| Investing in women in technology is creating a diverse and globally competitive Cape Town | The executive mayor, Patricia de Lille, meets with young, female entrepreneurs at the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative. | <p>Today, I visited the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) to meet young women entrepreneurs who are receiving critical skills training and business support to enable them to compete and thrive in the digital economy. </p><p>CiTi supports women in tech through career acceleration programmes and business incubation programmes, as well as through ecosystem support through their Bandwidth Barn tech hubs. The women I met today were from a range of these programmes – either forging their digital careers with local tech businesses or building their tech-based businesses. They were ambitious, energetic and future-focussed young leaders for the Cape. </p>
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<div>The information communication and technology (ICT) sector is one of the key growth sectors the City of Cape Town has identified to act as catalyst for investment and job growth in Cape Town. Other high-growth sectors include the business process outsourcing (BPO); craft and design; clothing, textiles and fashion; and renewable energy sectors, among others. </div>
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<p>Cape Town, as the digital capital of Africa, has seen great success in this arena as we are home to more tech start-ups than anywhere else on the African continent. This is a key sector for us and aligns with one of the goals of the Organisational Development Transformation Plan (ODTP) - to leverage technology for progress. </p><p>The City has made available R9,6 million in funding this 2018/19 financial year in support of CiTi programmes. This includes tech skills like coding, job-readiness training and career placement (CiTi’s growing CapaCiTi programme), business incubation support for women in business, CiTi’s work in support of the growth of the city’s township economy, and CiTi’s Education Technology cluster. </p><p>I sat down with Lungile Kunene, a boutique owner from Salt River, to learn about her business called Izembatique that is using technology to grow and attract more customers.</p>
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<div>Lungile is a graduate of CiTi’s Top Tech Tools for Women in Business Programme, supported by the City of Cape Town. This programme supports small women-owned businesses – which is run at the Woodstock and Khayelitsha Bandwidth Barn. A total of 25 women have been trained through this programme at CiTi in Woodstock. So far this programme has delivered inspiring results and it is my hope that more women and young people look to this sector where they can use their energy and creativity to break through barriers through technology.</div>
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<p>I encourage all business women, and especially women interested in the IT and design sector, to apply for this opportunity. CiTi is currently searching for 20 women entrepreneurs from the Cape Flats to join the September Women in Business Programme. For more info and to apply, visit
<a href="http://www.citi.org.za/women-in-business/" target="_blank">http://www.citi.org.za/women-in-business. <i class="icon link-external"></i></a></p><p>The 10-week programme is aimed at creating a supportive space for women-owned businesses to explore tech tools and develop a strategy for implementing them. Women business owners are introduced to a range of free and/or powerful online and digital programmes and platforms to support their business activities. These cover areas including: admin, finance, accounting, tax, e-commerce, plugins, graphic design, document management, digital marketing, social media, HR, personality profiling, project management, project communications, legal advice, payments and banking apps. </p><p>What is especially encouraging is that all of these tools are presented by women entrepreneurs who have implemented them in their own businesses. This makes the advice both practical and inspirational.</p><p>In addition to the Women in Business programme, I also met some of the young women mastering coding and crafting a bright new career for themselves in the world of technology.</p><p>I also met Nonkululeko Sogaqa, a young analyst and one of the students of CiTi’s CapaCiTI programmes. She struggled to find work but thanks to the programme she was trained and placed in an internship. Today she is a Microsoft Dynamics Nav consultant at GoSolutions.</p><p>She said to me she found her passion, and the training gave her the extra push to excel. </p><p>CiTi’s CapaCiTi programmes have been running for eight years, with support from the City of Cape Town on a number of training projects. These programmes equip young, unemployed South Africans with in-demand technical skill sets, alongside the 21st century business skills they’ll need for a career; then facilitates applied work experience through internships and job interview introductions. These programmes provide the young participants with a powerful acceleration platform to launch their careers in Cape Town’s tech sector, and support growing SMEs and large corporates to source and support young, diverse talent to grow their business. </p><p>This year, the City-supported CapaCiTi is training over 100 young people on a NC-IT-Systems Development and Oracle Java programme, in partnership with the Western Cape Government and EOH Proserv. These candidates receive intensive, highly supported skills training and certification, mentorship and coaching as well as relevant modern career skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and presentation. They are currently completing their internship phase (at 23 companies) and will be connected with further job opportunities with local companies towards the end of the year. </p><p>CiTi is providing incredible support to Cape Town’s tech industry and, with the City’s support, it is playing a pivotal role in attracting more investment to the sector by building a strong skills base. </p>
