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Record numbers at the Century City Sports Festival
IS S UE TH IRT Y O NE 1st Quarter 2019
chris’s corner
a sad farewell
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aughter, mother, partner, friend, colleague, philanthropist, activist, life-saver – these are just some of the titles used to describe Maggie Rowley as condolences poured in. For us at the Century City Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA), she was all of that and more. Born on 21 November 1957 in Durban, Maggie spent a year in America as a Rotary scholar before studying towards a BA degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. After a period of finance and property reporting at the Cape Times and Cape Argus, Maggie was headhunted by Martin Wragge, the original developer of Century City, in 1997 and that’s where she stayed ever since, moving with the changing of the times and developers, becoming a key role player in the Rabie Property Group, the CCPOA team and the Ratanga Junction Theme Park team, adding immeasurable value wherever she could. Maggie’s hard work, love and dedication in assisting the students and teachers at the Sinenjongo High School in Joe Slovo has helped see the school grow from only 44 matrics with 12 passes in 2006 to 161 matriculants and a nearly 90% pass rate with over 70 university exemptions in 2018. Her support didn’t stop there. Maggie played the role of mother to all the post-matrics that Rabie Property Group supported and who are studying at tertiary institutions. Guiding and advising them, always ready to listen regardless of the issue, she made herself available to the students 24 hours a day. Everyone was important and nothing was too much trouble for her. Maggie, your infectious laugh, zest for life and love for others will be sorely missed, but the memories will live on in our hearts forever.
Chris Blackshaw
Rest in Peace Maggie Rowley
he first quarter of 2019, which has been chock-a-block with community events, has flown by at record speed. These events have included our annual Century City Sports Festival, which is now in its 11th year. There is no doubt it has now matured and reached critical mass, attracting literally thousands of participants over seven sports codes. The signature event of the festival remains the 10km Century City Express, sponsored by Discovery Vitality for a second year in a row, which alone attracted almost 4,000 runners, with a further 1,000 participating in the 5km race, in all a 25% improvement on last year. We expect this festival to continue growing from strength to strength and to become a major attraction on the Cape Town events calendar.
ceo | century city property owners’ association
21 november 1957 to 1 january 2019
EDITOR: Tatum Sieni | 021 552 6889 | tatum@centurycity.co.za ADVERTISING MANAGER: Tatum Sieni | 021 552 6889 DESIGN & LAYOUT: Elinore de Lisle | 083 574 8937 | elinore@iafrica.com COVER PHOTO: Century City 10km Express runners at the start line COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Michel Dei-Cont
MEDIA PLATFORMS Century City Media (CCM) offers a niche and unique multimedia marketing platform to businesses and consumers based in and around Century City.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO LIST YOUR BUSINESS, VISIT WWW.CENTURYCITY.CO.ZA
Century City Property Owner’s Association Century City House I 1 Park Lane I Grand Central I Century City I Cape Town Telephone: +27 (0)21 552 6889 I email: info@centurycity.co.za I Website: www.centurycity.co.za
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our growing city Rabie builds on its successes at Century City - Sable Park is fully let
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abie Property Group’s newest office development, Sable Park, is fully let. Completed towards the end of 2018, this 5-star Green Star development has attracted prime tenants. Discovery occupies the larger of the two buildings – 8,300 square metres, against the other, an inverse, near-repeat design of 8,000 square metres.
Bridgeways green zone, with iconic views of Table Mountain and the city, Sable Park’s futuristic design and position, combined with first-class amenities, was seen as the desired location for these businesses. Century Square, which houses restaurants, delis, Century City Hotel and Century City Conference Centre in a superbly designed setting, creates
City station is a mere 10 minutes’ walk away. Designed by dhk Architects to optimise natural lighting, each building has two wings off a central core and a lightfilled quadruple-volume atrium, spanned by a series of bridges at the edge of the main core. Water for ablutions, air conditioning, cooling systems and landscaping is drawn from the Potsdam municipal sewer treatment facility, and is then treated to safe levels. In much the same way as the design of the building, landscaping has played a crucial role in the development of Sable Park, with each building appearing to be embedded in a green platform. A series of terraces on all four sides of both buildings works as outdoor lounges.
