| City works with business to increase compliance | The City of Cape Town's Health Department, in conjunction with a number of other departments, have visited shopping malls, food premises, flea markets pharmacies and funeral undertakers to highlight concerns about COVID-19 non-compliance at many of these places. | <p>'Cape Town remains a hotspot, but the good news is we're seeing a slow decrease in the number of new cases and admissions to hospitals. Although the numbers are still high, admissions are easing. This slow decline in cases is being seen across all sub-districts. </p><p>'We have not yet seen a decrease in the number of burials at our cemeteries and while non-compliance is rife in many instances, we have to commend the many funeral undertakers who are doing their part to ensure adherence to the regulations. As the case load diminishes, the burial figure should show a similar trend in the weeks to come,' said the City' s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.</p><p>The focus of inspections during the last week was to ensure compliance and it included restaurants, shopping centres and other premises where large numbers of people are likely to congregate.</p><p>'Our inspectors also follow up on complaints from members of the public about the lack physical distancing and overcrowding at public places, especially over weekends when people are out and about. Staying at home is not easy and it has been taxing on us all. While we understand residents suffer from cabin fever and need to get fresh air, I want to urge them to remain watchful. The City is doing its part to fight the pandemic and we need the assistance of all our residents if we're going to beat it,’ said Councillor Badroodien.</p><p>Residents are advised to stay home if they can and to leave only for essential shopping or health visits, or to go to work. They are encouraged to abide by the current disaster management regulations which prohibit social gatherings. It is important and a requirement that they wear a mask at all times when in public and to maintain a distance of at least 1,5 metres from others at all times. </p><p>'City Health is hard at work preparing the logistics, supply chain management and implementation plan for Phase 1 of the vaccine roll out plan. The first shipment of vaccines is expected within the next few weeks and we may call on some of our other departments to aid in this,' said Councillor Badroodien.</p><p>The City is working in close collaboration with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs to ensure that Maitland crematorium is able to increase capacity for cremation at the facility, and that all available cremators can be utilised during this disaster period.</p><p>In the last week, City cemeteries have facilitated 696 burials of which 173 were confirmed COVID-19 burials. Of these burials 198 took place at Maitland cemetery, 134 at Welmoed and 124 at Klip Road Cemetery in Grassy Park.</p><p>Mourners are advised of the conditions that must be adhered to when attending burials at City cemeteries (the use of cemeteries is limited to burials only):</p><ul><li>Consider weekday burials and alternative burial methods.</li><li>Limit funeral and graveside attendance to 50 people. </li><li>Firearms, amplified music and drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited.</li><li>Limit burial services to 30 minutes.</li><li>Strictly adhere to COVID-19 protocols (social distancing, wearing masks, hand sanitising/hand washing).</li><li>Stay home if they feel unwell or have been exposed to a COVID-positive individual.</li><li>No unveiling and consecration ceremonies are allowed.</li><li>Memorial work can only be done during the week with a Memorial Permit.</li></ul><p><br><strong>End</strong></p> | 2021-01-18T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Dire Eskom situation needs to spark National Government to take urgent action on IPPs | Statement by the City's Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato | <p>The latest round of continuous Eskom load-shedding ended last night at 23:00. It was in effect for five days in a row and it has been absolutely destructive amid a time of COVID-19, certain livelihood-damaging COVID-19 regulations and the extreme economic woes of South Africa. In October 2020, amendments to the electricity regulations were finally gazetted which could pave the way for municipalities to source power independently from Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The City calls on National Government to expedite the processes that will enable the procurement from independent producers to become a reality so that municipalities such as Cape Town can go forth and start breaking the sole reliance on Eskom for power provision. Time is of the essence. We cannot continue to go on like this. <br> <br>The City has been preparing for a future where more affordable and cleaner energy can be procured by municipalities. We have been an advocate of this much-needed change to the energy regime for more than a decade. Importantly, we have been a strong proponent of enabling more security of energy supply and being able to determine what is required in terms of our own energy requirements and development goals. </p><p>The City’s plans includes building and procuring its own renewable generation capacity. We implore the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to provide clarity on the process as soon as possible so that we can move forward with the execution of our plans. </p><p><strong>Own build </strong><br>The City also hopes to have a photovoltaic (PV) plant (solar-powered) built by the City on the ground by approximately 2022/3 if all goes according to plan, but with the current Municipal Finance Management Act and Energy Regulation Act regulations it could take up to five years from when a Determination is provided to having the first power from an IPP in our grid. Specialist studies are under way. </p><p><strong>Procurement </strong><br>We are in discussions with