Pretoria: 03 September 2018

Economic and social development opportunities in South Africa’s maritime and marine economic sector remain hugely abundant if only current and aspirant entrepreneurs looked closely enough and made the effort to explore and exploit them.

Furthermore, such opportunities are not even confined to areas closest the country’s three oceans, but can be identified and exploited even in inland areas as was again ably demonstrated in Benoni, Gauteng at the weekend.

This was the main sentiment to emerge within the country’s maritime sector at the weekend after the East Rand town of Benoni, a stone’s throw from Johannesburg, was momentarily turned into a “Viking village” when the local sailing club hosted the official launch of a unique ‘viking’ leisure boat conceived, hand-built and floated by resident entrepreneur, Mr Daniel Bungay.

Close on a thousand people turned up for the event at the Benoni Sailing Club on Saturday, many dressed up as Vikings to witness the formal unveiling and floating of the “The Nordic Sea” – an eight to 10-seater boat built with wood by Mr Bungay in just under two months at his home.

To ensure compliance with both its construction design and build material suitability and safety, Mr Bungay had roped in the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) for guidance and during the unveiling and launch ceremony on Saturday, the government agency duly handed Mr Bungay his new boat compliance certificate.

According to Mr Bungay, the leisure, paddles driven vessel, will be part of an arsenal in his new business venture, Greenhouse Factory, to provide unaccredited personnel training courses that include team building to companies local and countrywide.

“It’s a dream come true, I feel delivered. It’s not just a boat, it’s a spirit.” said Mr Bungay in a brief interview. It was a dream about which he said he had worked hard in a very short time to realize and crucially, ably assisted by his wife, Ashleigh.

For Mr Bungay’s full interview click on the video below.

Meanwhile, Mr Imraan Davis, a provincial boat safety surveyor at SAMSA who handed over the boat’s compliance certificiate on Saturday, described Mr Bungay’s wooden boat building initiative as one of a kind, but an entrepreneurial vision realized and in its wake, was demonstrative of the opportunities that exist in the country’s marine and maritime economy sector.

“It’s the first time I have seen something like this being undertaken inland to be floating today and SAMSA is actually proud to have been of assistance with the initiative,” said Mr Davis during an interview with a local community radio station.

For Mr Davis’ full remarks, click on the video below:

Shortly before formal launch and first floating of the vessel at the Benoni Sailing Club waterway, Mr Bungay shared his vision for the initiative with the local community. For the moving rendition, in a poetic style, please click on the video below:

End