with approximately 7,000 square metres of premium-grade office space, sable corner is set for completion in the first half of 2020. Discovery, committing to the project early on, relocated their regional office from Century Boulevard in mid-2018. Of the adjacent 8,000 square metres, MTN will also be relocating their regional office from elsewhere in Century City, taking up just under 4,000 square metres across the ground and first floors. The second and third floors have been committed to ICLEI, Byte Orbit, Sasfin and TAL. Situated on the prime gateway to the south of Century City’s
convenience and sophistication. A few hundred metres from Sable Park, Virgin Active offers a daily workout in addition to the landscaped walkways and canals throughout Century City, providing an opportunity to exercise safely within the secure precinct. Sable Park’s location encourages the use of public transport to cut carbon emissions: bus, MyCiTi bus and minibus taxi routes leave from a public transport hub less than 500 metres away, and Century
Building on the success of Sable Park and its surrounding commercial office buildings, Rabie have appointed WBHO who have commenced with the earthworks for the construction of another state-of-the-art commercial building, Sable Corner, which is just across the road. With a gross lettable area measuring approximately 7,000 square metres of premium-grade office space, Sable Corner is set for completion in the first half of 2020.
for further details, contact jason elley or sedica knight on 021 550 7000
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our growing city Iconic Axis is complete - residents and tenants are moving in
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entury City’s latest completed development, Axis is an iconic high-rise residential block that occupies a prominent corner position and has been designed to capitalise on enviable views of the entire Table Mountain range, Robben Island and the Atlantic Ocean. Completed in December 2018, the modern apartment block consists of 13 floors, comprising 85 luxury residential apartments
and penthouses, supplemented by small-scale commercial space at ground level. As excited new owners have begun moving into their apartments, Akiya Sushi started trading in the retail space during February. A very popular restaurant in Canal Walk, Akiya Sushi relocated to Axis, offering its residents, as well as visitors to Century Square and staff from surrounding buildings, an
authentic Eastern experience. Serving Chinese and Japanese dishes, including an array of sushi and other favourites, they trade from 7am to 9pm daily, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. Walking through to the internal quad on the ground floor, you’ll find NetXactics, an IT software firm, who have settled into their new office space. Their neighbours are Home from Home, who specialise in shortterm residential letting. Costco, a freight company relocating from The Matrix building, will be opening their new office soon, which completes the commercial section of the building. With unparalleled vistas, luxury and convenience that includes a 24-hour concierge in the entrance court, boutique retail and high-end finishes, an apartment in Axis is a great investment. Each apartment has Fibre To The Home providing access to high-speed connectivity.
two beautiful show apartments are available for viewing. to book an appointment, contact devon usher on 082 446 9188 or tamarin smith on 084 301 8616 at property world.
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our growing city Century Village on track to open in August
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abie Property Group’s new convenience shopping centre, Century Village, is rapidly nearing completion, on track to open its doors in August. With ultimate convenience in mind, Century Village was purposefully designed, and tenants were hand-picked to ensure that everyday shopping
is as easy and accessible as possible with comfortable inand-out open parking bays. Spar and Tops are the main drawcards, supported by Greens Restaurant, Postnet and various smaller retailers offering onestop variety. “We are excited about bringing a convenience retail offering
to our Century City stable and believe that Century Village will be a great added benefit to residents and commercial tenants,” says Colin Anderson, COO at Rabie. “Another big plus is its proximity to the local schools, which will enable parents to do daily shopping before and after their school runs.”
Security Operations Centre receives SAIDSA accreditation
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fter months of preparation, the Century City Security Operations Centre (SOC) was evaluated and certified by the South African Intruder Detection Services Association (SAIDSA). This body is the South African watchdog with regards to standards relating to security systems, ranging from basic alarms to sophisticated electronic intruder
detection systems as well as CCTV security operation centres. All companies listed on SAIDSA’s Approved Register have complied in every way with very stringent standards that have been laid down in regard to control room installations and reaction services, and are regularly inspected to ensure continued compliance. The benefit to Century City of
being listed on this register is to provide peace of mind that the Century City SOC has been vetted and conforms to acceptable standards as well as having been properly constructed and supported as described in SAIDSA’s by-laws 1 to 6. Century City is the first institution of its kind to achieve such accreditation.
