By Gershwin Wanneburg
Kaizer Chiefs Football Club’s marketing director Jessica Motaung, has backed a campaign to boost ties between South Africa and the American city Atlanta.
Motaung recently joined a delegation from Atlanta on an investment mission to South Africa. The trip formed part of the Atlanta Phambili initiative, which seeks to foster closer ties between the United States of America and South Africa.
The U.S. delegation was led by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who was accompanied by business and civil society leaders from his hometown. The mission entailed a three-city tour of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Motaung accompanied the delegation on a visit to Veldskoen, a shoe factory in Paarden Island in Cape Town, which produces merchandise for Kaizer Chiefs. Veldskoen CEO Nick Dreyer praised Motaung for her role in the success of his company, which has since opened an office in Atlanta.
For Motaung it’s more than business that brought her there. Her father, Kaizer, played football in Atlanta in the 1960s and ’70s, so promoting relations with that city came naturally to her.
“First of all, we have rich historical links with Atlanta, with our chairman having played in Atlanta, and having come back and just created a great brand,” Motaung said.
“And obviously our relationship with Veldskoen, who are a licensee of ours, who have been working with us to produce merchandise for Kaizer Chiefs, we’re excited to be part of driving the collaboration with Atlanta.”
Dressed in her Amakhosi regalia, Motaung said the city held a special place in her heart.
“My dad and mom have great memories of Atlanta, but certainly I’ve gone back, I’ve gone and seen Martin Luther King’s home, seen my dad’s house near where he lived around Martin Luther King’s church.”
Speaking to business and government leaders in Cape Town, Mayor Dickens agreed that South Africa and Atlanta share a rich history, having produced two of the world’s greatest leaders in Martin Luther King jr. and Nelson Mandela. Dickens said he was so deeply moved by that history that he delivered his inaugural speech as mayor at Georgia Tech, his alma mater at the place where Mandela addressed thousands of Atlantans after his release from prison in 1990.
Dickens said the similarities went beyond the historical. “Both Atlanta and the Western Cape are known for our robust high educational ecosystems and some of our universities share exchange programmes already between us. Also, schools in both of these places play major roles in helping to drive economic development and initiatives as well as innovative causes.
“In Atlanta, we are home to one of America’s largest tech sectors and we are working towards becoming the top five tech hub in the United States. We have our tech village and you have your Silicon Cape.
“Much like Atlanta, we know Cape Town is also home to numerous companies with a focus on e-commerce and fintech. We believe that Atlanta could and should be a premier destination for South African investment.
“Our city offers a combination of strategic advantages, robust economic sectors and a shared cultural DNA…But much like Cape Town, it is a diversity of industries that drive our strong economic ecosystem, industries like manufacturing, life sciences and healthcare and of course, the creative industries. These are just some of the industries where South African businesses and investors can possibly find growth opportunities in Atlanta.”
Since 2016, the two cities have also had a sister city agreement, which covers trade, green technology, and knowledge exchange. Atlanta is one of a handful of American cities that receives direct flights from Cape Town. The relationship between the two cities was cemented when it was announced that Cape Town’s Fame Week Africa would highlight Atlanta as its feature destination next year.
Motaung said she found the city inspiring.
“I definitely love Atlanta as a space. I’ve seen black Americans thriving there, with such great businesses, and I’ve seen so many South Africans there.”
