ConneCT 2022

CITY

OF CAPE TOWN

committed to growth

A City of Hope for All

In your mind, what makes Cape Town the most attractive destination for investment and doing business in SA?

In Cape Town, we are continuously fighting against the status quo in much of South Africa. Tragically, the inaction and incompetence of municipal governments all over the country have led to crumbling infrastructure, reduced investment and growth, increased unemployment, and rapidly declining quality of life for residents.

In contrast to the disuse, disrepair and disorder in the rest of the country, Cape Town has shown the business community that we are committed to investing in – and maintaining – the infrastructure needed for commerce. We are also dedicated to making it easier to do business in our city, whether it’s through simpler licensing and permitting processes, easier and faster access to municipal services, world-class customer service, or any other of our range of interventions.

Looking at the catastrophic state of Eskom and the unprecedented load-shedding implemented during 2022, are there steps being taken to ensure that Cape Town is more energy-resilient?

Our IPP (independent power producer) procurement programme, which went to market in February this year, is the most advanced municipal energy

security programme in the country. We are currently in the process of assessing dozens of technical bids in order to choose the best suppliers of renewable energy to the City. The tender will be finalised early next year, after which construction of the projects will begin.

We are also investing in our own generation projects, including a solar PV (photovoltaic) plant in Atlantis, which will begin construction next year. In addition, we have commissioned a feasibility review on utility-scale battery storage systems, which will increase the usability of renewable energy. We have a wheeling pilot project underway, and are now buying excess energy from commercial producers with small-scale generation installations, ensuring no megawatt produced in Cape Town goes to waste.

Finally, we continue to maintain the Steenbras hydroelectric plant, which allows us to mitigate up to two stages of load-shedding, to a world-class standard. Because of this, the plant is one of the few publicly owned generation facilities in the country that runs efficiently and reliably.

Just a few years ago, after prolonged drought, Cape Town narrowly avoided a Day Zero situation of its taps running dry. Is the City better prepared for the next lengthy drought period?

We are much better prepared for any future droughts. In 2019, the City adopted a new Water Strategy, which aims to ensure a resilient and sustainable water supply for Cape Town’s future. The projects planned in this strategy are well on their way to being delivered on time, and cover four future sources of water for the City: surface water (dams), groundwater (aquifers), desalination and water reuse. We have just finished a drilling project on the Cape Flats Shallow Aquifer, and have several other aquifer projects planned for the future. We are in the process of augmenting the capacity of the Berg River Dam, which will enhance our ability to store groundwater. Water reuse (recycling) and desalination projects are coming further down the pipeline, but we are confident that demand for water will not exceed supply before these projects are finalised, even in the event of drought.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on why Cape Town is South Africa’s leading city for investors, businesses and residents.

The City recently published its 2022-2027 IDP. How closely does this document reflect your administration’s vision for Cape Town? What key points in this framework are most important to you personally?

I was closely involved in the drafting of the IDP and believe it reflects my vision of Cape Town as a City of Hope for All very clearly. Most relevantly, the IDP delivers on the seven pledges my administration made as we came into office:

1 Ending load-shedding in Cape Town.

2 Making Cape Town safer.

3 Creating new jobs by making Cape Town the easiest place to do business in Africa.

4 Making public transport work by expanding the MyCiTi bus service and fighting for control over passenger railways.

5 Doing the basics (like sewerage infrastructure) better so that every Capetonian can live a life of dignity.

6 Releasing state-owned land so that the private sector can deliver more affordable housing.

7 Cleaning up Cape Town’s public spaces, streets and waterways.

Like all of SA’s major metros, Cape Town is highly spatially divided along socio-economic lines. How does your administration see the gap being bridged?

The first answer to this is jobs, jobs, jobs. We need to aggressively pursue a growing economy so that more people are in work and earning a decent income. When this occurs, people have far greater capacity to pursue improvements in their living circumstances and spatial integration occurs without much intervention from the state.

The second answer is that we need to pursue affordable, reliable and accessible public transport options, especially commuter rail. Most countries treat their railways as treasured public goods, understanding them as wealth creators

and equality enablers. Our national government has taken a different view, willingly selling off public goods to corruption and incompetence. Cape Town’s railway system has all but collapsed.

Earlier this year, I announced that the City had begun a feasibility study on taking over the national government’s management of passenger rail in Cape Town. We aim to build a functional and integrated urban transport system that will positively impact on social inclusion, shared prosperity and poverty reduction.

How does the City balance meeting the needs of and uplifting the most vulnerable in society while also ensuring it drives growth and attracts foreign and local investment?

It is a mistake to view these two goals as being in competition with one another. The single biggest driver of inequality in South Africa is unemployment. We need to attract investment and drive growth precisely because this will ensure there are fewer vulnerable people in our city. Of course, not everyone will be able to make the most of increased opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. For those vulnerable people, the City of Cape Town will continue to offer the biggest and broadest offering of free basic services of any municipality in the country.

Have we put Covid-19 firmly behind us now? Are there perhaps any unexpected positives we can draw from the pandemic?

I believe Covid-19 has been firmly behind us for many months. While I can’t think of much good that came out of the pandemic, one thing has been the large number of international visitors who have come to Cape Town to work remotely while experiencing all the amazing things our beautiful city has to offer. This has been of great benefit to the local economy.

On a national level, taking into consideration all the challenges we face (Eskom, water scarcity, corruption, poverty – the usual endless list), how do we as South Africans maintain hope for a better, more equitable future?

I must be honest and say that, like many South Africans, I have also despaired about the future of our country, and often felt hopeless about the situation nationally. It is so easy to allow things to slide into tragic decline, and there are not enough people – in government or elsewhere – who are really committed to turning things around.

The good news is that I do believe that Cape Town is continually proving itself to be an example that South Africa can work, that there is hope for a better, more equitable and more prosperous future. I am incredibly grateful to lead a government whose civil servants consistently show commitment to service delivery excellence. It is because of their hard work that Cape Town is bucking the trend of decline in South African cities and is constantly becoming an even better place to live. The knowledge that this is possible should offer hope to every South African.

What is your closing message to potential investors or those considering doing business in Cape Town?

Cape Town’s is the only city government in South Africa both genuinely committed and practically able to deliver the conditions necessary for economic growth and human flourishing. Because of our investment in, and maintenance of, the Steenbras plant, we have saved residents 1 130 hours of load-shedding (out of Eskom’s 1 900 hours) this year, including 230 hours in which there was no load-shedding at all while the rest of the country had power cuts. For anyone wanting to conduct business or invest in South Africa, Cape Town is not only the safest but the most exciting choice. We hope you will join us in building a prosperous future in our city.

An impressive track record of civil construction success

Established in 2008, South African civil engineering constructi on firm Afriline Civils has long been at the forefront of service delivery in the field of civil contracting and project management.

From its home base in Cape Town, South Africa, Afriline Civils has an established network of partners and clients/customers across the public service sector as well as in the mining space.

The company operates nationally and internationally, servicing the Southern African region, taking pride in diversification in order to suit its clients’ needs. As a responsive and nimble business, Afriline Civils adjusts its practices to deliver precisely on project briefs and requirements. The company undertakes to deliver civil engineering projects of the highest quality, in a timely and safe manner.

The company’s management and staff on the ground have extensive experience and knowledge of the engineering field of practice, ensuring that all projects are managed effectively. Project outcomes are well supervised, with a hands-on approach and management being directly involved in operations, as well as preand post-project problem-solving.

Afriline Civils is proud of its organisational structure, which allows for friendly and personal service, ensuring that clients and customers feel like partners in the success of their projects.

The company strives to be a truly BBBEE and proudly South African company that provides highly professional service to the engineering industry.

With an enviable order book that is testimony to its consistently high level of service delivery, Afriline Civils has completed a vast number of projects across South Africa in recent years, with no fewer than 10 projects completed in the Western Cape since 2020.

Projects completed in 2020

In 2017, Afriline Civils was awarded a City of Cape Town tender to serve as the main contractor on the upgrading of the sewer reticulation network along Zwelitsha Drive in the Nyanga township. This project, valued at R12.17 million, entailed extensive civils work, which included laying 500 m of 200 mm diameter uPVC pipe, to improve the area’s sewerage capabilities. Successfully completed in 2020, the project also entailed the replacement of 5 000 m 2 of road surface.

In response to the extended drought that affected much of the Western Cape between 2015 and

2018, Saldanha Bay Municipality sought sustainable groundwater solutions to augment its flagging water supply. Afriline Civils, as the main contractor, was awarded a tender to tap into the Langebaan Aquifer through the assembly of groundwater infrastructure for eight boreholes. This R50.1 million project included complete borehole assembly, electrical works, telemetry and the laying of 1.5 km of 500 mm GRP pipeline, 2.2 km of 400 mm GRP pipeline, and 3.4 km of 200 mm diameter PVC-O pipeline. Upon project completion in 2020, the company had also constructed the motor control centre buildings, the concrete valve chambers and the site’s accompanying gravel service road.

Setting the groundwork for potential infill housing developments within Khayelitsha, Afriline Civils was the main contractor on the construction of civil and electrical infrastructure for the establishment of 425 erven in the township’s Harare neighbourhood. The R23.77 million project included the surfacing of 11 000 m 2 of asphalt pavement.

In making a material difference to the lives of Cape Town’s indigent

population, the company completed the construction of civil engineering services for 110 erven in Mfuleni’s Better Life informal settlement, which was inclusive of 1 870 m 2 of asphalt roadway, at a project value of R6.9 million. Afriline Civils also completed an engineering services contract for 269 erven in the Wallacedene informal settlement, including 4 250 m 2 of asphalt paving, at a project value of R10.31 million.

Projects completed in 2021

During 2021, Afriline Civils completed three major projects within the Western Cape, serving as the main contractor on each of these.

In line with the City’s agenda of upgrading and formalising townships where possible across its municipal bounds, Afriline Civils completed the construction of civil and electrical infrastructure for 453 erven in Macassar’s Deep Freeze informal settlement. Valued at over R29 million, the completion of this project has laid the foundation to expand the provision of basic services and thereby improve the quality of life for residents.

In early 2020, Afriline Civils was awarded a R15.48 million tender for the construction of a section of Onverwacht Road in the Lwandle township of Strand. This project included the construction of the associated stormwater drainage structures as well as the rehabilitation of existing and stored pipelines. The company had to recover/collect and

remove the lining and sheathing of 92 m of existing and 99 m of stored 840 mm diameter steel pipeline; thereafter, Afriline Civils relined and resheathed these pipes. In 2021, the company completed the project, which included 4 500 m 2 of asphalt paving.

In Q2 2020, the company was awarded a tender for the replacement and upgrading of the sewer reticulation network along the Link, Mnixi, Rhode and Sheffield roads in the Philippi area of the Cape Flats. This R25.43 million project entailed the laying of 1 035 m of uPVC piping 315 mm and 400 mm in diameter, as well as the associated roadworks. A key aspect of this project involved the deployment of trenchless technology in the form of microtunnelling to install OD 1 370 mm reinforced concrete pipe sleeves.

Projects completed in 2022

This year, Afriline Civils completed an important project forming part of the greater Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme.

The Freedom Park informal settlement in Ottery, Cape Town, was previously identified for upgrading and formalisation, which would uplift the area and its 159 registered families. At a contract value of R23.47 million, the company developed civil and electrical infrastructure for 160 erven in the area, as well as 7 400 m 2 of asphalt roadway, providing planned access ways and services direct to residents’ front doors, improving quality of life and accessibility.

Ensuring completion in under a year, Afriline Civils constructed the Blompark Housing Project bus

route in Overberg Municipality to the value of R5.02 million. The route, which was opened in August, is meant to service the residents of the unfolding Blompark settlement and seamlessly connect them with the rest of Gansbaai and the concomitant economic opportunities this affords.

Ongoing projects

Afriline Civils is currently engaged in numerous projects across South Africa, including a bulk water mains relocation and upgrade project for a Western Cape municipality. It also has a vast project pipeline with some of South Africa’s largest mining houses, which speaks to the multidisciplinary skills the company possesses within the broader field of civil engineering construction.

www.afriline.co.za

A financially stable metro

Earlier in 2022, the City was ranked among the top performing municipalities in South Africa. According to Ratings Afrika’s annual Municipal Financial Sustainability Index (MFSI) report, the City was the only metro still considered to be financially stable for 2021 with a score of 67, outperforming the rest of the metros by a large margin.

Cape Town was the only metro to remain stable in its financial sustainability over the year in review, which speaks volumes of what the City is doing. Ratings Afrika’s Municipal Sustainability Index looked at operating performance, liquidity management, debt governance, budget practices, affordability and infrastructure development. It then gave a score out of 100 and the City scored 67, the only metro still considered to be financially sustainable.

In addition, the ratings agency Moody’s recently retained the City’s outlook as stable, noting that its debt levels remain lower than most of its rated peers in South Africa. The City’s strong debt management practices,

sturdy liquidity and robust financial performance were recently reflected in ratings agency Moody’s having retained the City’s outlook as stable (Ba3/NP).

According to the Moody’s rating report, the rating outlook reflected the City’s “moderate financial performance, supported by prudent financial management and a large and diversified economic base. The City has consistently reported robust operating surpluses and strong liquidity, and its debt levels will remain lower than most of its rated peers in South Africa.”

Supporting suppliers

Closer to home, the City pays on average 99% of supplier invoices within 30 days, making sure that it enables especially small and medium businesses to keep their cash flow and operations going. Much work has been done in contract management over the past few years to make sure businesses are paid on time in Cape Town to boost the economy

and protect livelihoods. In the current financial year, approximately R10 billion has been spent on purchase orders both in operational and capital budgets.

The City’s excellent supplier payment track record and these various independent and well-respected accolades indicate that the City of Cape Town continues to deliver services in a sustainable manner to the businesses and residents located within the metro.

The City continues to improve where improvements are required to boost its management of public resources and deliver on its core mandate of basic service delivery. As South Africa’s City of Hope, Cape Town is set to rise to new levels of service delivery over the coming decades.

The City of Cape Town continues to meet the demands of its growing population while maintaining its exceptional service delivery levels. Excellence in basic services can only be achieved through sound governance and solid financial management.