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our growing city More parking for Rabie’s successful Century Square
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abie Property Group’s development team is nearing completion on a new parking deck, P3, situated between Virgin Active and Hillsong Church. The successful Century City Conference Centre, Century City Hotel, various blue chip office tenants and choice retail make up the adjacent vibey and popular Century Square. Comprising five levels of parking, which include a basement, three regular levels and a roof level, P3 will add 324 additional parking bays to the precinct. With a clear vision of P3 not being just another parking deck, an essential design objective was to include eye-catching lines and appealing design features. This not only ensures that the building is complementary to the remainder of the superbly designed precinct, but builds
on Century City’s commitment to use art and points of interest across various developments to enhance the experience of all users. Vivid Architects designed a randomly perforated aluminium cladding system as a façade across the building, which creates an exciting feature and allows for natural ventilation to the parking decks. The unexpected design aesthetic continues with the circulation staircase on the corner of the building facing Century Square being fully glazed, set off by black, red and yellow tiled walls on the external façade. A pocket park will be created at the pedestrian entrance and exit. Century City prides itself on its Art Trail, which includes over 30 art installations of various sizes. The intention is to
showcase another art treasure in this “green” space. “The provision of ample, convenient parking in the Bridgeway Precinct has been a fundamental strength of the success of Century City Conference Centre and Century Square. By adding additional covered, user-friendly parking, we are future-proofing the expected increase of visitors. We are also quite pleased to offer undercover parking to Virgin Active members,” says Colin Anderson, COO at Rabie. “Great urban planning should ideally ensure that the minimum number of parked vehicles are in the external areas of a development. With ample underground and decked parking, we can offer a safe, pedestrian-friendly experience to all our visitors, tenants and residents.”
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city life New CCPOA depot/maintenance workshop
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urrently the CCPOA operates a depot/ maintenance workshop from premises at the back of house of Ratanga Junction Theme Park. With the park’s closure and the planned redevelopment of the site, coupled with CCPOA’s need for larger premises to service the growing Century City
precinct, the depot needs to be relocated. A 2,346-square-metre site off Summer Greens Drive in the Century Gate precinct has been identified and is in the process of being purchased from the Rabie Property Group. The new facility, designed by Tim Hughes Architects, will be used to store and
repair equipment, machinery, vehicles, trailers and tools, and be the new home for approximately 70 ground staff. It comprises an L-shaped building incorporating two mezzanine levels, a number of storerooms of various sizes, male and female lockers, a break room, and a doublevolume workshop.
Construction is planned to commence by June 2019, with occupation before the end of the year.
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city life
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Century City hosts Buskers Festival in partnership with the Waterfront Theatre School
ffectionately known as South Africa’s “Fame School” for the performing arts, the Waterfront Theatre College has earned a reputation for creating the “triple threat” – people who can sing, dance and act. Founded by South African Theatre and TV legends Keith Galloway and Delia Sainsbury in 1992, the Waterfront Theatre College offers a unique opportunity to study varied aspects of the performing arts under one roof. Together with Century City, the Waterfront Theatre School will be conducting a Buskers festival from Monday 25 to Friday 29 March 2019, showcasing some of their amazing talent at various coffee shops/restaurants in Century City, namely Crave, Brick Lane Eatery, Bootlegger, Slug & Lettuce, Knife and The Square. From 11am to 2pm, patrons can be entertained by mimes, musicians and poets alike. for more information and a performer’s schedule, please visit www.centurycity.co.za
E-parking available Three of Century City’s e-parking sites, which provide additional parking bays to Century City companies on a monthly basis, have available parking. There are a limited number of openair parking bays available at both the Steel Bridge and MyCiTi e-parking sites, as well as undercover bays at the Water’s Edge facility. companies wishing to contract for additional parking bays should contact lynn ford on ` 021 5526889 or email lynn@centurycity.co.za
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city life
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ituated on the ground floor of the iconic Axis building, Akiya Sushi, an inspiring Japanese-style restaurant, captures and surprises the senses with a variety of exciting dishes. The primary concept for the restaurant is to share the Japanese lifestyle by immersing patrons in an authentic experience, including the culture of delightful tea, dim sum, authentic Asian cuisine and, lastly, plates of expertly created Japanese sushi, their speciality. Since its inception in 2011, the restaurant has gained a strong following and customer support base in Cape Town, hence the need for a second location. For the design of the new restaurant premises, the aim has been to expand on the vision that a restaurant can serve as a stage for experiencing the unique
DESIGN: RLR ARCHITECTS • PHOTOGRAPHY: KEITH QUIXLEY
Century City welcomes Akiya Sushi
Japanese culture and lifestyle. For guests coming to the restaurant, it will be like visiting Japan, with rooms created for the pleasure of everyday activities. From relishing their exquisite selection of imported teas and Japanese sake in the small lounge area and drinks bar, and experiencing the talented chef’s knife skills from the sushi counter, to enjoying an authentic
experience in refined Asian cuisine in the restaurant seating area. The new restaurant will also offer clients the opportunity to purchase some of their selected imported teapots and authentic teas on display throughout the restaurant. The vision is defined in the name of the new restaurant: Akiya – a true lifestyle.
