Central city in ‘better shape than ever’

The city centre is in better shape than it ever has been in the last 24 years with property value soaring from R6 billion in 2006 to R42.8 billion at the end of 2023.

This is according to chairman of the Central City Improvement District (CCID), Rob Kane, who was speaking at the organisation’s 24th annual general meeting at Portside building last Monday, November 17.

Mr Kane said the success was as a result of working with partners, including police, the City and NGOs.

“After four years of Covid, we have a city on the rebound - it really is happening in the city and you can feel it. Talking to the retailers, they are a lot more confident, and we have a lot of new restaurants and new retailers in the city. We’ve been stumbling along and we have an opportunity now to really grow.”

He said this was evident in the huge number of property investments in the year under review.

He said in 2023, the CBD saw an injection of investments worth more than R7.2 bn, which is extraordinary for an area of 1.6km² - the CCID’s footprint area. “These included five-star hotels, residential and mixed-use complexes and commercial buildings, and more have come on stream in 2024.”

Mr Kane also announced that the organisation had achieved its 24th consecutive clean audit. “Apart from good governance, the secret of the CCID’s success is a commitment to ‘get the basics right’ in the areas of public safety, urban management and social development,” he said.

“Once again the CCID has delivered a stellar set of results, with the organisation strategically pivoting to meet conditions on the ground and to create an environment that promotes economic growth.”

Presenting the operational side of the organisation, CEO Tasso Evangelinos said one of their priorities was maintaining public safety in the bustling downtown. “The bulk of the CCID’s budget, therefore, is spent on maintaining a visible and effective security presence in town,” he said.

During the year in review, the CCID safety and security department conducted over 37 927 safety interactions, including collaborating with its crime partners to conduct over 3 000 joint crime-prevention operations. “The teams helped to secure 720 arrests, assisted by CCID-funded Law Enforcement Officers and City of Cape Town Law Enforcement and SAPS.”

The CCID’s second biggest operational expenditure was on cleaning and maintaining the urban environment.

Mr Evangelinos said littering remained a major challenge in the CBD, with urban management department teams collecting 1 210 tons of litter and illegally dumped dirt from the CBD for removal by the City to the landfill. “We also removed 31 899kg of debris from storm water drains and 3 586kg from (drain) channels.”

He said the CCID also completed various projects which included increasing the number of safe and accessible public toilets, enhancing lighting in key areas, expanding its waste management capabilities and adding to its team of cleaners.

They worked with local artists to incorporate bollard art, festive and floral hanging baskets and fabric-draping of trees to beautify the environment.

Mr Evangelinos said the CCID’s social development department, which provides support to the homeless living in the CBD, worked closely with NGOs and other community partners.

“We are particularly proud of our ground-breaking ‘peer-to-peer’ field worker project which we expanded to include a night shift. Through this innovative initiative, former homeless individuals mentor and support those currently living on the streets, linking them to critical services and support.”

One of the department’s successes in the year under review was increasing the number of shelter beds available through its Winter Readiness Programme, and a feeding scheme in collaboration with partner NGO, TB HIV Care, which incentivised the safe disposal of discarded needles in return for a meal. “A total of 858 people benefitted from this project, with 250 748 needles returned to TB HIV Care on feeding scheme days,” Mr Evangelinos said.

“While the bustling inner centre will always present challenges, together with our partners we will ensure that the CBD remains a place where people come to have fun, live, work, do business and invest in. We expect another bumper year ahead,” said Mr Kane.