EXECUTIVE MAYOR MPE JOINS BRICS+ CITIES IN PUSHING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | In the heart of Rio de Janeiro, where the echoes of global ambition fill the air, a significant chapter unfolds for Polokwane and South Africa. Executive Mayor Cllr Makoro John Mpe has taken his place among a select group of international city leaders at the prestigious BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities General Assembly.
It is no ordinary gathering. Here, amidst towering flags and weighty dialogue, the future of cities is being reimagined. Executive Mayor Mpe sits poised between influential figures: to his left, Ethiopia’s Deputy Mayor of Debre Birhan, Cllr Werkalimshu and Russia’s Timur Zakirzianov, Head of the City of Urai. To his right, Andualem Tenaw Habtie, Director General of the Ethiopian Cities Association. Each carries the vision of their people, each a voice in a rising chorus for change.
Then, Mayor Mpe speaks.
“My experience in Rio de Janeiro and Marica,” he begins, “is that they are old cities in Brazil with good infrastructure maintenance and investment, strong trade culture amongst the population and high tourism contribution to the local economy. There are prominent street vendors and hawkers or a strong formal and informal economy, strong ocean economy, of course.”
Polokwane is a city far from the Atlantic shores of Brazil, yet fully present on the global stage. Polokwane is no longer a distant observer – it is now a bold participant.
His insights carry a roadmap: invest in infrastructure, uplift small traders, unleash tourism’s potential. With each observation, he draws a quiet but deliberate connection between Rio’s past and Polokwane’s possible future.
And this is only the beginning.
Soon, the panel will move into plenary. There, resolutions will be made — resolutions that may shape the direction of international cooperation, development funding and city-to-city partnerships. Cllr Mpe won’t just be in the room; he wil help shape what comes next.
In that moment, Polokwane is not a city at the edge of the continent – it is a city at the center of global thinking – a city preparing to transform local streets with global ideas.
As the assembly unfolds, one thing is certain: Polokwane has arrived and the world is taking notice.
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