COMPLETED PROJECTS
St Peter's Anglican Church
> Project Status: COMPLETE
> Project Value: R6 million
> Launch date: 23 September 2025
> Project Location: SOUTH END
The Mandela Bay Development Agency launched the rehabilitated St Peter’s Anglican Church ruins as the publicly-accessible St Peter’s Rainbow Village in September 2025.
Work on site included structural rehabilitation, landscaping, and the creation of public amenities designed to support inclusive use. Special care was taken to preserve the architectural character of the original building while introducing new elements such as a viewing deck, seating area, and a small ampitheatre. Walkways through the site provide the opportunity to learn about South End’s rich history and culture.
Designed as an outdoor event space, it can accommodate between 50 and 100 people.
The area is secured around the clock by MBDA-contracted security personnel. Entry is free to the public.
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The St Peters Anglican Church ruins in South End were the site of forced removals in the 1960s. By 1972, the empty building was vandalised.
The MBDA purchased the land around the ruins of St Peter’s Anglican Church and carried out environmental improvements, including a timber walkway with ocean views. The site, once vandalised after forced removals in the 1970s, has become a heritage tourism opportunity and a place of memory for the South End community.
The St Peters Church ruins symbolises a valuable history of the community of South End, a place where people from every walk of like congregated, worshiped together and living in peace.
Now open as St Peter’s Rainbow Village, the site offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore and appreciate the history and heritage that binds so many of our communities in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The project forms part of the MBDA’s broader commitment to human-centered urban renewal that pays respect to the history of the city.