Consulting at the cutting edge

Transport Telematics Africa (TTA) is a consulting engineering company founded in 2003, delivering groundbreaking electronic and project management services in four main fields of expertise. We are mainly electronic engineers consulting on various projects for local government as well as private sector clients.

TTA currently offers consulting services in four main areas of expertise that can be categorised as intelligent transport systems, public safety and security systems, information and technology communication systems, and electronic building services. In addition to the standard consulting services, we also offer project management and risk analysis services on various types of projects.

TTA’s mission is to continue delivering and improve on the quality and level of service we have managed to achieve to date and to remain at the cutting edge of technology in our specialised fields.

Our vision is to expand our current footprint by forming relationships with new and existing clients and to continue working in collaboration with other consulting firms by supporting them in delivering specialised electronic services.

We have gained valuable experience over the past years and

formed longstanding relationships with our existing clients which positions the company to be very competitive and contributed immensely to the growth the company has seen to date.

Working with the City

The company was established with the core business focus of urban CCTV surveillance, and this discipline still forms a substantial part of our day-to-day business. Although the core business focus has expanded to the areas named previously, the continuous phased roll-out of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department’s CCTV network to various areas remains one of our biggest and longest running projects.

The City of Cape Town’s Bus Rapid Transit System, MyCiTi, has been rolled out and the current Phase 1 construction is in the operation and maintenance phase. TTA is proud to have been appointed in several roles, since 2009, to manage the implementation of various

aspects of the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) System and more recently the management of the operations and maintenance contract for the AFC System.

TTA is currently also appointed to manage the Advance Public Transport Management System for the Phase 1 MyCiTi service.

We are confident that the local and world economies have come through the worst in the last three years and are starting to show signs of recovery. TTA is positioning itself to benefit and be part of the growth that lies ahead. We have identified areas within local governments that can benefit from the experience and service we currently have on offer. Our goal is to expand both our client base and company size within the next three years, and to build on that growth by also expanding our geographical representation.

We are passionate about supporting the professional industry and have been a proud member of CESA since 2010.

Town planning for the future

The Urban Dynamics Directors

The firm offers expert professional town planning services, in all aspects of the statutory process related to acquiring and unlocking land development rights. The professional services offered include spatial planning, policy formulation, township establishment processes and the procurement of enhanced development rights, using the statutory rezoning, subdivision and consolidation processes. The company also has a skilled in-house GIS component that offers GIS professional services to the market.

The company has built an impressive track record in leading complex, large-scale, multidisciplinary statutory processes, as well as smaller-scale processes related to the acquisition of enhanced development rights to meet a range of development objectives for a range of clients.

A focus on quality

Our objective is to provide a highquality, focused consultancy service to all sectors of the South African property industry – from private individuals, property owners, private

developers, listed public property development companies and funds, to municipalities and government departments. We pride ourselves on uncompromised integrity, quality of service, personal attention to client and stakeholder management, as well as the proven ability to manage complex and mega-scale projects by applying our many years of professional experience in innovative ways.

Over a century of experience

Urban Dynamics Western Cape and South Cape have over 100 years’ combined in-house professional experience. Recently, Urban Dynamics has been involved in obtaining the land use rights for, among others, the Harbour Arch mixed-use development on the Cape Town Foreshore, the SAPOA awardwinning mixed-use development at 117 Strand Street within the City of Cape Town, the expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC eastern section), the revised Overstrand Municipal Spatial Development Framework 2020, various large-scale human settlements

Paul Olden is widely acknowledged for his skilled ability in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams through the often complex and challenging statutory planning processes. His experience as lead consultant in the urban planning field spans more than 30 years. His track record includes many successful highprofile projects covering a wide range of different commercial clients, developers and authorities. His experience includes large-scale projects such as Airport City, Harbour Arch, Oakland City and Frankendale Industrial, to name a few. He is passionate about town planning and has the proven ability and leadership skills to seek innovative and optimal solutions to challenges related to town planning and development.

Gerhard Swart is a widely experienced urban and regional planner with a vast range of experience from strategic regional policy planning, local-level municipal forward planning through to statutory development planning. His experience of more than 25 years spans a variety of different planning environments from coastal resort planning in sensitive ecological areas to large-scale industrial, retail, residential, golf estates and subsidised low-cost residential townships.

PJ Lerm has over 15 years’ experience in town planning, including spatial policy planning, commercial development applications and integrated human settlements development. He has a keen interest in resolving complex statutory land-use development challenges, seeking the most sustainable solution in the best interest of all stakeholders.

developments in collaboration with the Department of Human Settlements, and many more.

Urban Dynamics Western Cape and South Cape were established as part of a national town-planning consultancy in Cape Town in 1991. Since then, this professional company has played

an increasingly

important role in development planning in the Western Cape.

Guiding spatial development

Cape Town’s

Spatial

(MSDF)

The MSDF provides practical policy guidance for decisionmakers to achieve the right spatial balance between competing sectors and interests.

The MSDF includes a spatial vision, policy parameters and development priorities that will help Cape Town achieve a rearranged and inclusive spatial form and structure. The spatial vision is supported by the following three spatial strategies embedded in the MSDF and the district spatial development frameworks (DSDFs).

1Plan for employment and improve accessibility and access to economic opportunities

Cape Town’s spatial form and function is one of the significant factors affecting the city’s immediate and longer-term economic prospects and the socioeconomic inclusion of its residents. The City has an important role to play in maintaining a liveable, safe, vibrant and productive urban environment, as well as the accompanying infrastructure, to attract and retain investment, particularly in township economic nodes.

Over the medium term, it is crucial to sustain economic growth and reduce the cost for poor households to access opportunities through quality, affordable transport and housing, following the principle of transit-oriented development.

2Build an inclusive, integrated and vibrant city

The City will promote the

development of a more spatially inclusive, integrated and vibrant Cape Town that addresses the economic and social exclusions engineered during the apartheid era.

Desired outcomes include increased density in the urban core and particularly along public transport routes, a greater mix of income groups and land uses in neighbourhoods, and the equitable provision of utilities, social facilities, heritage, cultural and recreational spaces.

3Manage urban growth and balance urban development with environmental protection

The City actively promotes an urban form with higher densities and mixed land-use patterns in the urban inner core, supported by efficient public transport and infrastructure networks and amenities.

The envisaged developmental outcomes are the more sustainable use of land and natural resources, lower carbon emissions, climate adaptation, more efficient use of infrastructure, and effective public transport systems and amenities.

Key frameworks

The City’s range of spatial planning instruments operate at various scales, and each lower-level instrument is informed by higher-level plans:

• The MSDF is the overarching framework

setting out the longer-term spatial vision, policy objectives and desired outcomes, as informed by the IDP.

• DSDFs align with, and give effect to, the MSDF by translating the strategic priorities of the MSDF and IDP into district and subdistrict development guidelines.

• Local spatial development frameworks (LSDFs) align with, and give further effect to, the MSDF and relevant DSDF by providing more detailed, local planning guidance. LSDFs also include detailed information regarding proposed precinct development areas.

• Precinct development plans provide specific design guidelines for precincts. These may include details of projects and the associated implementation plans to develop a precinct.

• Site development plans represent planning at site level, providing detailed information, such as site layout, positioning of buildings and structures, property access, etc.

Collectively, these three spatial strategies and associated policies and plans establish a corporate spatial perspective, which informs the review of sector and lower-order spatial plans. They inform infrastructure investment and maintenance, as well as submissions and motivations for development proposals from the public and private sector.

Finally, these strategies directly affect the assessment of development applications under delegation or via the Municipal Planning Tribunal.

Municipal

Development Framework

has been formulated to translate the vision and strategy of the City’s IDP into a desired spatial form for the municipality. The City’s MSDF presents a long-term plan, of 10 to 20 years, for the spatial development of Cape Town.

Making inclusive housing a reality

South Africa faces a housing crisis, with demand for affordable and low-income housing far outstripping supply. As one of the country’s major metros, Cape Town is no exception. To address this pressing issue, the City has devised a number of plans to provide affordable housing in its IDP 2022-2027.

The provision of accommodation at scale is a key lever in militating against the dearth of affordable housing within Cape Town’s urban and peri-urban areas. Fortunately, microdevelopers already deliver affordable housing across formal neighbourhoods in Cape Town and are best positioned to deliver affordable rental accommodation at scale. The City is committed to supporting these developers and property owners to build safer and better-quality homes, recognising their valuable contribution to a more compact, densified Cape Town and a more inclusive housing market.

Housing construction is a labourintensive economic activity offering significant potential for growth in response to the high housing demand. Support for microdevelopers and the establishment of additional dwellings will result in skills development, job creation and greater property wealth for lower-income families.

Regulatory reform initiative

To be relevant to informal areas, current regulations, processes, ways of work and levels of service need to be adapted to take account of the realities of informal urban growth.

In this regard, the City will develop standards and best practice guidelines

specific to building development in less formal contexts to support the current trend of micro-development so that these units can be developed in a safe and sustainable way.

Local planning support initiative

The City is committed to growing its capability to advise microdevelopers on building practices so as to improve and ensure occupants’ health and safety, and to provide development application support.

To this end, a local planning support function is to be piloted. In addition, the City intends to partner with organisations that support the functioning of the secondary property market, such as NGOs dedicated to unlocking finance or assisting with tenure issues for microdevelopers. Moreover, the City will focus on regularising property boundaries in response to microdeveloper and backyard building activity so that these developments can be recognised as property assets and be bought and sold in the formal property market.

Upgrading informal settlements

The City is committed to improving informal settlements rapidly and at scale. The aim is for some level of improvement to occur in all recognised informal settlements in

the next five years, giving priority to basic services provision and functional tenure as a first line of response.

Informal settlements are not formally planned and the materials used in building homes mean that many informal settlement residents live in unhealthy living environments with limited access to water, sanitation and waste disposal services, and are at risk of fires, flooding, and the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.

The City will drive an evolving programme to upgrade informal settlements, working with and not against informality. Upgrading will focus on creating safer public spaces, access for emergency vehicles, safe and convenient walkways, as well as open space for essential community facilities where possible. This initiative will be supported by a programme of land release where on-site redevelopment is not possible.

The City has good data to inform planning and customer service in formal areas. Yet data to inform the provision of basic services and security of tenure in informal areas is relatively limited. The City is committed to developing robust data systems for informal settlements, recognising that this is crucial for responding to service delivery disruptions and adapting services to changes in population density and the physical characteristics of the area.

Your Contractor of Choice!

From humble beginnings in 2005, Atuba Construction has grown to become a leading contractor across the Western Cape.

Started by owner Jacques du Toit in January 2005, Atuba Construction is very proud of the growth it has experienced and the range of projects it has undertaken since inception. Its exceptional track record has allowed the business to firmly entrench itself as a serious contributor to the building contracting and property development industry.

Since 2019, Atuba has taken on a new structure and has also created a separate Atuba Civils Company as well as JCJ Plumbing. Both these companies are able to work successfully with the building entity and offer professional civil and plumbing services to augment the offering Atuba already has in the marketplace.

This newly structured business, managed by Naas Zaayman, in his capacity as MD, is focused on growing the organisation organically and strategically to be better positioned for future market opportunities and to spread its wings further while still retaining the Western Cape as its primary area of focus.

Through its close association with practising consulting engineers, architects and quantity surveyors, as well as its established knowledge base and experience in the construction and development industry, Atuba is able to offer clients an expert turnkey design and build option, where it delivers the requirements as set out and agreed upon

between the stakeholders in a more costeffective and efficient manner.

Values

As a CIDB GB8 company, Atuba Construction has the resources and expertise to successfully take on a wide range of projects, whether small, medium or large, up to a value of R200 million. In every instance – and irrespective of the value of the project at hand – the company undertakes to deliver a positive outcome with a superior standard of quality that has become synonymous with its way of doing business and the overall commitment and drive of its staff, who are able to deliver with professional astuteness.

Mission

Atuba Construction sees itself as a family that is committed to becoming your contractor of choice! The constant pursuit of excellence in everything the company does is underpinned by the dedication, experience and discipline of its staff, who have an ongoing passion to deliver quality, timely and profitable projects.

As part of providing this excellence, there is a deep commitment to health and safety, as well as promoting environmental and social awareness while ensuring that Atuba does everything practicable to minimise and prevent accidents or any incidents that do not support this focus.

Projects

While the company has successfully delivered projects throughout the Western Cape covering numerous construction sectors, it is currently engaged in various multimillion rand projects, three of which we wish to single out hereunder:

Concordia Primary School, Knysna (R84 million): Not far from the last remaining free-roaming African bush elephant, a new school is rising out of the ground. When done, it will serve the area of Concordia and be the place where some of the leaders of tomorrow will spend their formative years.

Middlepos Primary School, Saldanha (R81 million): The largest school commissioned by the Western Cape Education Department has already reached roof height and is quickly moving into the final throes of construction. A much-needed addition to this west coast area is proudly being built by Atuba Construction.

Horizon CYCC, Eersterivier (R100 million): Major changes and additions to this child youth care centre are taking place while the centre remains occupied by its residents. Work is progressing positively and is scheduled to be completed in the new year.

Atuba’s forward-going focus is to drive more business in these areas and to continue to meet the company’s stated objective of being Your Contractor of Choice!

Navarre Student Residence at the Wellington Campus is one of many projects Atuba Construction has delivered in the Western Cape

City working relentlessly to address youth unemployment

Youth unemployment is arguably one of the biggest crises facing our country, which is why the City of Cape Town is hard at work to encourage and stimulate sustainable job creation.

Across communities throughout Cape Town, City government officials have met with 20- and 30-somethings in need of work and connected them with various City-overseen initiatives.

Through the Economic Growth Directorate’s platforms and partnerships, thousands of young Capetonians have been trained and placed in jobs.

Specifically, the City directs funding to partners in high-growth industries for the particular purpose of job creation.

The doors of opportunity have opened for thousands of young Capetonians in green tech, marine manufacturing, IT and other industries.

Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator

The Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project – funded primarily by the City, the National Skills Fund and private sector partners – is an example of a programme that has helped just under

2 000 young people develop skills in two of the metro’s biggest industries: clothing and textiles, and call centres.

Through City programmes such as these, Cape Town has helped South Africa rise to the very top of international rankings in the call centre industry. For the second consecutive year, executives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and USA said South Africa was ‘the most favoured offshore CX delivery location in 2022’ in the annual Ryan Strategic Advisory Front Office BPO Omnibus Survey. Cape Town and the Western Cape are the most sought-after location for offshore CX delivery in the country, which, in the past year, has improved its market share to 65% of all delivery in South Africa.

In total, the Cape Town sector created almost 5 500 international jobs in 2021, bringing the overall jobs servicing global clients to over 42 000. Together with domestic-facing clients, more than 70 000 people now work in the sector in Cape Town.

While it is important to create these programmes, of equal necessity are the platforms that help people to source opportunities at little financial cost to themselves.

Jobs Connect

The City has responded to this need with Jobs Connect, the City’s flagship Workforce Development Programme, which helps

work-seekers source knowledge, training and employment opportunities, and links businesses with the appropriate individuals to help them expand their operations. The online platform, which includes a skills assessment, is paperless and zero-rated for MTN and Vodacom users.

When new opportunities are posted, candidates with matching criteria are prompted by SMS to apply and are notified about interviews via WhatsApp or phone call.

Since the start of this programme in 2018, 5 241 people have been placed in various jobs.

Leading metro

The fact that Cape Town has long been and remains the metro with the lowest unemployment rate is proof that these initiatives are working. But 30% unemployment is still far too high. We all know far too well the socio-economic ripple effects of this situation.

With the R713 million Economic Growth budget that has been approved by Council, the City will be able to expand on these programmes. The budget plots a roadmap for bolstering Cape Town’s small businesses and industries, and increasing Capetonians’ access to opportunities.

Make no mistake that the City is working relentlessly to create an inclusive economy of hope and confidence.

Unlocking the freedom of movement

2022-2027

The current transport system in Cape Town faces significant challenges, with high levels of congestion and the collapse of rail making travel costly and timeconsuming for many commuters.

Public transport services, particularly rail, require urgent attention. However, improvements must take place in the context of very limited funding for large capital investments in new public transport modes and corridors.

The City of Cape Town intends to pursue the incremental improvement of public transport infrastructure and operations in a way that delivers maximum benefit, for the greatest number of commuters, as quickly as possible. This programme will focus on integrating different modes of public transport to improve access and the safety, convenience, reliability and quality of transport services for commuters.

Public transport investments are critical to support a more spatially integrated,

higher-density and diverse built environment (underpinned by transitoriented development) and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.

Priority measures

The design of Cape Town’s road network offers an important opportunity to offer priority to public transport vehicles over private vehicles. The City intends to plan and construct infrastructure improvements at various locations in the road network to provide speed advantages to road-based public transport in mixed traffic.

It will also pursue operational traffic management interventions to provide speed advantages for public transport services. This will serve as an incentive to commuters to switch to public transport as a more sustainable form of travel, and will improve the efficiency of operations for public transport providers.

The City will prioritise commuter safety in transport infrastructure design,

such as by improving lighting on non-motorised transport links (e.g. walkways and cycle paths) with public transport interchanges.

The City also aims to upgrade public transport interchanges, including universal access measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can easily utilise these spaces. The City will prioritise multimodal, integrated ticketing, where possible, to ensure a smoother customer experience across the transport system. Precinct management around public transport interchanges will be strengthened to derive maximum economic benefit from these facilities, particularly for people currently excluded from the formal economy. This initiative will include the upgrade of public transport interchanges along the new BRT corridor linking Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain with Claremont and Wynberg.

Taxi and bus services

The City recognises the importance of minibus taxis as the dominant mode of road-based public transport for Cape Town’s residents. The City is committed to working with and supporting industry partners in incrementally improving minibus taxi services. This includes improving the quality, reliability and safety of services for commuters, and enhancing interoperability with other transport modes. The City is looking to evolve its Transport Operating Company (TOC) model as a partnership-building process, and will use the available regulatory measures to improve the quality of minibus taxi services.

Contracted buses are currently operated by the Western Cape Government and are the second largest

The City of Cape Town’s Integrated Development Plan

places a significant focus on improving its multimodal public transport platforms.

provider of road-based public transport in Cape Town. However, much can be done to improve the integration of this service with other modes of public transport and, therefore, enhance the quality, safety and efficiency of the service.

As the planning authority and intended contracting authority, the City will work with the various spheres of government to effect the assignment of the contracted bus function to the municipality, along with the relevant grant funding.

Bus rapid transit (BRT)

The City is committed to expanding its own public transport offering, namely the MyCiTi BRT system, to improve the quality of public transport services in Cape Town.

Currently, this expansion is taking the form of BRT, with a major BRT corridor being implemented between Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Claremont and Wynberg in the next five years.

This BRT corridor is critical in building a quality, universally accessible public transport system for Cape Town. This investment will improve transport connectivity and access for some of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods in Cape

Town, improving the speed and safety with which people can travel and at a cost they can afford. The transport system will also create the foundation of transitoriented development along this corridor, supporting strategic densification and access to economic opportunities.

While actively expanding it, the City will continue to maintain and operate the existing MyCiTi service, delivering a high-quality, reliable service to the people of Cape Town, striving for operational efficiency, and continually expanding its ridership. Key partnerships will be sustained to ensure that the MyCiTi N2 Express service continues to be delivered to a high standard.

Rail improvement

Failing passenger rail services in Cape Town, which are operated by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), have severely affected the level of access of the region’s most vulnerable residents, presenting a significant barrier to their movement around the city and access to jobs and services.

Over the past 10 years, rail passenger numbers have declined sharply, in large

part due to the continued failure of the rail service. This has affected travel times and costs, as well as workplace productivity; for some people, it has even led to the loss or curtailment of employment. The urgent protection of rail infrastructure and the reinstatement of services are critical to the functioning of Cape Town’s transport system, and therefore a key concern of the City.

In its new IDP 2022-2027, the City states it will advocate strongly for the devolution of rail functions to a competent local authority or entity, together with concessions being made available to the private sector, so that the restoration of passenger rail services in Cape Town can become a reality.

The City will strongly advocate for an alternative governance and management model for urban rail, where rail functions are devolved to a competent regional or local authority or entity. This initiative will include advocating for Prasa to make available rail route concessions to the private sector so that private funding can be leveraged to make travel in Cape Town safer, cheaper and easier.

The history of the FAW name and logo is both long and interesting. Today, both are instantly recognisable as symbols of quality, resilience and reliability, but delving deeper into the origins gives one a clearer understand of and appreciation for all the brand has achieved.

It was more than six decades ago, under the guidance of China’s Central Committee and with assistance from the former Soviet Union, that China’s first automotive production base was born. Known at that time as First Automotive Works, the company firmly launched the country into the automotive age.

The timeline

Interestingly, FAW’s history starts in the former Soviet Union in 1949.

Mao Zedong had been so impressed with the automotive industry in that country that, as part of an alliance treaty, the construction of China’s first modern truck factory was set into motion. The plan, of

which the creation of what is now known as FAW formed a major part, was approved in 1951. In 1953, this vision came into fruition when ground was broken for the new company’s first factory; in 1956, the first product bearing the FAW name was introduced.

That first product was the fourtonne Jiefang CA-10 and it set the tone for the enviable reputation for building virtually indestructible vehicles that FAW Trucks has attained over the years. In fact, some of those original units are still running today. Extensive development, refinement and changes have taken place within the company since then. In stark contrast to the early days of producing a single model of medium truck, FAW now produces numerous truck models that are suitable for a variety of applications. In 1992, the company’s name was also changed from First Automobile Works to FAW Group Corporation, giving it a more modern and contemporary image.

“Here in South Africa, FAW Trucks has also become one of the true

success stories of the commercial vehicle market. Continuously reaching new sales heights since the first locally produced unit rolled off the assembly line in 2014, the brand now has a 16-strong range of commercial vehicles in different body derivatives that cater to virtually every need and application,” says Yongjun Li, CEO of FAW South Africa.

The logo

The original FAW logo was also introduced in 1953 and did not look that different to the one seen on all models from FAW Trucks today. Back then, it only consisted of a black horizontal oval within a thin white outline though. In the middle of this oval was a white number ‘1’, surrounded by thick horizontal white lines that formed two wing-like structures and resemble a flying hawk.

The use of the number ‘1’ was not a spontaneous choice for the brand though. In Chinese,

Originating over six decades ago, FAW Trucks continues to put the quality of its products and the satisfaction of its customers first.

FAW Trucks spreads its symbolic wings and puts its customers first

the name FAW is a combination of the symbols for ‘One’ and ‘Automotive’, and as mentioned before FAW was indeed China’s first automotive manufacturer.

The depiction of a hawk is also significant, as it is symbolic of how FAW flies throughout the vast skies of the world, spreading its wings, soaring higher and farther into the sky.

A wide reach

The way in which the FAW Group has extended its reach across the globe is indeed impressive.

“Since its inception, the FAW Group has developed – among others –extra-heavy, heavy, medium and light commercial vehicles. It has 17 wholly owned subsidiaries and 15 holding companies, four of which are listed. The Group employs more than 130 000 people and has assets in excess of R240 billion, while boasting an annual sales volume of over 3.1 million vehicles,” Li says.

“The FAW Group commenced its export programme in 1984 and currently provides products and services to more than 70 markets across six major export regions around the globe, of which South

Africa is one. The Group has more than 50 Tier 1 agents and more than 350 Tier 2 distributors in these regions.

“The Group has its own dedicated product planning, development, engineering, design, testing and verification facility, as well as certification capabilities. It is China’s largest base for the research, development and testing of finished vehicles, bodies, chassis, engines, replacement parts, new processes and new materials,” Li notes.

A leading modern company

In 2000, the logo was refined and modernised to bring the brand into the 21st century. The bold custom lettering was added under the badge in order to complete the brand’s new image and also to showcase its new blue and white corporate colours.

Explains Li: “The blue and white colour palette of the FAW logo stands for reliability and protection, accenting on such qualities of the brand as loyalty, safety and resilience. The thick lines of the lettering make the logotype

solid and bold, evoking a sense of stability and seriousness.”

The continued success of FAW Trucks in the South African commercial vehicle market can be traced back to this company ethos, as the local operation has, over the past 28 years, established itself as a trusted supplier of durable and reliable vehicles that are not only competitively priced but also affordable to maintain.

“FAW Trucks might not have been the first commercial vehicle brand in South Africa, as it was in China, but the local operation remains true to the original vision of the company. This includes a pursuit of perfection combined with pride in everything we do. We place our customers first and continually endeavour to exceed their expectations,” concludes Li.

www.faw.co.za

Sky circle for Hanover Park

The project commenced on 7 July 2022, but residents would see major construction activity on-site only from the end of October 2022, as it takes time to set up such a work area.

This project showcases innovative engineering and forms part of the roll-out of the MyCiTi service to the metro southeast. It is a massive commitment: it will take about 44 months to complete, thus nearly four years, with the City investing in the new infrastructure and upgrades at this intersection in Hanover Park.

Benefits

The benefits of the elevated traffic circle and other upgrades are numerous:

• MyCiTi commuters will get a reliable service that runs on time, according to schedule.

• Travelling times for MyCiTi commuters will be shorter.

• Other road users will benefit from improvements at the intersection;

these will assist with traffic flow, thereby easing congestion.

• Pedestrians and cyclists will have dedicated lanes, separated from the road.

Thus, the investment will uplift and transform the surrounding area profoundly. Added to this are the benefits to local jobseekers and subcontractors from the surrounding communities.

About R15 million will be spent on temporary work opportunities

for residents who are registered on the local jobseekers database, as well as R15 million for local subcontractors to provide goods and services to the main contractor for this project.

A sky circle

The new elevated traffic circle at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road and Jan Smuts Drive can be described as a hollow circle in the sky, letting in light to the intersection below.

The traffic circle will be about 6.2 m above the ground, and will be for the exclusive use of the MyCiTi buses, once complete.

The free-standing elevated circle will be the first in South Africa, demonstrating civil engineering at its best, to the benefit of all road users. A visual impact assessment formed part of the design and approval process. Given that the elevated traffic circle is hollow, there will be sufficient light reaching the ground level.

By separating the MyCiTi buses from general traffic, the City will ensure the

The City of Cape Town is busy with the construction of a freestanding elevated traffic circle, the first of its kind in South Africa, at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road (M9) and Jan Smuts Drive (M17) in Hanover Park.

service operates optimally between Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha and Wynberg and Claremont without being delayed by the traffic or congestion at the ground level of the intersection. This design will benefit MyCiTi commuters, as it will reduce the travelling time to their destinations.

The proposed Hanover Park closed median station is the closest MyCiTi station to this intersection and will serve commuters along the trunk route to operate along Govan Mbeki Road. The station will be built at a later stage, closer to the implementation date of the service.

Benefits to other road users

The intersection at Govan Mbeki Road and Jan Smuts Drive experiences congestion during peak hour periods, which should be alleviated to improve conditions on the route. Included

Does transport infrastructure affect economic development?

The transport sector is a significant component of the economy and a commonly used lever to drive development. Because economic opportunities are related to the movement of people, goods and information, the state of transport infrastructure plays an important role in economic development.

Highly connected networks and high-density transport infrastructure are linked to high levels of development, with efficient transport systems providing economic and social benefits that produce positive multiplier effects, including employment and investment.

At the macroeconomic level, effective transportation infrastructure grants improved mobility, which is positively linked to the level of output, employment and income within a national economy. Looking at the microeconomic level, on the other hand, the transport sector is linked to producer, consumer and production costs.

Clearly, at national, provincial and local levels, South Africa’s authorities would derive great benefit from placing a significant focus on improving and maintaining transport infrastructure.

in this project are interventions to improve traffic flow with:

• the reconfiguration of the intersection

• dedicated turning lanes

• improved traffic signals

• improved signalisation or sequencing.