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city life 11th annual Century City Sports Festival draws record crowds
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housands of runners and other athletes turned out for the 11th annual Century City Sports Festival held over the past weekend. The festival included seven sports codes, with the signature event being the highly rated Century City 10km Express road race with Discovery Vitality, which attracted more than 3,800 runners from around the country, almost 25% more than the previous year. This
was followed by a 5km family fun run/walk that attracted a further 1,000 participants, including 200 runners from the JAG Foundation. First home in the 10km Express, which is one of four races in the Vitality Run Series for Cape Town, was Sibabalwe Mzazi of Boxer CGA in a time of 30:01. The first woman runner home was Fortunate Chidzivo of Retail Capital Langa in a time of 34:45. The Century City 10km
Express offers one of the largest purses in the country, with the winners taking home R10,000 in cash and R2,000 in Canal Walk vouchers. The festival also included Schools & Corporate Touch Rugby, Five-a-side Soccer, a Circuit Cycling Kermesse, the Signature Century City National 10km Stand Up Paddling Challenge, Canoe Polo and Dragon Boat Racing. Enjoy these pictures from the day...
for the full results of the festival, go to www.centurycity.co.za
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city life Intaka IslandVenue Hire
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ntaka Island offers a unique multifunctional venue hire space situated in the heart of Century City – suitable for workshops, training sessions, product launches and exhibitions, picnics, birthday parties and limited team-building events. The Activity Centre’s appeal lies in its central location, but mostly in the elegant natural charm of the thatched-roof building overlooking the wetland and canals. The venue can accommodate up to 80 people and has a lovely pellet heater for those colder winter days. The Lapa was built to provide visitors to Intaka Island with a relaxation area while maintaining that outdoor feel. The structure is made of wood and has been designed to be as open as possible, giving guests a magnificent view of the Island. The roof has a central opening to allow for smoke from the
fireplace to escape, adding to the game reserve feel. The venue can accommodate up to 40 people and has drop-down “blinds” for those particularly windy days. Also on offer are children’s birthday parties in the Lapa, as well as educational sleepovers and camps. Intaka Island produces ample fish to feed the birds, but to feed our guests we make use of the delicious and great service of
Diva Cuisine. Menu requirements and quotes can be obtained by contacting them directly: 087 231 0214, 083 476 6596 or dc@divacuisine.net. Please note: No outside catering allowed.
for more information, please visit www.intaka.co.za
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city life Intaka Island’s new Eco-Centre Manager
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ntaka Island’s new EcoCentre manager, Rentia Morcom, joined the Intaka Island team on 2 January 2019. Born in Cape Town, Rentia and her family moved to Pretoria, where she matriculated at Hoërskool Menlopark. Returning to Cape Town, she went to the University of Stellenbosch, studying for a BSc in Human Life Sciences and Psychology, and has subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Education Honours in Education Management cum laude, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, as well as completing a short course in Project Management Foundations through UCT. In December 2018, she graduated with a Master’s degree in Education Policy Studies. Rentia started teaching at Bloubergrant High School in 2013, initially as a Mathematics and Natural Sciences teacher for Grades 8 and 9. In 2014 she became a Life Sciences teacher
for Grades 10 to 12, and was also appointed as head of the Natural and Life Sciences department, a position she held until she joined the Intaka Island team. Rentia lives in Durbanville with her husband, Christopher, who is a legal officer at the Road Accident Fund. They both love travelling, eating good food and spending time with family. When asked about her new role, she replied: “Working at Intaka Island these past two months has been a unique and interesting experience. Fitting into my new role – managing staff, creating new educational programmes and the general day-to-day activities – has been both challenging and very rewarding. I look forward to growing the current programmes on offer and a long and prosperous relationship with the Intaka Island team.” We wish her all the best and look forward to working with her.
ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS FOR FREE WI-FI ROLL-OUT IN CENTURY CITY Following the success of the free Wi-Fi roll-out at The Square in 2017, the service has been expanded to Fives Futbol, Hillsong Church and the MyCiTi Public Transport Interchange. The free service, known as Let’s Connect, is the Wi-Fi arm of Century City Connect, the company that operates Century City’s carrier-neutral ‘last mile’ open-access fibre optic network. Launched in partnership with Comtel Communication (the sponsors) and the CCPOA, Let’s Connect is providing the public with four hours of free, fast uncapped internet access per day. To avoid abuse of the free service, torrent (movie) downloads and adult sites are blocked. According to Century City Connect Director, Hein De Swardt, connecting is dead simple. “A oneoff registration will give you access at all the locations. Users can log in with their details or via a social media account. Once registered, you will receive four hours to enjoy at your leisure, and you can come back every day to enjoy another four hours for free.” Future plans are to roll out the service at various public locations such as North Bank Lane, Intaka Island and Central Park.
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city life Intaka Island gets a new wheelchair-friendly boat jetty
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he jetty has not only been designed and positioned for easy access for those visiting Intaka Island, but also includes a wheelchair-friendly ramp that meets the applicable slope ratio standards. The jetty height takes into account the seasonal canal water levels and provides for easy access into the boats throughout the year. Intaka Island’s tranquil boat rides cruise along the Grand Canal and around Intaka Island, allowing passengers to enjoy the fresh air and breathtaking views, all while our knowledgeable skippers give you an insight into the history of Century City as well as of some of the wildlife and places of interest.
The duration of the cruise is approximately 35–40 minutes and boat trips can be arranged from 8:30am with the last trip
departing at 3:30pm. Prices are R65 for adults, R55 for children and include entrance onto Intaka Island.
to book your boat ride, please call 021 552 6889 or email info@intaka.co.za
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Non-venomous mole snakes reintroduced on Intaka Island
otanists who serve on the Intaka Island Blouvlei Environmental Advisory Committee have raised concerns at the impact that Cape dune mole-rats, which have no natural predators, are having on Intaka Island’s indigenous vegetation. After much research it was agreed that 10 mole
snakes would be released and monitored on Intaka Island. The mole snakes, which are indigenous to the area, are non-venomous and harmless to humans, feed mainly on moles and other rodents, and therefore spend much of their time underground hunting. They can occasionally be seen basking in the sun. The movement of the snakes and their impact on the mole population will be closely monitored with the aim of establishing a sustainable balance between the snakes, moles and the threatened Cape Flats Sand Fynbos found in the ephemeral pans of Intaka Island. They could from time to time swim across the canals and into the neighbouring urban environment. If seen, please contact the Intaka Island Eco-Centre (021 552 6889) so that we can safely return them to the Island.
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city life Upcoming events at Century City FULL MOON HIKE 21 March at Intaka Island Join us for a guided tour and discover the sights, sounds and smells of Intaka Island at night while the city goes into hibernation.
CENTURY CITY NATURAL GOODS MARKET & ART ON THE ISLAND
CENTURY CITY PARKRUN Every Saturday at Central Park Join us for a free, timed 5km run/walk at 8am every Saturday on Central Park. Rain or shine, we parkrun!
CENTURY CITY BUSKERS FESTIVAL 25–29 March at The Square, Slug & Lettuce, Knife, Bootlegger, Bricklane and Crave Be entertained by the Waterfront Theatre School buskers from 11am to 2pm Monday to Friday at some of Century City’s tastiest restaurants.
31 March, 28 April at Central Park field Held on the last Sunday of the month from September until April (no December market). Relax and sample the delicious fare on sale, while the kids take advantage of the many activities on offer.
THE GALILEO OPEN AIR CINEMA 5 April at Central Park The Galileo Open Air Cinema welcomes you to a magical movie experience of cinematic delights, tantalising treats and breathtaking scenery under a canopy of stars. It’s the perfect setting (and excuse) for a memorable evening with friends, a ridiculously romantic date, intimate birthday party or work social.
SUMMER NIGHT MARKET 12 April at The Square Situated on the iconic Century City Square, the Summer Night Market boasts an array of food, drinks, goodies and gifts as well as some great live music. for information on events, go to www.centurycity.co.za or contact: tatum@centurycity.co.za
ing l l e s 1 er b m ! u y n t i C y The ur t n e C n i agency