Premier Zille Attends Official Opening of the Zeitz MOCAA

Today Premier Helen Zille attended the official opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa – the Zeitz MOCAA.

The Museum is situated in the Silo District of the V&A Waterfront. The Zeitz MOCAA houses the largest collection of contemporary African art on the continent and is the only museum of its kind in Africa. The facility comprises 100 different gallery spaces across 9 floors. The building is envisioned to handle between 800 - 900 people at a time.

Speaking at the opening ceremony Premier Zille said: “The Zeitz MOCAA will go down in modern history as one of the most iconic facilities to visit, not only in Africa but in the world.”

“We must also acknowledge the economic value this will add to the province. This iconic museum will attract guests from all over the world. This in turn will create jobs, and grow the economy. According to the latest available figures, the creative sector contributed R90.5 billion to the South African economy. This represents 2.9% of national GDP. Cultural industries employ more than 440 000 people across the country, we want the Western Cape to contribute immensely on the front,” said Premier Zille.

Zietz MOCAA will be open and free for all visitors over the Grand Opening Weekend – between 22 and 25 September. The museum will officially open its doors on 27 September.

“I also commend the key partners including Mr Jochen Zeitz and the V&A Waterfront team, among many others, for their work in not only creating this world-class facility, but making it as accessible as possible to the public. We want to encourage everyone in the Western Cape to take advantage of this opportunity to access all that the Zeitz MOCAA has to offer,” Premier Zille said.