Pedestrians and cyclists will benefit from dedicated lanes for walking and cycling along Govan Mbeki Drive and at the intersection, and streetlights will be installed to improve visibility and safety at night.

Existing sewer, water and stormwater infrastructure within the road reserve will be relocated and upgraded, which means improved services to the surrounding communities.

Building a City of hope and prosperity

The City of Cape Town’s expenditure on the roll-out of the MyCiTi service to the metro south-east is the biggest financial investment in public transport by any metro city to date.

The City is working day and night to improve its public transport service offering to Capetonians. This offering includes the expansion of the MyCiTi service footprint.

Public transport should be accessible, convenient, affordable, reliable and safe, with the City of Cape Town being firmly committed to these goals.

Improved mobility means improved productivity, more jobs and economic growth, and better lives and futures for all of those who call Cape Town home.

Illustrations of the sky circle, or free-standing elevated traffic circle, which will be constructed at the intersection of Govan Mbeki Road and Jan Smuts Drive in Hanover Park

This investment will benefit the surrounding communities of Hanover Park, Philippi, Lansdowne/Wetton and Yorkshire Estate, and will transform the surrounding landscape profoundly

Cigicell is the leader in the provision of municipal revenue enhancement strategies, with a portfolio of more than 95 municipalities, and has one of the largest vending footprints in South Africa.

We believe that the experience we have gained over the last 22 years in the prepaid electricity-vending arena – coupled with our strong focus on customer service and solid financial stability – has positioned our company as the best revenue collector for many municipalities. Cigicell has, through state-of-the-art

ICT systems, been able to integrate a diverse number of municipal systems, enabling seamless integration for our customers.

Cigicell has one of the largest prepaid electricity vending footprints in South Africa – which includes all the banking channels, formal retail, as well as informal independent retail outlets.

Cigicell is 74% owned by Blue Label Telecoms, a company listed on the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and 26% owned by Sangrilor, a BBBEE company. We are a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor.

Contact info@cigicell.co.za for any further information.

Core services

Our core services include:

• Revenue collection

- for both prepaid electricity and water

- STS certified meter and customer management vending system - bill payment collection

* retail

* online (unipay.co.za).

• Revenue assurance

- meter audits, verifications and installations

- TID rollover management and implementation

- credit control services

- indigent management services - customer and data analytics - meter hardware supply - funding solutions.

MyCiTi station, road improvements for Claremont

A MyCiTi station, facilities for other bus services, and upgrades to Stanhope Road and Claremont Boulevard are proposed for Claremont. The investment in this precinct forms part of the expansion of the MyCiTi footprint to Claremont, Wynberg, Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha. The concept design for the facilities and road upgrades were available for comment between 10 October and 10 November 2022.

The proposed upgrades and expansion of the existing bus terminus along Claremont Boulevard will revitalise this precinct with worldclass public transport facilities. The new MyCiTi station will be in the heart of Claremont, within walking distance of student accommodation, shopping malls and other amenities, and literally a block away from Main Road – the main artery connecting this area with the Cape Town CBD. I encourage residents to please take a look at what we propose for this precinct, and to submit comments and proposals,” said Councillor Rob Quintas, MMC for Urban Mobility, City of Cape Town, regarding the period for public commentary.

The existing bus terminus along Claremont Boulevard, between Hawthorne Road and Newry Street, will be upgraded and expanded to include a new MyCiTi bus station within walking distance from the Claremont railway station and the minibus-taxi facility in Ralph Street.

“Once the upgrade has been completed and the new MyCiTi station is operational, commuters will have a choice of five different modes of public transport – MyCiTi, GABS, UCT Shuttle, passenger rail, and minibus-taxis –within a radius of less than 120 m.

“This will revolutionise the way commuters travel to and from Claremont, as they will have quick and easy access to different modes of transport with seamless transfers

between their mode of choice. The MyCiTi station will serve destinations in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain via the planned trunk route that is to connect the metro south-east with Wynberg and Claremont,” said Cllr Quintas.

New facility

Proposals for new bus facility along Claremont Boulevard:

• The MyCiTi station will comprise four enclosed platforms.

• The MyCiTi station precinct will include a ticket office, 10 electronic access gates, lock-up facilities for bicycles and ticket vending machines.

• All facilities and walkways will be universally accessible.

• The concept design includes an overhead concrete slab or deck

Artist’s impressions of the new MyCiTi bus station and other proposed upgrades to the existing bus terminus along Claremont Boulevard

that could accommodate a multistorey building above the MyCiTi station for a future mixed-use development in line with the City’s transit-oriented development strategic framework.

• A small bus holding facility will be located under the Stadium-on-Main for a maximum of five off-peak buses and driver shift changes.

• Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) buses will operate from a dedicated bus lane along Central Street, as is currently the case.

• The UCT Shuttle Service will still operate from Central Street, at the Ground Floor entrance of the Stadium-on-Main.

• The planned upgrade includes the planting of trees and other landscaping, which will benefit the surrounding area and pedestrian experience.

“We are bringing the MyCiTi service to Claremont as part of our commitment to giving more Capetonians access to safe, affordable, dignified and reliable public transport. Apart from adding to our public transport offering, the surrounding area will also benefit from this investment in the existing infrastructure and roads in the immediate vicinity,” said Councillor Quintas.

Given that the upgraded bus facility will be located on land of high development value, the proposed concept design of the new MyCiTi station accommodates the possibility of overhead development in future.

“Mixed-use developments add to the vibrancy and efficiency of public transport precincts, and we are excited that the transit-oriented development principles are included in this proposal,” said Councillor Quintas.

Proposed changes to surrounding roads:

• Claremont Boulevard will be upgraded with the addition of dedicated bus lanes to and from the bus facility.

• Stanhope Bridge will be realigned to ease access from Imam Haron Road, and will include dedicated bus lanes.

• Palmyra Road will be realigned into a T-junction with Imam Haron Road. If all goes as planned, construction will commence in August 2024, after the conclusion of the public participation process and detailed design. The construction is set to take about 24 months.

10 reasons to use Cape Town’s MyCiTi bus service

The City of Cape Town believes these are the top reasons to make use of its MyCiTi BRT service: 1

A safer journey: Security staff at stations, CCTV cameras monitored by a control centre, closed stations and lighting at bus stops are all measures that help make MyCiTi safer. 2

Reliable: More than 90% of MyCiTi buses are on time, with schedules that help you plan your journey and live information updates so you can track your bus. 3

Accessible: MyCiTi is for everyone, with universal access features like tactile paving, level boarding, special places for wheelchair users and priority seats in all buses. You can also bring prams, bicycles, skateboards and luggage. 4

Affordable: MyCiTi offers comfort and convenience, with prices that compare well to other public transport services. Save on the cost of petrol and parking – and the fare system means you only pay for the distance you travel. 5

Convenient: With a myconnect card, you don’t have to have cash for your fare. Load travel money for the month and just climb aboard. There’s an easy-to-use website and app to help plan your journey and friendly people at the 24/7 Transport Information Centre to assist you (toll free). 6

Network effect: The MyCiTi service is designed so you can transfer from one route to another – and only pay one fare. It offers easy access to other public transport connections and a network of cycle paths for quick commuting and leisurely scenic rides. 7 Reduce your daily stress: Strike dealing with traffic and finding parking from your daily commute. Relax on the bus or get a head start on your emails or connect with family and friends. The red lanes on busy roads will also get you there faster, with time to grab a coffee when you get there. 8 Be kinder to the environment: Choose to limit your personal impact on the earth when you catch MyCiTi rather than take a private car. It helps cut congestion and reduce overall vehicle emissions. 9 Choose a healthier lifestyle: Live a longer, healthier life by upping your activity levels. A brisk 15-minute walk to and from a MyCiTi bus stop will increase the number of steps you take towards that 10 000 daily goal. 10 Make a day of it: MyCiTi provides easy access to so many places to visit and things to do. Get out and about (from early morning to late evening) with your children, family and friends – and make memories that last a lifetime. www.myciti.org.za

FAW Trucks SA celebrates 29 years of servicing South African customers

FAW Trucks prides itself on offering a robust line-up of vehicles that represents an excellent value-for-money proposition with derivatives in the extra-heavy, heavy, medium and light commercial market segments. FAW vehicles have been utilised to build schools, hospitals and are depended on to transport critical goods on a daily basis. As a result, they have crept into the hearts of South Africans.

Investing in SA

Since its local introduction, FAW Trucks has always been committed to South Africa and its people. This was backed up by a decision in 2012 to invest locally and open a manufacturing plant in Coega, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

At the time, this investment was one of the largest by a Chinese company in South Africa. The plant – which was built at a cost of R600 million – covers 30 000 m2 and features a state-of-theart training facility, a body shop and a paint shop. In 2014, the first vehicle rolled off that assembly line and they have never looked back.

The FAW Trucks manufacturing

FAW Trucks has enjoyed remarkable growth due to its reputation for offering quality products that are able to cater to the unique usage requirements of South African commercial vehicle buyers. A big advantage is its ability to easily refine that offering thanks to the presence of a local manufacturing facility. FAW has let its products speak for themselves and the result is a brand that regularly outperforms its major competitors on the sales charts.

Ensuring value

also being affordable in terms of both purchase price and total cost of ownership. By achieving those targets, the FAW Trucks product offering continues to represent excellent value for money. After sales is critically important when it comes to customer satisfaction and retention. In 2018, FAW Trucks received the Most Improved Award in the commercial vehicle category of the NADA Dealer Satisfaction Survey and the brand has continued to rank highly in subsequent surveys, with

This year sees FAW Trucks celebrate 29 years in South Africa.

During this time, the brand has become a fixture in the South African commercial vehicle industry.

Partnering for growth

During the 2020/21 financial year, the City’s Investment Facilitation Unit served as a key role player in the metro’s recovery efforts, particularly through its Incentives Policy, which is designed to attract vital investment to the greater Cape Town area, as well as help prospective investors navigate the municipal processes involved in such investment.

As a direct result of the metro’s prioritisation and incentivisation of investment in the previous financial year, the City engaged with almost 250 prospective investors and saw the initiation of numerous investment projects valued at nearly R15 billion – all essentially during a global pandemic.

Supporting SMEs

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up over 90% of all businesses in Cape Town and account for nearly half of private-sector employment. The City has committed to creating an environment in which small businesses can grow and thrive, by facilitating business support. This includes ongoing advice and skills development, guidance on regulation compliance, and the removal of businessrelated bottlenecks. The assistance is delivered directly to SMEs, in partnership with support organisations and various business incubators.

Land use management

As a direct result of the metro’s prioritisation and incentivisation of investment in the previous financial year, the City engaged with almost 250 prospective investors and saw the initiation of numerous investment projects valued at nearly R15 billion – all essentially during a global pandemic

Expediting land development applications in support of various City strategies is enabled through ongoing improvements to the Land Use Management System. Key to this approach is reviewing and simplifying the City of Cape Town Municipal Planning By-law, 2015 (MPBL), and entrenching the City’s Development Application Management System. This ensures that both these instruments improve efficiencies in the processing of applications, thereby enabling economic growth. The MPBL has consolidated the municipal planning regulatory function and placed it under full City control, effectively giving the City executive authority over municipal planning in its area of jurisdiction. The City reviews the MPBL every year, allowing the public to comment and make suggestions on possible improvements to the by-law and its associated processes.

The Development Management Scheme (DMS) is the City’s single zoning scheme, as required by law, with the objective to control

Strengthening key partnerships and creating an environment that encourages investment are crucial levers that stimulate development. The City of Cape Town has numerous supporting policies and programmes in place to mitigate the lasting effects of Covid-19 as well as spur growth going forward.

land use and regulate land use rights through effective zoning. The DMS helps direct the spatial transformation of Cape Town, as it is framed within the MSDF and the City’s economic and social development strategies.

Growth-oriented partnerships

The City partners with property developers and other stakeholders to share information and assess opportunities to help achieve its infrastructure investment vision. This provides a clear view of any planned public- and privatesector development initiatives or concerns. The partnerships also help ensure full transparency between stakeholders, and a shared development vision based on effective information flow. The City engages with representative property development bodies and other relevant stakeholders to share information on its infrastructure investment vision, initiatives and programmes, and to discuss privatesector-led developments. This helps build a common vision for development in Cape Town based on transit-oriented development (TOD) principles, and improves relations and investment decisions through increased information flow. These information-sharing engagements include a focus on investment initiatives in the spatially targeted TOD precincts making up the Catalytic Land Development Programme, and specifically also the priority precincts. Examples include the business forum and the higher education forum that have been established for Bellville, which is one of the priority precincts. These forums meet a number of times per year, offering the City a platform to share information

regarding its planned initiatives in the Bellville precinct, including opportunities to develop this area into an innovation district.

Promoting Cape Town

The City’s business brand, Invest Cape Town, continues to stimulate and enable investment by ensuring that all economic role players in the region speak with one voice, campaigning for Cape Town as Africa’s hub for business ideas and innovation. In the previous financial year, Invest Cape Town built on its success from the preceding one by:

• continuing to strengthen partnerships with special-purpose vehicles (SPVs)

• supporting digital events hosted by SPVs and stakeholders

• running local and international campaigns to boost the economy and encourage investor confidence

• successfully growing its digital platforms.

In September 2020, Cape Town’s investor confidence campaign was relaunched. This collaboration between Invest Cape Town, Wesgro and the InvestSA one-stop shop was rolled out in three phases, which concluded in April 2021. The campaign aimed to boost the investment identities of both Cape Town and the Western Cape locally and abroad, and to promote the investment landscape as a compelling and lucrative one, while eliminating barriers to investment. The overall campaign achieved 51.7 million impressions, 208 331 clicks to all websites, and an estimated 1 626 leads. Invest Cape Town itself achieved 16.1 million impressions, 55 093 clicks to its website, 405 estimated leads and 221 estimated sector brochure downloads.

Sector development

As part of its trade and investment function, the City funds and supports various SPVs to drive growth and job creation in strategic sectors of the economy. The SPVs currently supported are the Cape Information Technology Initiative (CiTi), the Cape Town Fashion Council, BlueCape, the Cape Craft and Design Institute, GreenCape, the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster, and CapeBPO.

Other SPVs receiving City support include Wesgro, the Western Cape’s destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency, and the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership.

Since 2011, the City has invested over R300 million in Wesgro and the various other SPVs, which have, in turn, facilitated over R32.2 billion’s worth of investment in Cape Town and created more than 46 000 direct jobs.

In FY 2020/21 alone, the SPVs collectively achieved R9.7 billion’s worth of investment, which has resulted in 10 194 direct jobs for Cape Town. This was achieved against an internal City target of R5.5 billion in investments, 4 000 jobs and 1 660 training initiatives.

This excellent achievement was facilitated by the City’s contribution of over R55 million to the SPVs in the past financial year. The industries in which Cape Town has the most pronounced job creation advantages are business process services, fishing, real estate, textiles and clothing, hotels and restaurants, and food and beverage manufacturing. While many of these were severely affected by the pandemic, they remain key focus areas for attracting investment going forward.

Connecting SA to unlimited opportunity

Vuma began its journey in 2014, pioneering fibre-tothe-home (FTTH) in South Africa. Two seasoned industry veterans had the vision to create a company that provided high-speed fibre-optic infrastructure and connectivity to homes across the country via an open access fibre network.

What started as a pilot project in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, just eight years ago, has since evolved and transitioned to become a company that has connected hundreds of thousands of South Africans to the internet.

Vuma has passed over 1.5 million homes and, together with our internet service providers (ISPs), has connected over 600 primary and high schools to free 1 Gbps fibre, enlightening over 300 000 young minds with unlimited access to online education.

Vuma lives by the philosophy that adapting smart thinking and brave actions can lead to a brighter future –one that embraces South Africa’s rich culture, accelerates our dynamic energy,

while encouraging passion in all that we do in life. It exists to enlighten and unlock human potential by ushering in a new era – one that renews hope, ignites human progress and celebrates new opportunities.

As a company, Vuma is dedicated to perpetuating connections –connections between people, between communities, in society and around the world. We want to help enable people to move forward because we believe that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when they are given the opportunity to do so. As we look forward to the road that lies ahead, we will continue to realise the vision set out when the company was in its infancy – to connect communities across the country with access to highspeed internet.

The Vuma ethos is founded on the belief that by bridging the digital divide with inclusive connectivity, it can help change the lives of many South Africans. Driven by a desire to become the best fibre provider in the country, the company is cultivating a passion

to forge new paths and create exciting opportunities for all citizens.

As we march on with courage and conviction, we look forward to leading the way to an exciting future with innovative solutions such as the first-ofits-kind prepaid fibre service.

Vuma’s connectivity product offers fixed-line broadband services to people in densely populated communities –communities that have little to no access to the internet. As the company grows, it envisions a world where everyone is connected and truly looks forward to helping build a connected nation, including those in smaller towns – it all starts with accessible fibre.

The Vuma journey

Vuma helps build networks, in partnership with communities, in order to offer super-fast, world-class fibre broadband.

As a company, it is committed to connecting thousands of people to fast and reliable internet as it strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers by putting fibre

As SA’s leading fibre network operator, Vuma aims to usher in a new era of connectivity to help ordinary South Africans realise the extraordinary.

in communities wherever it can. Here’s the company’s journey so far…

In 2014, Vuma broke ground in Parkhurst, Johannesburg, for the first time and by 2015, the network had already passed 50 000 homes. By early 2016, it was on an impressive exponential trajectory as it passed 100 000 homes in under one year –a wonderful accomplishment.

In 2015, it began a project that is still very close to heart. Together with its ISP partners, Vuma began its Schools Programme – a project that helped connect the local primary and high schools in the neighbourhoods it passed with free, 1 Gbps fibre internet.

Vuma believes in creating an imagination nation, one where every child is given the opportunity to connect to online educational platforms, to enjoy access to information and aspire to create the lives they imagine for themselves, with unlimited access to the internet.

This project has grown exponentially over the past seven years. When it began, it equipped 100 schools with fast fibre. Now, the number of schools connected has grown to over 600 – a figure the company is very proud of.

For many reasons, 2016 was a pivotal year for Vuma. The business was awarded Best Fixed Fibre Line Broadband Provider of the Year at the My Broadband Conference, a prestigious accolade to add to its

achievements. This is a big part of its success story, as it was its first award, given only a few years after working extremely hard to realise its vision as a company and brand.

Most importantly, this achievement echoed the notion that Vuma was on the right path to connecting South Africa with world-class fibre and we were excited as to what the future held for the business and our communities.

The company also began moving across borders and provinces as it expanded into Cape Town.

Furthermore, in 2017, it was also awarded Best Fibre Infrastructure Provider of the Year at the FTTX Conference, another esteemed honour. By the end of 2017, it had successfully passed 200 000 homes and by the end of 2018, it had passed 400 000 homes and installed free fibre in 150 schools.

Prepaid fibre

In 2019, Vuma introduced its very first, groundbreaking prepaid fibre product. The product was first launched in Mitchells Plain, Western Cape.

This model has evolved to become known as Vuma Fibre Reach – a fibre product that offers so much more than just affordable and reliable internet. It has become a catalyst for change and opportunity.

Vuma Fibre Reach is now available in areas such as Soweto, Danville, Chatsworth and Ekurhuleni, while expanding into new communities.

This prepaid fibre service is designed to give communities in relatively dense neighbourhoods access to affordable and reliable fibre in the safety of their homes, without the fuss of long-term contracts and the stresses that come with the high costs of mobile data.

Every home in these communities is given the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of uncapped connectivity via a prepaid service from their preferred ISP.

In 2019, Vuma had the great pleasure of being awarded South Africa’s Best Fibre Provider at the MyBroadband Conference and Expo, which was followed by various awards in the succeeding years.

Vuma was recognised as the Fastest Growing Broadband Provider by the International Business Magazine Awards in 2020 and then as the Best Broadband Provider in 2021. Last year, the company also received the Global Economics Award for Fastest Growing Telecommunications Company and the nod for Best Fibre Provider for 2021 by MyBroadband.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to think that people across South Africa can have access to an abundance of information and knowledge that empowers them to move forward. We hope that, together with our ISP partners, we can make the move to create a world that encourages us all to reach for the future and connect to more.

Vuma today

Today, Vuma has passed more than 1.5 million homes. As the business grows, Vuma is partnering with new and existing residential developments to deliver connectivity to people living in highvolume complexes more efficiently.

Vuma connects South African communities to high-speed, fit-forpurpose internet through open-access fibre broadband. Working with more than 60 ISPs, Vuma’s value extends beyond infrastructure and empowers ordinary individuals and communities across South Africa to do more, see more, and dream of more.

Guided by its philosophy of ‘because we can, we must’, Vuma strives to drive transformation and break communication barriers. Through the hundreds of schools it has connected to high-speed internet, it supports hundreds of thousands of young people and their teachers with access to the boundless opportunities of the internet, in collaboration with its partner ISPs.

Vuma expands access to fibre into residential complexes

At no cost to body corporates, Vuma is offering seamless and effortless installation of fibre infrastructure, directly to residents’ doorsteps.

Vuma is revolutionising the internet connectivity market, by rapidly rolling out its open access fibre network into homes – from free-standing houses to high-volume residential complexes around South Africa.

Vuma will not only assist developers with getting fibre to newly build complexes or apartments, the leading fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) provider also ensures that fibre is ready when the development is built, delivering this according to the needs of the developer. In addition, Vuma provides education to the residents on the benefits of fibre, especially how fibre installation increases the commercial value of your property and makes it more attractive to prospective tenants.

Three simple steps

There are three steps for getting your building connected with a robust fibre link, with continuous updates throughout the process to ensure smooth roll-out of the project.

The first step is engagement, where a Vuma consultant communicates directly with managing agents, landlords and residents to ensure that everyone understands the fibre installation process from start to finish.

Second, the fibre is installed in the property and the units are made fibreready, so that each unit in the estate or complex has access to Vuma’s fibre network. This involves some civil work, fibre work and technical testing once the physical infrastructure has been installed. Vuma works off detailed plans of the immediate suburb and building complex, followed by civil work if required, the installation of the cables, and the restoration of the fibre-built areas to the same condition they were in prior to construction.

After Vuma has completed the build and tested the fibre, the property will be deemed ‘fibre-ready’. This means that the utility has been provisioned to the property and residents can now place an order for Vuma fibre. Should a resident then wish to use the utility, they will need to place an order for an inhome fibre installation with Vuma, and choose their preferred internet service provider (ISP).

Vuma will make the property fibreready at no cost to the body corporate. However, should a property owner or resident wish to install fibre into their unit, they simply need to sign up with their preferred ISP on the Vuma network. It is important to note that Vuma is not an ISP but builds an open access fibre

network, which means that residents have the freedom to choose from a number of service providers for internet services*. The ISP will become your main point of call for all technical and accountrelated queries you may have.

Each customer is different, and circumstances may change over time, meaning you can easily change between providers and packages based on need. As the market grows and access expands, users have more flexibility now than ever, with options to shift from the traditional contract to month-to-month services.

A new world of possibilities is just a quick click or phone call away for body corporates who choose Vuma’s fibre technology to connect homes to unlimited fibre internet. Access to fibre in your home is more than just a nice-tohave – it’s the key that opens the door to a more convenient, enjoyable and fulfilling life.

To get Vuma Fibre, SMS ‘Get Vuma’ to 30751 to sign up today and visit vumatel.co.za to check your coverage. Alternatively, send an email to mdu.coastal@vumatel.co.za to get more information on fibre deployment into residential complexes.

*Additional costs may apply.

The smart way forward

As part of the BIP, the City will increase the number of last-mile access links to continue connecting buildings such as clinics and libraries, as well as other critical service delivery systems, including water management systems, traffic lights, Metro Police cameras, smart meters, environmental monitors and public Wi-Fi access points. This will directly contribute to service excellence.

Technological innovation

Among the goals for any modern city is to boost the levels of digitalisation in its administrative operations, thereby optimising efficiency, and to improve connectivity for residents within the municipal area, in both residential and commercial contexts. Key to achieving both of these is ensuring the widespread deployment of fast, stable internet infrastructure.

The City’s Broadband Infrastructure Project (BIP) is aimed at creating a municipally owned telecommunications network to serve the municipality across the metropolitan area. The high-speed Cape Town broadband infrastructure network is a strategic asset that is central to the fulfilment of the City’s vision of becoming a truly digital city.

In May 2019, the City approved a change in project scope, shifting the focus to the deployment of network infrastructure only. The BIP has now been established as a full infrastructure-only programme led by the City’s Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Office. Having completed project planning in accordance with the City’s new stage-gate process in 2019/20, the focus over the 2020/21 financial year was on completing the detailed design.

By the end of FY 2020/21, the City had installed a total of 1 143 km of fibre-optic

cable. This includes fibre-optic cabling used to connect the City’s buildings, including libraries and clinics, as well as bus stations, cameras and other infrastructure vital for service delivery. Over 400 City buildings across more than 200 sites benefit from the administration’s broadband infrastructure. As the number of access networks continues to expand, together with the number of devices and systems connected to them, the City’s broadband infrastructure will become ever more important to the administration’s daily service delivery.

Over the course of the previous financial year, 2020/21, the City’s initiative to modernise Community Services and Health IT and business systems recorded various key achievements, which are listed below:

Information Systems for Patient Care: The Prehmis 4 clinic appointment system is being used at 85 of the City’s 87 clinics and community day centres that are currently operational (excluding mobile and satellite services). According to the City’s FY 2020/21 annual report, over 15 000 appointments were being made on this system each week. Development of the patient administration system (including features such as patient flow

As the Fourth Industrial Revolution changes the ways in which we live, work and play, so it offers the opportunity to improve administrative efficiencies and data collection capabilities – vital elements in creating a smart city of the future.

management), the pharmacy system (including electronic dispensing and basic stock management), and the clinical information system (including integration with the National Health Laboratory Service) continues. The first deliverables of the patient administration and pharmacy systems had been implemented by June 2021. Work on the next phase of deliverables has commenced in 2021/22.

Information Systems for Environmental Health: This project will enable customer-centric service delivery and compliance with national environmental health norms and standards, and will simplify and streamline processes as the current paper-based procedures are digitised. By June 2021, the design of the environmental health information system had been completed and work on implementing Phase 1 has commenced in 2021/22.

Recreation & Parks – Facility Booking Systems: The development of the facility booking system, which provides

a platform for online booking and payment, as well as mobile field services, is complete. The SAP booking system for the City’s swimming pools and sports grounds was also launched in August 2020. It allows customers to view real-time availability of a facility on the internet and book online, and enjoy faster turnaround times from booking to payment.

Social Development & Early Childhood Development (ECD) – Registration Support System: The ECD modernisation tool was launched during the previous financial year. Thanks to this tool, City departments involved in ECD compliance can now work together to fast-track processes that enable ECD centres to register with the Province’s Department of Social Development.

Spatial data management

The City’s Spatial Data Management Project supports the collation, analysis and interpretation of spatial data to inform the City’s spatial development

frameworks and decisions. The data also provide a basis for the City to understand the impacts and consequences of planning decisions, and to monitor spatial transformation. The need for enhanced, evidence-based spatial tools to provide decision-makers with accurate and credible information is greater than ever before in light of the technical recessions in recent years, the long-term impact of Covid-19, as well as the stark socioeconomic realities facing Cape Town. With this in mind, the following projects and platforms are being developed:

• Enhanced spatial trends analysis – To monitor and evaluate the location, nature and quantum of land-use change in the city.

• Land-use model 2040 – Involves the quantification and spatial distribution of current and future land-use projections to inform sector and master planning initiatives, as well as the management of both new and renewed infrastructure assets. The land-use model incorporates a rigorous land audit and is a primary informant to the City’s land consumption requirements over the next 20 years.

• Urban development index –Includes indicators to reflect spatial transformation in terms of land use, housing and transport.

• Spatial costing tool – Calculates operating and capital costs associated with development. These costs vary according to location in relation to the MSDF (Metropolitan Spatial Development Framework) spatial transformation areas, which set differentiated development rules based on the City’s investment rationale. Among others, the spatial costing tool model will inform input regarding compliance with the MSDF for applications in Cape Town’s discouraged growth area.

• Undeveloped and partially developed land inventory – To inform the City’s land-use model and the review of the eight District Spatial Development Frameworks.

• Urban development zone performance index – Determines the performance of the urban development zone tax incentive. Performance is assessed against the objective of stimulating urban real-estate regeneration in deteriorating areas that have been prioritised for public investment.

The City’s Spatial Data Manageme nt Project supports the collation, analysis and interpretation of spatial data to inform the City’s spatial development frameworks and decisions. The data also provide a basis for the City to understand the impacts and consequences of planning decisions, and to monitor spatial transformation

TID Rollover: the time is now

Utilities World is a South African company based in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, which has been operating since 2010 in the utility vending sector. It is a BBBEE Level 2 company with a 55% PDI shareholding and a proud member of Blue Label Telecoms. The management and staff of Utilities World have been involved in the prepayment electricity industry from the inception of prepayment electricity in South Africa. They have over 150 years’ combined experience within the industry, including the development of system software, system deployment and maintenance, as well as the complete management of prepayment sites.

Business Intelligence

How we can help you is from our vast experience, which extends

from vending to meters to revenue enhancement with measurable success!

To date, we have assisted with key changing over 250 000 meters through the TID (token identifier) process. The experience and lessons learnt through the process have allowed us to pass on skills and knowledge to many other municipalities who are just starting with their TID process.

Funded Revenue Enhancement

We have successfully assisted many municipalities to increase their revenue. One example entails work for a medium-size municipality, to which we applied a funded model approach, which included the TID rollover. The municipality had an initial project cost of R4 million with the TID and revenue enhancement, and managed to increase their revenue by 30%.

Payback of the project costs took a mere six months.

Proven Benefits

• Our systems are easy to access, anywhere, at any time, with real-time updates.

• Our meter management and audit application is built to record meter data, audits, GIS coordinates and pictures, making for a paperless process.

• An online portal is available for customers to view purchases and consumption data, providing information at their fingertips!

• We specialise in TID rollover and supporting processes – we are ready to assist with implementation of our proven methodology when you are.

• We are the implementation partner of the first South African municipality to complete their TID update.

• We can offer our expertise and knowledge.

Investment propels development

Since 2012/13, the City has invested over R51 billion in infrastructure development. Of this, R24 billion has gone towards new infrastructure development and R27 billion to the refurbishment of existing infrastructure. Resources are allocated according to a strategic infrastructure asset management plan and asset register. Approximately R29 billion is earmarked for investment in infrastructure over the three financial years from 2021/22 to 2023/24.

In 2020/21, the City developed its Infrastructure Planning and Delivery Framework. It builds on the infrastructure programme of the past few years to ensure that there is a pipeline of infrastructure investments that will help re-energise the economy and stimulate economic growth in the wake of Covid-19 and the national lockdown. To ensure optimal investment, all infrastructure projects proposed for inclusion on the capital budget are assessed against an implementable delivery plan to

The City of Cape Town stimulates growth by investing in suitable economic and social infrastructure to support economic development.

All major capital programmes are taken through the City’s stage-gate process on their way to implementation to ensure strategic optimisation and effective delivery

ascertain implementation readiness, tender readiness (i.e. must be on the City’s demand plan), strategic alignment, spatial targeting, and implementation capacity.

In addition, all major capital programmes are taken through the City’s stage-gate process on their way to implementation to ensure strategic optimisation and effective delivery.

Infrastructure investment insights

The processes associated with the Medium-Term Integrated Infrastructure Investment Framework and MSDF are used to obtain valuable information on the cost of the infrastructure investments required to facilitate growth that would respond to actual needs.

In line with national requirements, the City has assigned a champion for the implementation of the Cities Infrastructure Delivery and Management System (CIDMS). CIDMS is a South African National Standard (SANS) 55001-compliant asset management system tailored for application in South Africa’s metropolitan cities.

Developed by National Treasury’s Cities Support Programme – in partnership with the cities of Cape Town, eThekwini and Johannesburg – the CIDMS is designed to:

• help cities optimise performance across the urban infrastructure value chain by offering best practice processes, techniques and tools

• achieve strategic objectives and desired outcomes

• serve as an integrated system that incorporates the requirements of national policy and strategy, legislation, relevant standards as well as best practice in multiple disciplines

• support good governance and transparency, including making and communicating informed decisions. National Treasury also developed a bespoke CIDMS implementation strategy for the City. Adopting this strategy presents massive potential benefits for the administration and offers ratepayers the assurance that new assets will be well looked after. It will also allow the City to benchmark itself against other cities worldwide and ensure that it has a world-class asset management approach. All of this will be possible because the CIDMS strategy will allow

the City to access useful statistical data for informed decision-making, plan better for asset replacement and capital spend, optimise the deployment of human capital, extend the useful life of assets, leverage accurate data about the condition/location of all assets, and maintain complete records of maintenance carried out and the associated costs per asset.

Water system resilience

Strengthening, refurbishing and maintaining Cape Town’s bulk water supply system remains a key focus for the City. A number of strategic interventions are already in place to achieve this, such as a computerbased drought management plan. The City also continues to play a key role in the Western Cape Water Supply System, by reviewing and finalising water allocations and water-use licensing applications from the regional catchment system. Moreover, the administration collaborates closely with neighbouring municipalities and the national Department of Water and Sanitation to utilise regional water supplies more effectively.

The City has a detailed process flow to ensure that its water and sanitation data are accurate and its management systems are effective. It continues to invest in repairs and maintenance of its water and sanitation infrastructure, which makes a noticeable difference to Cape Town and its people. Infrastructure is required to supply citizens, communities, businesses and industries with potable water, as well as to collect, treat and discharge wastewater, to manage stormwater run-off, and to prevent flooding.

Energy supply

Of course, another vital resource that requires functional, efficient infrastructure is electricity. The City has been hard at work in maintaining and expanding electricity access across the municipal area.

The City’s 30-year switchgear maintenance programme continues across town. In FY 2020/21, R26.98 million was invested in circuit breaker replacement, and a further R129.87 million in the like-for-like replacement of ageing infrastructure. Distribution networks continue to

be expanded in response to new developments and load densification, with an investment of R111.1 million having been made in this regard. A 15-year network development programme is also underway, with R137.8 million invested in the upgrade and refurbishment of substations, underground cables and overhead power lines across the metro. In addition, the City continues to run various programmes aimed at providing stable electricity services to informal settlements, backyarders and subsidised housing developments. These services require various network upgrades, maintenance or replacement at various times, and are constantly monitored to reduce the potential for power failures in these areas.

Electricity project highlights in 2020/21 included:

• the ongoing provision of subsidised electricity connections to informal settlements and subsidised housing developments

• investment of R19.8 million in 1 721 new connections for informal settlements and backyard structures, as well as infill electrification projects

• the continued roll-out of electricity services to backyard dwellers at Council rental units

• investment of approximately R3.4 million of Urban Settlements Development Grant funding and R16.4 million of Informal Settlements Upgrading Partnership Grant funding to ramp up electricity services.

The State of the Environment 2022 report is now available online. This critical instrument monitors and reports on changes to Cape Town’s natural environment, providing the City and external stakeholders with accurate data and information to support decision-making and management responses aimed at reducing environmental risks and degradation.

State of the

ENVIRONMENT

The natural environment underpins our society and economy. It provides recreational, educational and tourism opportunities, as well as direct and indirect job creation and skills development.

“Cape Town’s natural assets provide a wide range of essential ecosystem goods and services such as clean air and water, food security, climate regulation, and protection from natural disasters such as floods, fires, sea level rise and coastal erosion. We cannot realise our social and economic development objectives in the absence of environmental sustainability. As such, the City has developed indicators to measure, track and report on environmental changes and progress towards realising environmental sustainability. The State of the Environment 2022 reports on a wide range of environmental indicators. I invite residents and interested parties to go online and read this report – it has a wealth of information,” says Alderman Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and MMC for Spatial Planning and Environment, City of Cape Town.

Embracing best practice

The selected indicators were established with guidance from international and local best practice on environmental reporting, and are aligned with the City’s Integrated Development Plan for the current term of office, and the City’s Environmental Strategy, among others.

In addition to the State of the Environment report, the City has a range of other structures to monitor and report on aspects of environmental

sustainability, including the City Inland Water Quality reports, Know Your Coast reports, State of Energy and Carbon reports and Biodiversity reports.

The last City of Cape Town State of the Environment report was published in 2019.

The 2022 report relies on data for 11 different themes, collected from 2019 to 2021. These include biodiversity, invasive species, green open space, inland and coastal water quality, water use, wastewater, climate change, air quality and solid waste. The 2022 report also includes a cultural heritage chapter.

Notable changes

“The results highlight the fact that Cape Town confronts considerable environmental challenges. In particular, during this reporting period, trends related to inland water quality and wastewater are of particular concern. On the other hand, positive trends are apparent in relation to biodiversity, and solid waste. Trends in relation to coastal water quality, water use and air quality are largely unchanged,” says Alderman Andrews.

Since the publication of the State of the Environment 2019 report, the City has seen an increase in the frequency and intensity of major shock events and increased climate change impacts such as floods, coastal erosion, extreme heat and fires. These shocks and changes, inclusive of the Covid-19 pandemic, affect the ability of the environment to provide essential goods and services, and have an impact on human health.

Nevertheless, the City has a long track record of policy and action in pursuit of environmental sustainability and

resilience. The City’s Environmental Strategy, Resilience Strategy, Water Strategy and Climate Change Strategy provide robust policy and governance frameworks for realising a more sustainable and resilient city.

Working together

“The City has obligations and responsibilities to promoting and protecting our environmental sustainability. However, we cannot do this on our own. We need all who live and work in Cape Town – from residents, to business owners, civil society and academia – to work with us in pursuit of sustainable change. I also want to thank all of those who are already partnering with us, residents who are involved in projects in their neighbourhoods, and all others who are contributing in their areas of expertise,” says Alderman Andrews.

Download the City of Cape Town State of the Environment 2022 report here: https://bit.ly/3QiGEn4

CITY OF CAPE TOWN STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2022

The home of security excellence

As a stand-alone legal entity within the Bidvest Group, Bidvest Protea Coin is a 54% black-owned, 45% female-owned, and 5% youth-owned company with a strong Level 1 BBBEE certification.

Preferred employer to over 24 000 personnel, our people and their development are at the centre of what we do. To this end, our state-of-theart, one-of-a-kind SASSETA registered training academy, Gijima, has the ability to house over 300 students for extended periods. The practical and theoretical training is of exceptional quality and encompasses a range of training programmes and disciplines.

Our divisions

Our business is organised into seven specialised divisions, which are all headed up by their own managing executive and come with dedicated resources. These business units comprise: Mining, Investigations and Information Gathering, Physical Guarding, Technology Solutions, Niche Markets (which include Aviation, Residential Estates, Precincts and Banking),

Critical Infrastructure, and Specialised Operations and Tactical Services (which include Reaction & Tactical Units, VIP, K9, Crowd Control, and Airwing Support, comprising helicopters and drones).

The suite of services offered can be delivered singularly or in a multidisciplined fashion where all services are interdependent on each other for maximum results. We often operate in highly complex and volatile environments and therefore provide our services in a compliant, responsible manner, always putting safety first. We are agile and customer-centric, and

will always strive to understand our customer’s needs, in order to deliver on their budget.

Investing in SA

Bidvest and its subsidiaries have a solid track record of investing in various socioeconomic initiatives. In the 2022 financial year, Bidvest invested R51 million in various socio-economic development initiatives that are mainly aimed at education and health. We deliberately direct our efforts and resources by identifying priority areas that will benefit society and the country at large.

In addition to investing in the communities in which we operate, we believe that the development of sustainable small businesses is the key to sustained economic growth in the country. To this end, the Bidvest Group Supplier Diversity Programme is targeted at 100% black-owned businesses that provide services and products in support of core functions across our respective subsidiaries. At this stage, 47 participants are benefiting from this programme across the provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Bidvest Protea Coin provides top-tier risk management and security services through a variety of integrated security solutions. We are part of the Bidvest Group, a listed company on the JSE.

Gijima Training Academy

Ensuring sustainable supply

Strategic vision

Cape Town’s water sources

Water is a critical resource, but also one that is at significant risk across South Africa. Few people will forget the challenges and fears associated with Cape Town’s severe water shortage in 2017, when the prospect of Day Zero had citizens across the metro fearing that water resources could literally dry up at any moment. Given the essential nature of this resource, the City prioritises fair access to it, along with its careful use and effective protection and preservation. To this end, the City’s Water Strategy sets out a comprehensive and highly proactive strategic approach to meeting Cape Town’s immediate and long-term water needs.

Cape Town gets the majority of its water –for domestic, business and agricultural use –from the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS). In a ‘normal’ year, the people and businesses of Cape Town use about 60% of the available water, and agriculture uses approximately 30%. The WCWSS is managed by the national Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in partnership with the City.

The DWS is responsible for water resources regulation (making allocations and monitoring abstraction) as well as for water resources planning. Surface water sources make up the bulk of Cape Town’s water supply. The City’s surface water system comprises six large dams (three owned by the City) and a number of smaller ones. Total storage of the six large dams is approximately 900 million kilolitres. These dams rely on winter rains, which are increasingly variable and cannot be predicted from one year to the next.

The overarching vision that informs the City’s Water Strategy is that, by 2040, Cape Town will be a watersensitive city that optimises and integrates the management of water resources to improve resilience, competitiveness and liveability for the prosperity of its people.

To achieve this vision, the City’s Water Strategy encompasses the following five key water commitments:

• safe access to water and sanitation for all

• wise use of water resources

• ensuring sufficient, reliable water from diverse sources

• shared benefits from regional water resources

• a water-sensitive city.

Ultimately, the achievement of the City’s water vision requires Cape Town to transition from being a city that is mainly focused on water supply, to one that is truly watersensitive. Water-sensitive urban design includes all the components of urban water cycle management, including supply, sewerage and stormwater management. It requires a significant shift in the way in which urban planning and design consider water and water infrastructure.

