Who We Are
Under the leadership of Thomas Swana, PEDI is forging ahead with a plan to unite business owners and residents of Philippi. The plan will create a model for urban renewal and development in South Africa.
PEDI aims to rejuvenate Philippi to become an area that attracts investments to create job opportunities and develop skills. The development of key catalyst sectors in the area is at the heart of projects that PEDI is focused on developing.
PEDI was established in 1998 as a Section 21 Company by the City of Cape Town in partnership with the Western Cape Provincial Government, businesses and the community. From the outset, its primary aim was to promote economic growth and development in the Philippi Industrial area. PEDI has had a permanent presence in Philippi since 2011. Working with project developers and service providers, PEDI is driving the dialogue between all parts of the community, creating partnerships and formulating strategies to pull Philippi out of the rut it slipped into over decades of neglect. PEDI believes Philippi can be a shining example of how disadvantaged communities in South Africa can become thriving economic hubs.
PEDI’s role in Philippi puts it in a position to promote and facilitate acceleration of economic growth. Over a billion rands worth of projects are now in process and this will see opportunities to rebuild and grow Philippi. These projects will see significant job creation, which will drive social development, education and safety. By actively building a knowledge base through commissioned research, PEDI has become a key player in shaping a collective vision for the future of the area. Investors and community leaders have agreed that a holistic approach to the redevelopment of Philippi is needed.
Vision & Mission
Vision
To build Philippi into a thriving urban hub where businesses choose to invest and grow, and where people choose to live, work and play.
Mission
To facilitate Turnkey solutions that will enable stakeholders across the wider Philippi community to create a shared vision.
A word from the CEO
Across the Philippi community, individuals and organisations are working to transform the area for the benefit of residents and businesses alike. There are catalysts that we know can fundamentally alter our story. Here at PEDI we are making it our business to find the right ones, and to link entities who are keen to work together to have even greater impact than they can alone.
Things are under way which are giving us great hope. Our vehicle for making a difference is PEDI – the Philippi Economic Development Initiative – which is working to facilitate development in the area to create the kind of suburb in which people choose to live, work and play. We believe we have a real chance of inspiring political, official and private sector players to commit to the area’s future to do just this.
We don’t only want to make it a nicer place to live. Here at PEDI we like to describe the wider Philippi area as the Central Suburbs – a pivotal node for the whole city which can help to make Cape Town a more integrated city, economically and socially.
There are four broad areas where catalysts can shape Philippi’s window of opportunity: agriculture; waste recycling; transport; and industry. The opportunities offered by the revisioning of Cape Town an Aerotropolis city will transform the suburb fundamentally.
PEDI’s vision is for our Central Suburbs to become the heart of the City of Cape Town, a place where people choose to live, work and play. We know this can be done. But much needs to be done.
Join us in our efforts through our many projects. We’d love to hear from you.
Thomas Swana
CEO Philippi Economic Development Initiative
info@pedi.org.za
PEDI Stakeholder Tours
PEDI has been conducting bus tours of the Philippi area to allow targeted stakeholders and interested parties to see developments in the area and to show them the opportunities that exist.
So far PEDI CEO Thomas Swana and Project Manager Paul Stohrer have accompanied representatives of the media, local government, provincial government, national government and potential investors on these tours, and have provided them with documentation and information that proves how much unlocked value lies in the area.
The tours showcase the four sectors in which PEDI believes the greatest opportunities for development lie. Foremost among these are Agriculture; Transport; Waste recycling and Construction.
It is wonderful to see how those who have never been to Philippi are astonished and impressed by what has been achieved in the suburb to date.
The tour of what Swana likes to call Cape Town’s “Central Suburbs” takes in the challenges as well as the successes. Swana is clear about the tough road ahead in Philippi but he believes passionately that there is massive opportunity that has not begun to be harnessed.
It’s an exciting time in Philippi.
If you are a stakeholder or a possible investor and you’d like to link up with PEDI or join a tour, send us an email through the link below:
