Iconic Gqeberha beachfront pub Barney's Tavern donated R92,000 to the Beachfront Business Cluster to assist with ongoing upliftment projects along the city’s beaches and tourism hub. Barney’s manager and co-owner Craig Mittens (left) handed the cheque to Business Cluster chairperson Tati Tsunke on Tuesday. (Photo: Roxy North-Lawson) 
If you ask anyone born and raised in the Friendly City to name some of the most prominent landmarks across Gqeberha, a few names would pop up on most people’s lists.
Shark Rock Pier, the Campanile clock tower, the Feather Market Hall and, somewhere in the top 10, many are likely to name the city’s most iconic beachfront watering hole – Barney’s Tavern.
After four decades in Nelson Mandela Bay, Barney’s has become a social institution and valued part of the broader Gqeberha community, and for that reason, it has also invested much into the city that it thanks for its resounding success.
And on Tuesday, manager and co-owner Craig Mittens handed a cheque for nearly R92,000 to the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Beachfront Cluster for its ongoing work to uplift and improve Barney’s home suburb and the city’s tourism hub, Summerstrand.
/file/attachments/orphans/BarneysChequeHandover3_738661.jpg "Members of the Beachfront Business Cluster came together at Barney’s Tavern on Tuesday, where the popular pub donated the proceeds from its annual golf day to the cluster for its ongoing work to improve and uplift the Gqeberha beachfront. (Photo: Roxy North-Lawson)")
“As a member of the Beachfront Cluster, we are aware of the challenges that the organisation aims to address in its efforts to improve safety, tourism and business along the beachfront. They were the beneficiary of our charity golf day last year, and this year we saw yet another opportunity to assist them in their continuous endeavours,” Mittens said.
He said thanks to support from other surrounding businesses and individuals, their golf day at the Humewood Golf Club managed to nearly double its proceeds from last year, and they look forward to seeing how the money is invested back into the community.
“Safety and security has been one of the main challenges along the beachfront for some time now. The Beachfront Cluster has done a lot to improve lighting along the walkways, which is a boon for tourism and safety.”
/file/attachments/2985/MonosnapHistoryBarneysTavern2025-12-0217-03-40_766228_622583fb2b504b83eeac391a4b118f7e.png "Barney’s Tavern is near Gqeberha’s well-known Shark Rock Pier. (Photo: Barney's Tavern)")
Down the line, Mittens said he would like to see expansion and improvements to the security camera network along Marine Drive, and he hoped for better collaboration between the Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch, private security firms and the Metro Police to further improve conditions in the city’s tourism hub.
Few businesses have been invested in the Gqeberha beachfront as long as Barney’s.
The pub’s roots date back 40 years, when the first branch was opened in Gold Reef City, Johannesburg. Five years later, the Summerstrand branch opened its doors and became the headquarters when it closed shop in Gauteng. Since then, several branches have come and gone across Gqeberha, but the iconic beachfront pub has stood the test of time.
Mittens has been with the brand from the start.
From a record-setting amount of beer sold during the 2010 Fifa World Cup, to a list of live entertainers and every major sporting event – particularly championship performances by the Springboks – Mittens said Barney’s was open to one and all.
“And because our success is so dependent on support from the public, we like to assist organisations like the Beachfront Cluster and give back to the community that has supported us for so long.”
Cluster chairperson and general manager of the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino Tati Tsenku expressed his gratitude to Mittens and his team for their contribution.
“Part of our mandate is to uplift the standards of the beachfront through collaborations with strategic partners. Safety has been a major concern in recent years, and by working closely with private security firms and our neighbourhood watch, we have made significant strides in that regard.”
Tsenku said a lot of funding had gone towards solar-powered lighting along the beachfront, having a positive impact on the number of muggings and vehicle break-ins, without draining power from the electricity grid.
On top of that, the lighting also helps with beautification and the general upliftment of the area. Specialised lighting, which covers popular walkways, can also change colours to commemorate events and show support for various social movements.
/file/attachments/2985/solarlights_385907_746db1d95964f8dd6b4f2b35f4a2cdf3.png "The solar lights installed by the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Beachfront Cluster shone a bright purple on Women’s Day this year. (Photo: Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch)")
“We have also put up a number of bins along the beachfront in an effort to promote cleanliness, and in the future, we hope to play an active role in sanitation projects throughout our area,” Tsenku said.
Chairman of Summerstrand Neighbourhood Watch Ian Millar said the funds from Barney’s would be put to good use as they worked towards improving conditions along Marine Drive for the coming festive season and beyond.
“To date, we have spent in the region of R180,000 on lighting along the beachfront, stretching from Humerail to Admiralty Way. We hope to allocate more funds from this donation to improve further on our lighting project and to implement security measures to protect the lights we already have from thieves and vandals.”
Millar said their top priority was to illuminate walkways and tourism hotspots where visitors might not be aware of dangers that could await.
“By protecting tourists now, we effectively promote more tourism in the future. This is crucial for the development of business along the beachfront and throughout the city as a whole,” Millar said. DM