The Cape Town Water Strategy is a key component of the City’s commitment to ensuring greater resilience, and sets out a refocused and integrated urban water

As recent times have shown, South Africa faces numerous challenges in the supply of water and electricity. Being essential to both life and economic development, these vital resources demand reliable supply. Cognisant of this, the City of Cape Town has developed robust strategies underpinned by sustainability.

management approach for at least the next 10 years.

It aims to secure Cape Town’s water future by increasing the available water supply by more than 300 million litres per day over the following decade, at an approximate cost of R5.7 billion. The intention is to reduce the likelihood of severe water restrictions in the future by increasing the reliability of supply from 98% to 99.5%. To achieve this, the strategy explores investment in alternative water sources, including groundwater, wastewater reuse and desalination, to supplement water supply. It also addresses the effectiveness of network management, expanding and managing bulk water and wastewater infrastructure, and reducing the risk associated with having to share regional resources.

Sustainable energy

It’s no secret that chaos has descended upon South Africa’s electricity generation capabilities. Due to myriad factors that include inadequate investment, corruption and incompetence, the nation’s electrical

utility, Eskom, has repeatedly stumbled in providing a secure supply of electricity. Beyond this, coal-fired generation is being increasingly frowned upon, and justifiably so.

The fast-changing energy and urban landscape, characterised by disruptions in the electricity sector and the need to respond to climate change, has required the City to reconsider its position in terms of natural resources and environmental sustainability. At the heart of this is striking a balance between catering to growing energy consumption needs and ensuring harm to the environment is minimised as far as possible.

The City remains committed to rapidly expanding its sustainable energy programmes and ramping up its climate action ambitions towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

In support of this, the City of Cape Town has developed a number of programmes and projects that aim to provide adequate supply:

• an electricity-savings campaign for commercial and residential sectors

• enabling small-scale embedded generation

• energy-efficiency improvements and

the introduction of renewables in municipal operations

• exploring the purchase of renewable energy directly from independent power producers

• assessing the opportunities to develop City-owned small-scale renewable-energy plants

• facilitating third-party access to the municipal grid

• investigating new, enabling technologies and fuel options for the future, including utility-scale storage and electric vehicles

• a programme to achieve net-zero carbon buildings and energy performance certification

• a strong focus on public transport, TOD, non-motorised transport and transport demand management

• landfill gas-to-energy and beneficiation processes, as well as waste minimisation initiatives

• producing the Cape Town State of Energy report series every five years to profile the City’s energy system in detail, and directly support the goal of a data-driven and evidenceled administration

• climate change response planning, such as through the City’s Climate Change Strategy and Climate Change Action Plan.

Cape Town’s is the only city government in South Africa both genuinely committed and practically able to deliver the conditions necessary for economic growth and human flourishing. For anyone wanting to conduct business or invest in South Africa, Cape Town is not only the safest but the most exciting choice. We hope you will join us in building a prosperous future in our city.”

Geordin Hill-Lewis , Mayor of the City of Cape Town

The evolution of man and fire

SA

protected lives, property and assets in the Western Cape for over a decade.

By providing end-to-end products and services, we ensure our customers’ peace of mind.

Fire safety and protection are historically water-intensive sectors, which is a concern in countries with a serious risk of water stress. Indeed, the water footprint of many companies or industries has implications at many levels: from local communities to national or even global partners.

Fire suppression innovation Innovation and the technological advancement of green gas fire sprinklers will propel South Africa towards the Fifth Industrial Revolution, which will be based upon sustainability, including the responsible use of water, as per the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With the green gas fire suppression system, there is no agent decomposition, it can be discharged where people are present, it does not decompose, and it does not contribute to ozone depletion, global warming or atmospheric lifetime. Green gas comprises Halon 1301, in accordance with SANS 14520, and is stored under dry nitrogen pressure and released as a gas – common components

of the air we breathe outside. It has been tested to combat Class A, B and C fires, complying with OSHA regulatory standards. Halon recovery, recycling and refilling operate in a manner that promotes safe and environmentally responsible Halon reclamation.

The cylinders are connected with selector valves; in case of a fire, the gas is only released in the zone where the fire is situated and does not release gas to other areas.

Gas is stored at 200 bar and 300 bar, with a pressure differential valve. Mounting is done via nomadic tubing. The regulated discharge pressure is between 40-60 bar installed together with an over-pressure vent to prevent turbulence damage in the room. Nozzles range from 3-25.5 mm depending on the size you require.

Our industrialisation process provides enough fuel to sustain the combustion of a fire in a building. The evolution of humans made it possible for humanity to create a crisis that today requires evolving from water to gas fire suppressants. We are the fire species: we can control it, and to make it, we must also co-evolve with the fire we create. We are the fire animal, whose history spans half a million years.

At SA Fire Watch, we know it is possible to protect lives, property and assets, while also caring for the environment and a sustainable future.

For more information on supply and installation, contact info@safirewatch.com.

extraordinary technological

Fire Watch is a fire safety and

Half a million years ago, humans discovered fire. What we have today is technological fire, and that requires innovative and technological solutions from experts such as SA Fire Watch.

The City of Cape Town’s Biodiversity Management Unit, along with Fire and Rescue Services staff, conducted a controlled fuel reduction burn on Robben Island during October 2022, as part of ongoing environmental and fire management training.

The fuel reduction burn and training intervention took place on Robben Island between 9 and 14 October 2022, and served as in-field training for Biodiversity Management and Fire and Rescue Services staff. The burn was conducted in cooperation with the Robben Island Museum, which provided accommodation for attendees for the duration of the training.

A fuel reduction burn is conducted to reduce the plant biomass that poses a fire risk in the event of a wildfire. Given Robben Island’s heritage status, an uncontrolled wildfire would devastate the historical buildings and this controlled burn greatly reduces this risk.

Vegetation transformation

The original vegetation type on Robben Island is Cape Flats Dune Strandveld, which is now classified as endangered. Transformation of the natural vegetation on the island has occurred over the past 350 years.

The large woody plants of the original Strandveld vegetation were completely removed and there was a loss of diversity of the smaller, herbaceous

Robben Island fuel reduction burn secures key heritage site

plants. The introduction of livestock and non-indigenous animals such as fallow deer and European rabbits has contributed to the transformation of the vegetation. Alien species such as rooikrans ( Acacia cyclops ), manatoka ( Myoporum serratum ) and eucalyptus like the spider gum ( E. lehmannii ) were intentionally introduced, which not only invade built heritage structures, but also increase the risk of fires, especially veld fires.

In addition to this, the African penguin population continues to dwindle and there was an urgent need to ensure the safety of the breeding habitats on the island. The aim of the fuel reduction burn was not only to minimise the risk of wildfires

to wildlife, people and the built environment, but also to rehabilitate the vegetation to a self-sustaining condition that needs minimal management inputs.

Valuable training

The growth of rooikrans on the island was targeted for removal in the controlled burns, giving participants valuable training in conducting the burns, and working in conditions that simulate wildfire firefighting. Working in coordination with Robben Island Museum staff, a number of vehicles used in the burn were transported via barge for the duration of the exercise.

“The City is committed to protecting, restoring and managing its natural areas to ensure their long-term sustainability. The opportunity afforded by this fuel reduction burn gives our Biodiversity Management and Fire and Rescue Services teams essential training in dealing with environmental challenges that will serve them well in the field and will ensure a safer and more ecologically healthy environment,” said Alderman Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and MMC for Spatial Planning and Environment.

City of Cape Town Biodiversity Management Branch staff, along with Fire and Rescue Services staff, conducted a controlled fuel reduction burn on Robben Island, in cooperation with the Robben Island Museum

City finalising management plan for Diep River Estuary

The City of Cape Town facilitated a public participation process on the draft management plan for the Diep River Estuary in Milnerton by mid-2022.

The public participation process formed part of the review of the draft Diep River Estuary Management Plan. The estuary is the point where the Diep River meets the ocean in Milnerton.

This is the fourth review of the plan and is a legal requirement in terms of the National Estuarine Management Protocol of 2021.

“The latest revision is extremely important. It intends to identify interventions that are pragmatic and realistic to improve the state of the Diep River Estuary given the many pressures it is facing. One of these is its location within a heavily altered and urbanised environment. For example, approximately 33% of the estuary is situated within developed land, and the channel has been stabilised by roads and embankments, which reduces the estuary’s natural ability to meander.

“The revised plan includes new information and recommendations and was workshopped with external experts and independent scientists in the field of coastal and estuarine science,” said Alderman Eddie Andrews, deputy mayor and MMC for Spatial Planning and Environment, City of Cape Town.

There are systemic pressures on the estuary. Some of these pressures originate from the Diep River’s wider catchment area, which falls outside of the City of Cape Town’s metropolitan boundaries.

“The Diep River originates in the Riebeek Kasteel Mountains north-east of Malmesbury and flows for about 65 km towards Cape Town. Thus, the river meanders through many communities and past several neighbouring towns. What happens along the river before it reaches Cape Town has a profound impact on the river’s health. Once it reaches Cape Town, the river flows through the Rietvlei wetlands, including Flamingo vlei and Milnerton Lagoon which form part of the estuary, covering an area of about 900 ha, before it finally reaches the ocean,” said Alderman Andrews.

Estuarine Management Plan

The City’s Environmental Management Department is responsible for the management of the estuary and must develop an Estuarine Management Plan that assesses its current state and determines management and monitoring actions.

The purpose of the plan is to improve the water quality of the Diep River Estuary, which currently faces multiple sources of pollutants entering the system including agricultural run-off, treated effluent from the Potsdam Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW), the illegal disposal of substances in the local stormwater system from formal and informal residential areas, stormwater run-off from industrial areas, the disposal of foreign items into sewer systems and subsequent sewer spills, litter, and so forth.

The draft management plan divides the Diep River Estuary into six distinct zones with various objectives and priority actions. These are developed to be specific and tailored for each zone, but simultaneously recognise the interlinkages and dependencies between the different zones. It also outlines a number of capital-intensive projects to address the current challenges, among which the planned upgrade of the Potsdam WWTW to progressively add capacity and new treatment technology, upgrades to bulk sewage infrastructure and construction of treatment wetlands.

Overall, the plan intends to manage the estuary in a manner that ensures its sustainability, and is aligned with pragmatic conservation goals befitting a heavily altered and rapidly changing urban ecosystem.

Priority actions

These include some high-priority actions to improve the water quality with:

• upgrades to the Potsdam WWTW to progressively add capacity and new treatment technology

• upgrade to the Montague Gardens bulk sewer to reduce sewage spill events

• constructing a stormwater to sewer diversion at Dunoon and Doornbach

• constructing a treatment wetland/ pond at the Erica Road stormwater system outfall

• constructing the treatment wetland at the Bayside Canal outfall

• developing a sewer pump station protocol

• ensuring all pump stations within the catchment function optimally.

Cape Town’s biodiversity and ecosystem services play an important part in the city’s ecological, social and economic health. The City is committed to protecting, restoring and managing its natural areas to ensure their long-term sustainability and efficacy, and improve Cape Town’s resilience to climate change.

DRIVING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

According to its 2022-2027 Integrated Development Plan, the City of Cape Town will prioritise the protection of its ecosystem services and biodiversity-sensitive areas to ensure their long-term sustainability and improve Cape Town’s resilience to climate change. The City will work to expand land under conservation and manage biodiversity effectively, which includes the removal of alien invasive species.

The City recognises the importance of maintaining Cape Town’s protected areas in a way that supports community access to nature as well as economic activity such as ecotourism. In this regard, it will work with organisations and other spheres of government to continually improve the national park,

nature reserves and biodiversity assets in Cape Town.

Green infrastructure

Green infrastructure can be cost-effective, enhance quality of life, and improve resilience to climate change. The City aims to identify ecosystem services provided by natural and green open spaces in Cape Town, with a focus on flood attenuation, water purification and infiltration, and coastal zone protection.

Green infrastructure also has the potential to replace or work alongside existing infrastructure to improve the quality of rivers, parks and open spaces. The City will look to strengthen the business case for increased investment in natural assets and green infrastructure, and will develop a pipeline of green infrastructure projects.

Environmental health

The City’s environmental health services are pivotal in ensuring a healthy environment and reducing exposure to substances and sources that may cause disease, particularly among the most vulnerable residents. Modernising the capabilities of the City’s environmental health function to target its efforts towards activities which are doing the most harm is a key priority. The City will also look to simplify and streamline environmental health compliance measures.

Healthy urban waterways

Cape Town’s extensive waterway system requires continuous effort to maintain, particularly to prevent blockages that pose a flood risk, and to clear litter, illegal dumping and pollution. Making

waterbodies, vleis and rivers cleaner, more resilient and more accessible to the public is a key City priority. The City of Cape Town plans to collaborate with external role players who have a shared interest in Cape Town’s waterways to make water quality data available and enable collective understanding and action around the health of the region’s waterways.

Water quality improvement

The City recognises the serious problem of poor water quality in certain waterbodies, having identified the key causes to be illegal dumping and unsustainable waste management, which leads to sewer blockages and overflows. Prioritised pollution abatement plans for each catchment are intended to identify sources and causes of pollution and guide mitigating actions. The maintenance and upgrade of infrastructure such as the sewer network and pump stations are also to be prioritised to address pollution.

Waterway rehabilitation

Waterway and vlei rehabilitation projects are set to deliver multiple benefits, including attenuating flood waters, improving water quality, enhancing recreation facilities, and providing new ecosystem services. Catching up on the significant backlog in waterway dredging and cleaning are key priorities for the City.

Coastal programmes

The area’s extensive coastline is one of Cape Town’s most important economic, social and environmental assets. The City plans to invest in the restoration and improvement of priority coastal infrastructure and ecological processes, with a focus on improving resilience to the impact of climate change.

Maintaining, managing and developing key coastal infrastructure is crucial to protect municipal and private property, ensure a high-quality coastal environment, and provide public access to the coastline. Coastal infrastructure includes existing seawalls (e.g. Sea Point), tidal pools, dune systems and walkways. The City has planned for various initiatives that are crucial to safeguard economic and recreational activity along the coastline.