the national IPP office to assist us in developing a framework for a municipal procurement programme for cities. We are also procuring the services of a legal firm to establish the contractual terms of the power purchase agreement to ensure its compliance with legislation, national regulatory frameworks and the City’s policy landscape. We have done a lot of work and the National Treasury supports our initiatives and also the public and transparent procurement processes we committed to from the start. Tender processes and the successful bids would need to be completed ahead of any potential procurement. </p><p>We are working with the CSIR to develop a City-level Integrated Resource Plan which will provide the optimal mix. The last assessment done by the CSIR for the City indicated the low cost optimal mix included purchasing as much renewable energy as possible. All renewable energy technologies will thus be welcomed if they meet the criteria. </p><p><strong>However, clarification is awaited on the practical implementation of the new amended regulations. Including:</strong></p><ul><li>The status of own generation (municipal generation) projects is unclear, with the regulations referring only to buying and procurement of electricity and not to own generation. Thus, as a City, we are still requiring the same clarity and Ministerial Determination we have been seeking as it pertains to own generation.</li><li>Municipalities need to understand how the regulations will be implemented within the context of the current Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for Electricity, which is fully allocated up to 2024. It is not clear where the allocation for municipal procurement will come from in the IRP and whether the Determinations provided in September 2020 will be amended to include municipalities or whether a new Determination will be issued to include municipalities. </li><li>It is not clear what timelines will apply to the processing of municipal applications by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, especially the time for review of feasibility studies. This still needs to be clarified to ensure implementation without lengthy delays.<br></li></ul><p>In August 2020, the North Gauteng High Court chose not to rule on the merits of our application challenging that a Ministerial Determination is necessary before power may be procured from IPPs, as originally stated in Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act over its applicability and constitutionality.<br> <br>The Court ruled the City and the National Department should follow intergovernmental channels to clarify the roles and responsibilities. The City has been trying to gain clarity via the intergovernmental channels. We remain committed to the renewed engagement process we started in September 2020 and hope to receive the necessary clarification from the Minister as soon as possible.<br> <br>The City has always maintained that local governments have the constitutional power and obligation to procure renewable energy and this is necessary to move away from the sole reliance on Eskom for energy supply. The City already has extensive energy saving campaigns (making Cape Town one of the most efficient cities in South Africa), it has extensive PV and small-scale embedded generation programmes in place, which are ready to be extended. </p><p>The City also ensures it can protect its customers as far as possible during load-shedding. </p><p>The City is proactively setting up all necessary requirements for such IPP procurement programmes should it be confirmed. As mentioned, the City could start doing so within the next three years, but we do not control the process and would be dependent on the National Government processes. All of these efforts show we are ready for the diversification of our energy mix for cleaner, more affordable and secure energy.<br> <br><strong>Currently, the City spends about 65% of the income from electricity tariffs to buy bulk energy from Eskom. With the cost of renewable energy going down constantly as new technology is deployed, it holds such potential for big cities to procure cleaner energy for their customers at potentially lower bulk prices, while at the same time making energy more accessible. </strong><br> <br>Another big focus for us is to look at different energy resources to ensure all residents have access to reliable and safe electricity, including low income households. All cities, being the drivers of the economy, have growing informality and we need to look at how we address this with new technology, moving away from the business-as-usual approach and ensuring that we create more energy equality so that all our residents will have access to cleaner, more affordable electricity resources. <br> <br>We will keep standing up for residents and businesses whose livelihoods and lives depend on a reliable energy supply. <br> <br> <br><strong>End</strong></p> | 2021-01-18T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| City enforcement officers confiscate more illegal firearms | Safety and Security weekly update. | <p><span aria-hidden="true"></span>The City’s Metro Police Department made 34 arrests for firearm related contraventions since July last year and these include the possession of illegal and imitation firearms.</p><p>Officers also registered 25 cases with the South African Police Service for offences related to these weapons.</p><p>During the same period, 16 suspects were arrested for unlawful possession of ammunition and seven for possession of illegal fire arms. Officers also recovered 508 rounds of ammunition.</p><p><strong>Law Enforcement</strong></p><p>Since October last year, Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers confiscated 12 firearms, 14 imitation firearms, and rounds of ammunition with several arrests related directly to the firearms. Hotspot areas include Nyanga, Delft and Hanover Park.