first time financially benefit from the casino licence while the Mbizana community trust has been part of the previous licence. The Wild Coast Sun submitted the only
application for the licence on 15 April 2019 which provided for the management and operation of the casino and the resort by Sun International. The application was partly approved by the Board on 18 August 2019, but the licence was not awarded due to concerns relating to inter alia the achievement of the Board’s transformation objectives and the benefits that would accrue to the local PDI shareholders (local referring to PDIs in the Province). The Board issued directives to address its concerns and was only prepared to award the licence once its concerns had been adequately addressed.
will remain closed while investigations are finalized. Peermont expects to take back control of the resort, and for casino and conferencing to resume operations within the next week. “We thank the management team on site
during the crisis for their hard work and are sincerely grateful that there were no fatalities or serious injuries to either our guests or employees,” said Peermont Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Atherton.
A fire destroyed large parts of Mmabathio Palms Casino Resort, but the casino and convention centre emeregd unscathed
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