Coastal and marine conservation

City-led initiatives that drive coastal and marine conservation will see Cape Town’s unique coastal environment protected, contributing to national priorities such as the conservation of the African penguin. Activities will include reducing pollution and accidental sewage overflows, and improving waste management in coastal environments. Monitoring the coastal environment and conserving key coastal ecosystems will be a priority. In addition, the City will strive to sustain its Blue Flag beaches to support tourism-related economic and recreational activities.

Cape Town’s remarkable biodiversity

Cape Town lies within the Cape Floristic Kingdom, which is by some margin the smallest yet most diverse of our planet’s six floristic kingdoms. This is an area of extraordinarily high diversity and endemism (i.e. being native and restricted to an area) that is home to over 9 500 recorded plant species, of which over two-thirds are endemic. Much of this diversity is associated with the globally renowned fynbos biome, which is a Mediterranean-type, fire-prone shrubland. Fynbos biodiversity – based on harvests of fynbos products (e.g. wild flowers) and eco-tourism – has both economic and intrinsic biological value. As such, it is vital to protect this unique region and its endemic species.

Green infrastructure also has the potential to replace or work alongside existing infrastructure to improve the quality of rivers, parks and open spaces. The City will look to strengthen the business case for increased investment in natural assets and green infrastructure, and will develop a pipeline of green infrastructure projects

Khabokedi Waste Management is a waste management company that specialises in waste collection, transportation, recycling and the management of landfill sites.

Turning waste into work

Established by waste management expert Sipho Makhasana in 2008, Khabokedi Waste Management was founded on the principle of becoming a leader within the waste management industry through the provision of sustainable and cutting-edge environmental solutions.

Beyond its commitment to driving sustainable development and promoting the green economy, the company takes pride in its human-centric operational approach. This is underpinned by the empowerment of its employees, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to deliver quality waste management solutions.

Khabokedi Waste Management currently employs over 250 permanent personnel, as well as 1 200 other workers, and has a fleet of waste management services operating in most provinces across South Africa.

Industry recognition

In late July 2022, the company was acknowledged for its efforts in the realm of employment generation at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s inaugural Black Industrialists and Exporters Conference. Sipho Makhasana accepted the Job Creation award on behalf of the company, which recognises companies operating in strategic sectors of the economy that have created massive jobs through the products or services they provide. This award aims to encourage South African companies to create jobs that require skills and innovation, while complying with the labour laws of South Africa and relevant international standards.

In accepting the award, which was copresented by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the night, Makhasana stated, “When I started Khabokedi Waste Management, I aimed to make people realise waste is

a resource that can be used to address job shortages and reduce the impact on climate change.” He went on to dedicate his award to the company’s entire team, applauding everyone for their efforts in driving the delivery of waste management services without compromise.

Services

Off the back of nearly 15 years of experience, Khabokedi Waste Management offers a number of services within its area of expertise. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• landfill site operations and management

• transportation management and operations

• landfill site rehabilitation

• on-site waste management

• landfill site construction

• training and consulting

• environmental project implementation

• facilities cleaning

• chipping.

Cape Town and its surrounding winelands, beaches, mountains and nature have something for everyone. According to the Tourism Sentiment Index, four spots in the Western Cape made it into the 100 most loved destinations around the world in 2021, including the Mother City itself.

BOUNDLESS CAPE TOWN

The region has an abundance of things to do. Marine lovers are spoilt for choice, with options like snorkelling in the kelp forests or taking a water-bike ride across the sheltered waters of False Bay. (For the uninitiated, a waterbike glides silently over the water while you ‘cycle’. It’s a novel way to enjoy the vast scenery and encounter dolphins, Cape fur seals and the famous African penguin colony that nests at Boulders Beach. There’s also the chance to witness whales surfacing during whale season.) And if something more adrenaline-inducing is needed, cage diving with great white sharks in Gansbaai is also an option. Or windsurfing, kitesurfing, surfing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving… the list goes on.

Those who would prefer to go up and away have plenty to do, too –from helicopter flips over City Bowl or hot air ballooning above the picturesque winelands. An especially exhilarating way to take in the views is to paraglide off Lion’s Head or Signal Hill. Tandem paragliding means that no experience is required, while a GoPro can catch all the action to relive again later.

Drink it in For something more sedate, visitors

can enjoy cocktails paired with stunning views. There are countless scenic options – such as on Table Mountain, a chartered yacht, or at the Ocular Lounge & Events Space. The latter is perfect for art lovers. Set in the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art Africa) at the V&A Waterfront, guests can admire the Ocular Lounge’s sweeping 270-degree view of Cape Town after admiring the museum’s artworks. With over 100 galleries and multiple multifunctional event spaces, it’s the perfect canvas for special events.

Cape Town is also a foodie’s delight, with its many fine dining options, award-winning wines and artisanal delicacies. This makes it the perfect location for gastronomy tours and experiences. Incentive groups can be wined and dined at the top 20 celebrity chef restaurants or make their own meal with an authentic Cape Malay cooking class. The latter can be combined with a cultural tour of the colourful Bo-Kaap quarter, tailor-made for the tour group by a local.

Naturally, there are a plethora of food and wine pairings to indulge in, where top wines can be savoured with palate pleasers such as chocolate, cheese, ice cream, tapas, or even a sensory pairing with fynbos!

Some of the magnificent wine estates around Franschhoek also offer interesting experiences other than ‘the usual’ wine and cheese pairings, such as the ongoing art exhibitions at La Motte Wine Estate. These are curated by Elzette de Beer and display works by famous and upcoming South African artists, from Pierneefs to tapestries, sculptures and everything in-between. The Franschhoek Motor Museum on L’Ormarins Wine Estate has a classic motor museum that showcases over 100 years of automotive history and hosts an impressive collection of more than 220 vehicles. Meanwhile, Babylonstoren is an undiscovered gem of Cape history and modern wine and gastronomic features, with its gardens almost rivalling Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens’ range of plants. History tours are available, led by knowledgeable botanists.

There’s a huge range of accommodation options in the Cape and its surrounding winelands, from five-star luxury hotels to boutique lodges with exclusive beach access, private fully equipped apartments and more.

Cape Town International Airport has been adding direct flights from key source markets overseas, making it more accessible – and therefore even more appealing.

Cape Town steadily reclaiming its position as a leading events destination

Cape Town’s events calendar is filling up fast, as life returns to normal in a postpandemic world.

the national and provincial governments as well as Netball South Africa.

That event, in July next year, will see 16 of the top netball national teams from around the world participating in the showpiece at Cape Town International Convention Centre.

“Every event, whether sporting or cultural, is an opportunity to showcase Cape Town, but also to grow our economy and create or sustain jobs for our residents. And, through the Netball World Cup, for example, we are raising the profile of the sport, and giving young, upcoming players a platform to show off their talents. Sport allows many young people to create a brighter future for themselves and we are committed to supporting this goal.

During October 2022, approximately 25 000 athletes participated in various events linked to the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, including the main event, a Trail Marathon and Trail Run, and the 5 km and 10 km.

It was also the first of a multiyear evaluation to become part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2025, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

In September, Cape Town set a new record for attendance at the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, with more than 105 000 spectators attending the event at the DHL Stadium between Friday 9 September 2022 and Sunday 11 September 2022.

These figures break the previous record numbers set in 2018 at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco, USA.

“These are mammoth events, and they are a reminder of Cape Town’s ability to host big events safely, and in style. It also speaks to the appetite of the general public, whether locals, or visitors, to get out and about once more, to experience big sporting and cultural events, and the

Pre-Covid, we had already established ourselves as a leading events and tourism destination, and we are picking up right where we left off,” says Alderman JP Smith, MMC for Safety and Security, City of Cape Town.

Super Sevens

In December, the Cape Town Sevens also makes a welcome return after a two-year hiatus, and recently the city was also named as one of the host cities for the 2023 T20 Women’s World Cup.

The tournament will be held in February next year, and is the latest feather in Cape Town’s cap, particularly after the city also won the rights to host the 2023 Netball World Cup, after a successful intergovernmental bid, which included

“With our excellent infrastructure, and world-class facilities to stage events of this calibre, there can be no doubt that Cape Town will continue putting its best foot forward, opening the door to more hosting opportunities in future, to the benefit of all Capetonians,” says Alderman Smith.

Racing ahead

In 2023, Cape Town is also looking at being the first African city to host Formula-E.

“Formula-E presents Cape Town not only with an opportunity to stimulate the economy but it is also a platform where we, as a city, can contribute further to environmental sustainability through events. Cape Town is a city with a longestablished motorsport culture and Formula-E will provide these motorsport enthusiasts an opportunity to see a live international event and possibly inspire aspiring motorsport drivers,” Alderman Smith concludes.

The best in business events

Testament to the city’s popularity is its collection of awards, including ICCA’s number one city of Africa for business events (2010-2019), World’s Leading Festival & Events Destination at the World Travel Awards (2018), and Best Destination in Africa at the World Tourism Awards (2019).

Event planners are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the right venue in Cape Town. From small, boutique hotels with intimate meeting spaces, to multifunctional venues that can accommodate large exhibitions and conferences, there is something to suit every event.

A plethora of accommodation options are also available for delegates, as the city has roughly 20 000 three-, four- and five-star hotel bedrooms, as

well as a broad selection of boutique hotels, rated guesthouses and B&Bs, serviced apartments and over 18 000 Airbnb rooms. Most of these are located in the City Bowl.

A variety of venues

For those seeking something a little different, Avenue at the Two Oceans Aquarium (www.aquarium.co.za) can seat a maximum of 400 delegates looking directly into a stunning 1.6 million litre ocean exhibit of sea life at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Alternatively, the Old Mutual Conference and Exhibition Centre at Kirstenbosch (www.sanbi.org/gardens/ kirstenbosch) can also cater for up to 400 guests and its gorgeous botanical backdrop is ideal for conferences, banquets, product launches, workshops, meetings and presentations.

For large conferences and exhibitions, the Century City Conference Centre (CCCC, ccconferencecentre.co.za) and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC, www.cticc.co.za) both have much to offer. The CCCC is centrally located in the greater Cape Town metropole, and offers a comprehensive, full-tech solution including plentiful secure underground parking, free Wi-Fi, and restaurants, bars and coffee shops alongside the manmade waterfront, as

well as 600 hotel bedrooms within walking distance. Its 20 venues offer versatile event options. Some 1 900 guests can be comfortably accommodated in a single venue while Century City Square has 1 200 m² of floorspace for outdoor events.

The behemoth CTICC is the city’s biggest exhibition venue. Its largest exhibition hall has a 11 399 m² footprint and can fit 9 500 delegates seated in theatre style or 7 300 guests for a cocktail function – and it has over 60 venues to choose from! Additional perks to hosting your event at the CTICC include its on-site business centre, medical assistance, free Wi-Fi, expansive parking facilities, prayer rooms, and even a nursery for busy parents attending events. Several premium accommodation options surround the CTICC, including Hotel Sky Cape Town, Southern Sun The Cullinan and The Westin Cape Town.

As well as being a business hub and centre of learning with its four world-class universities and research institutions, Cape Town also offers modern infrastructure and a huge range of facilities and services for hosting your next event.

Getting to know the Mayor of Cape Town

What inspired you to start working in the political sphere in the first place?

My grade 10 history teacher gave me a copy of Alan Paton’s Cry the Beloved Country. The book offered me a glimpse of what South Africa was really like and set off a kind of intellectual awakening and an interest in the country’s history and politics. It was a crucial and vibrant time in South Africa, with issues like the collapse of Zimbabwe and President Mbeki’s quiet support of Robert Mugabe, Aids denialism, and other issues filling the headlines. I found myself hugely stimulated by the debates on the pages of the Mail & Guardian, which I used to read every Friday.

The thing that really convinced me to enter politics, however, was watching the debates that would unfold each week in the early 2000s between Tony Leon’s SA Today and President Mbeki’s ANC Today

Both newsletters were released every Friday morning. In those newsletters, I saw the possibility of being able to change and build our country through careful thought, creativity and caring about its people. I found it deeply inspiring.

What have been the most unexpected challenges you’ve faced since coming into office?

Not a great deal has surprised me, other than the length of time things take in government. This is something I would very much like to change. The legislation governing municipal procurement and other processes in South Africa is cumbersome and often encourages inaction rather than bold decision-making to aggressively pursue a better life for residents. Our IPP energy procurement programme, for example, could be greatly

expedited and load-shedding in Cape Town ended much sooner if the national government were willing to reform this legislation or exempt the City from it.

What motivates you to get out of bed every day?

Doing something meaningful is the source of happiness. For me, meaning is found in a sense I have of my higher purpose, which is to increase the flourishing of the humans living around me. Everything I do in my work is oriented towards this goal, and I derive a deep sense of satisfaction whenever I see that we have improved a single life, even in a small way.

Of course, meaning does not have to be found in politics or government. People find meaning in a variety of places. For me, though, the most reliable source of meaning is service. I believe it is on us – and on each and every one of us – to make our communities better, happier, safer, cleaner and kinder. When we commit ourselves to this task, lots of other things simply fall into place spiritually.

Do you have any advice for aspiring public servants?

The public service in South Africa is desperately lacking in skills and expertise. Pursuing a career as a public servant promises to be highly fulfilling, but you will be doing yourself and your country a huge favour if you commit yourself to learning and upskilling before and after becoming a government official.

What are you reading at the moment, or what’s a recent standout book you’ve read?

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is an epic adventure novel set in India, which features some of the most poignant descriptions of the human condition I have ever met. It explores themes that are very close to my heart, including poverty and suffering and the need to do something about it. It is also a reminder of the importance of love and finding meaning in one’s existence, wherever one is and in whichever circumstances one finds oneself in.

What do you like to do in any spare time you have?

I treasure the time I have to spend with my family, and make sure I prioritise this every day. I also love to read and spend time in the garden. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of having nurtured and grown a beautiful plant. I love to travel around the Western Cape, which can be a surprisingly easy and affordable thing to do. There is so much about our city and province to be inspired by and grateful for, and I love discovering this afresh every time I head out.

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