</p><p>On Wednesday, 13 January 2021, officers confiscated one 9mm firearm and five rounds of ammunition in Delft. One suspect was arrested. On Friday, 15 January 2021, officers confiscated two firearms and 17 rounds of ammunition in the same area.</p><p>‘The swift reaction by our officers in confiscating illegal firearms plays an important role in the fight against crime and in terms of those who incite violence and fear in our communities. It is another indication of how our officers assist SAPS in their investigations. Many of these firearms can be linked to past crimes. Confiscating illegal firearms prevents violent incidents and could potentially save lives,' said the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.</p><p>It has been challenging for the City as LEAP officers have had to support COVID-19 enforcement operations, which has taken resources away from their core crime prevention focus.</p><p>Other operational successes include:</p><p><strong>Traffic Service</strong></p><p>During the past week, the City’s Traffic Service impounded 60 cell phones and issued more than 59 500 fines for transgressions such as driving while under the influence of alcohol, participating in an illegal street race and reckless and negligent driving. Officers also assisted with the enforcement of Alert Level 3 regulations, where 68 fines were issued for disobeying the curfew rule and 21 fines for not wearing a mask.</p><p>‘We all have to stay vigilant in our fight against crime and therefore we should follow an integrated approach in the prevention of crime. This is where our communities play such an important role in assisting officers by reporting anti-social behaviour and criminal activities. Our enforcement operations are based on information gathering and operational imperatives. We would once again like to ask members of the public to be our eyes and ears and to report any information that will assist us in our crime prevention programmes to make our communities a safer place,’ said Alderman Smith.</p><p><br><strong>End</strong></p> | 2021-01-17T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | <p><br></p><p></p> | |
| City doing all it can to move R55m Maroela South housing project forward | The City's Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Malusi Booi, this afternoon, 18 January 2021, visited the City's R55 million Maroela South housing project in Kraaifontein to check on its progress. | <p>Progress looks promising at the City's Maroela South housing project after community dynamics, the interference and actions of some residents and unlawful occupation caused delays despite the City’s best efforts to keep work on track. The civil contract on the Maroela South site was interrupted by some in the community in May 2020 with only one month left to complete the project ahead of the construction of the housing units. Wallacedene Temporary Relocation Area (TRA) residents threatened and intimidated the contractor and site staff and disputed the approved beneficiary allocation split. The contractor therefore moved off site and the contract for the civil works expired. The City is following supply chain management requirements to enable it to reappoint the contractor to complete the civil works as soon as possible, if the Project Steering Committee approves the way forward. Civil engineering contract completion could take about four months if all goes according to plan.</p><span>
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<img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/MaroelaSouth.jpeg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure><p>The Maroela South project entails the construction of 570 State-subsidised Breaking New Ground (BNG) and Gap housing units. It will consist of 395 BNG houses for qualifying beneficiaries on the City’s Housing Needs Register and 175 Gap houses for people who earn between R3 500 to R22 000 a month.</p></span><p>Importantly, beneficiaries of the BNG houses are being selected in accordance with the City’s Housing Allocation Policy and the City’s Housing Needs Register to ensure that housing opportunities are made available in a fair and transparent manner that prevents queue jumping and to those who qualify for housing as per the South African legislation.</p><span>
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<img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/MaroelaSouth2.jpeg" alt="" style="width:1919px;" /> </figure><p>‘I urge all concerned to work with the City so that we can complete this project in the shortest possible time. Narrow interests and agendas will not enable us to make progress possible and to improve the living conditions of beneficiaries. We work according to the Housing Allocation Policy and the Housing Needs Register to ensure there is fairness and an organised approach to the allocation of accommodation opportunities given the great need. We need an objective, centralised approach because how else does one determine who gets an opportunity and who does not.</p></span><p>'In the current climate, it also remains imperative that we complete our projects in the shortest possible timeframe as our housing projects remain acutely under threat of unlawful occupation. Unlawful land occupation is illegal. Stealing land in this manner, steals opportunities from those who are registered on the Register and from beneficiaries that are in the process of receiving their affordable housing opportunity. Queue-jumping for housing opportunities and services is unacceptable. The City has court orders in place and will do everything in its power to protect these projects and the rightful beneficiaries. Residents and communities are encouraged to support the City’s efforts to protect beneficiaries, community projects and services by alerting us to any attempts to occupy land earmarked for service delivery,' said Councillor Booi. </p><p><strong>Anonymous tip offs are welcome:</strong><br>Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.<br> </p><p><strong>End</strong></p> | 2021-01-17T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
