Author: Staff Writer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASPIRE AND AMATHOLE DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY TO HAND OVER BUTTERWORTH MSME INNOVATION HUB SITE FOR RENOVATION
ASPIRE HEADQUARTERS |21 SEPTEMBER 2026
The Amathole Economic Development Agency (ASPIRE), in partnership with the Amathole District Municipality (ADM), will tomorrow officially hand over the Butterworth MSME Innovation Hub site to the appointed contractor for renovation.
EVENT DETAILS : Date:Tuesday, 22 September 2026 Time: 09:00
Venue:Erf 6070, Old Unitra Building, Vuli Valley, Gcuwa, Mnquma Local Municipality
The event will be led by ADM Executive Mayor Cllr Anele Ntsangani, Mnquma Local Municipality Mayor Cllr Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa, and ASPIRE Board Chairperson Mr Luthando Jack.The project is implemented under the Business Infrastructure Support Programme of the Department of Small Business Development. It involves the refurbishment of the building into a dedicated innovation and enterprise support facility for micro, small and medium enterprises and cooperatives in Mnquma and the wider Amathole District.
The site has long been identified in local planning as a suitable location for SMME and cooperative development and the handover marks the start of physical works to bring that plan into operation. Once renovated, the hub is intended to provide workspace and support infrastructure that local entrepreneurs currently lack, and to put a district-owned asset back into productive economic use.
The timing is also significant becase Heritage Month 2026 is nationally commemorated under the theme “Reimagine our heritage institutions for a new era.” The Old Unitra Building is part of Gcuwa’s institutional memory. Handing it over for renovation is a practical expression of this theme; we are reimagining our old building to create a space where a new generation of Amathole entrepreneurs can work, innovate and build
