Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality launched the first phase of their Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) on Sunday 30 May at the Mfanasekhaya Gqobose Building in Nelson Mandela Bay.

THE first phase of an ambitious new public transport system for Nelson Mandela Bay was launched yesterday with the opening of bus-dedicated lanes from Govan Mbeki Avenue to Kempston Road.

The launch of the Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS) – a prerequisite for the World Cup – was held at the Mfanasekhaya Gqobose (former Eric Tindale) Building near the Russell Road start of the bus and taxi lane system.

It was attended by Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Nancy Sihlwayi, acting municipal manager Elias Ntoba and Eastern Cape Transport, Safety and Liaison MEC Ghishma Barry, among other dignitaries.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Taxi Forum’s Albert Camphor and municipal acting public transport officer Keith Mitchell also attended the occasion.

To read more on the IPTS visit: http://www.ectransport.gov.za/?p=1883

East Londoners may not get to see much soccer action this winter, but at least we will get to see the Springboks take on Italy in our very own Buffalo City Stadium!

Intengu Communications has been assisting the Border Rugby Union for the past couple of months with the event management and ticket sales for the upcoming Vodacom Incoming Tour test match between the Springboks and the Azzurri (Italy), which will take place on Saturday 26 June 2010.

Our PR Manager Jolene Philip has been working at the Stadium to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and the entire Intengu team will be there on the day to provide support, and of course to cheer our boys on!

If you don’t have your tickets yet, they are available from the Buffalo City Stadium.

Connect with Cacadu is a programme aimed at getting people in the Cacadu District connected – with computer tutorials, document creation, email, the internet, government services, school curriculum-based activities and more being made available in public libraries.

Intengu is currently producing a promotional DVD for the programme, to make people aware of the programme and what it offers, to show them how it works, to encourage them to register and to show them how they can use these technologies to improve their lives.

Read more about Connect with Cacadu here: http://www.tradeandinvestcacadu.co.za/index.php/innovateedu

Francois Jacobs, a blind runner from Centurion, recently ran the Comrades Marathon with a sighted Australian running partner, Markus Schar, to raise funds for the Fred Hollows Foundation South Africa (FHFSA). They finished in 11 hours and 46 minutes and both received the Vic Clapham medal!

Not only did they finish this gruelling race, but Francois and Markus raised funds and awareness for the Fred Hollows Foundation South Africa – a development organisation that focuses on blindness prevention. FHFSA General Manager Mary Hlalele says that people really rallied around the runners, and that many people had their eyes tested at the FHFSA stand at the Comrades Expo.

Intengu assisted FHFSA with publicity for Francois and Markus’s participation by preparing a press release and producing flyers, posters, t-shirts and a retractable banner.

Read the press release here: http://www.prlog.org/10679299-running-for-vision-blind-runner-raises-funds-for-fred-hollows-foundation-south-africa.html

To find out more about the Fred Hollows Foundation South Africa, visit their website: www.hollows.co.za

Visit Markus’s website here: www.run4vision.com

Nelson Mandela Bay, a Host City for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, is getting ready to welcome the world, and Intengu is happy to have played a small part in helping them to gear up to do so!

Intengu recently produced a Pass Guide for Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, a cutting-edge marketing tool for the city, consisting of discount vouchers and special offers to a variety of attractions, including activities and sightseeing, wildlife and nature, cultural and museums, dining and restaurants and transport in and around Nelson Mandela Bay.

According to designer Melissa Meyer it’s more than just a collection of special offers; it also contains a wealth of information on the various attractions, as well as contact information. “It’s all the information a visitor needs in one neat little package,” she says.

Melissa tried to capture the excitement for the World Cup™, and the slogan, “Feel it, it is here!” in her design. “The design captures a feeling of energy and excitement, and to do this I used splashes of vibrant colours,” she says.

We hope the Pass Guide instils the same sense of excitement in the visitors to the city!

Visit Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism at: www.nmbt.co.za

Two members of the Intengu team, Lyndon Collins and Christo Theart, attended this year’s Tourism Indaba, which took place at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban from 8 to 11 May.

According to Lyndon, the Tourism Indaba this year was “soccer mad,” and definitely geared towards the World Cup. Lyndon says the Host Cities went “all out” with their stand designs this year, and that this really created a “fantastic vibe” and set a very positive tone for the tourism industry as a whole.

Intengu Communications attended the Indaba for two reasons: firstly, to erect stands for two of our most prominent clients, and secondly to see what is happening in tourism marketing and advertising, not just in the Eastern Cape, but in Africa in general.

Tourism in South Africa is a massive income generating industry, and Lyndon says to see how the best hotels from around South Africa market themselves was a real treat, as no expense was spared ahead of South Africa hosting the world’s biggest sporting event!

To learn more about the Tourism Indaba 2010, visit: http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/

Shaakira Abba Omar recently joined the Intengu team in Port Elizabeth.

Shaakira is originally from Durban, but has been living in Port Elizabeth for the past three years. She the eldest of three sisters, and is married.

After matric, based on her results, she was awarded a scholarship from a radio station.  She decided to study a Bachelor of Social Science in Media and Communication at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Shaakira is currently working towards an Honours degree in Organisational Communications, Public Relations and Marketing through UNISA.

Shaakira reports that Intengu already feels like a “home away from home,” and that the people she works with are “great.”

According to Shaakira, her future at Intengu looks “chirpy!”

Although Easter is a Christian observance, the Easter weekend is a special time for South African families regardless of religion.

It is the longest holiday after Christmas for most of us, and the time when many South Africans travel to see friends and family that live far away.

It is also the time for the Rand Easter Show, the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) and the Zion Christian Church’s Easter Festival.

Whether you are travelling to Johannesburg, Oudtshoorn, Moria or anywhere else in our beautiful country, we at Intengu would like to wish you a safe and happy journey and weekend. And if you’re staying put, good for you! We love it here too!

Intengu has been buzzing with activity during the past month, as you will see from this edition of the Chirp, so this will be a well-deserved break. Easter is considered to be a time of new life, as symbolised by Easter eggs, so our hope is to return from the weekend full of new life and a renewed passion for what we do!

Enjoy the break!

Best wishes,

Celia and the Intengu Team

Intengu Communications recently assisted the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC) and the Eastern Cape Sports Council (ECSC) in staging the Eastern Cape Premier Sport and Recreation Awards event to acknowledge and reward the province’s sports stars for their efforts and achievements in sport for the previous year.

The event was held on Friday 26 February at the Regent Hotel’s International Convention Centre and 360 guests attended the event. The Premier of the Province, Noxolo Kiviet, was the guest of honour at this event ably assisted by the MEC for Sport, Recreation Arts and Culture, Xoliswa Tom.

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Lyndon Collins, our Production Manager, was fortunate enough to travel to Monaco to attend the UIM (Union Internationale Motornautique – the International Powerboating Union) World Championships awards ceremony, which was held on 6 March, to accept his World Championship trophy for winning the P750 (Blue Print) World Championship.

Lyndon says that his trip got off to a bad start with his plane in Johannesburg not taking off due to engine failure, which caused further delays in both Frankfurt and Nice. After having had hardly any sleep for two days, he arrived at his hotel in Monaco with only five hours to spare until the award ceremony started!

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