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<div>Just this year, between January and June, CiTi supported 87 SMMEs and hosted 156 events to encourage debate and knowledge sharing among ICT industry players. The CapaCiTi programme has supported over 400 young people this year alone, and is scaling up to support a further 3 000 programme participants over the next three years. </div>
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<p>The successes of CiTi and the women who are receiving training in Woodstock and Khayelitsha is building a more vibrant and diverse economy that will enable Cape Town to be more competitive in the future.</p><p>This is part of the City’s commitment in alignment with the ODTP to take Cape Town to the next level and build a globally competitive city where all our residents, men and women, are empowered to grow the economy. </p><div>
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| City paves the way for women’s health | City Health is making it easier for women to access healthcare. | <p>Women are key to economic growth and development; and City Health is making it easier for women to access healthcare by providing a one-stop basket of services. </p><p>‘Fragmented health services for mothers and babies place a burden on women who have to juggle their roles of bread-winner, mother, wife and home-maker. Numerous visits to clinics and long waiting times for the necessary healthcare precludes many women from taking charge of their health,’ said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, Alderman JP Smith.</p><p>Many mothers find it difficult, if not impossible, to keep a multitude of clinic appointments.</p><p>‘To help women meet their health needs, and not place too much of a burden on their earning capabilities, the City of Cape Town has made a decision to re-design healthcare services. Basic ante-natal care services were first rolled out to all City health facilities; post-natal care was subsequently made available at all clinics; and efforts are now being made to integrate mom and child care so they are seen as a pair, receiving care starting from the time of conception and extending for as long as required,’ said Alderman Smith. </p><p>Various policies are being integrated to ensure that once women receive a positive pregnancy test, they are immediately booked, tested for HIV and, if needed, are enrolled on ARVs. </p><p>City Health’s integrated approach to antenatal, HIV and infant care has resulted in less than 1% of the infants born to HIV-infected moms becoming infected with HIV. </p><p>‘Expectant mothers need to be made aware of the various important steps during pregnancy and after delivery. Sending them from one health facility for one service, then to another for something else, attending various appointments on different days, as well as being seen by various clinicians only confuses the mother and leads to gaps in care,’ Alderman Smith further explained. </p><p>In addition, preventing double visits to the clinic saves women time. This enables them to be more active in the labour force, improve household income, and invest more in their own and their children’s health, education, and well-being, and ultimately this benefits all sectors of the economy.</p><p>This approach eliminates unnecessary clinic visits which results in savings in the health system. </p><p>City Health also encourages young women to take advantage of our youth-friendly services. Young women make up 37% of new HIV infections in South Africa. The city’s young women have already taken charge of their reproductive and sexual health with 93 739 testing for HIV (2016) and 31 185 attending one the City’s facilities for family planning (2017). During the 2017/18 financial year some 22 396 women over the age of 30 were screened through cervical smears. The fact that cervical cancer rarely presents any symptoms in its early stages highlights the importance of regular screening for the disease.</p><p>‘During Women’s Month we don’t only celebrate those women who have gone before, but also those who are actively taking charge of their health and making use of the services offered by the City,’ said Alderman Smith. </p>
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| 2018-08-20T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| City hosts interfaith thanksgiving prayer service | The statement was delivered by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at a thanksgiving for rain prayer service on Table Mountain today. | <p>Good afternoon, goeie môre, molweni, as-salaamu alaikum, shalom, Namaste. Thank you all for joining me once again today as we gather to give thanks for the much-needed rains that we all prayed for on this very same spot in May last year.</p><p>In May last year, I called on the interfaith leaders to pray for much-needed rains as our dam levels stood at critically low levels of around 20.7% at the time.</p><p>As we stand here today, we have reached just over 60% dam storage capacity for the first time since 2016 and it is thanks to your prayers and the joint efforts of the amazing water-saving Team Cape Town.</p>
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<p>As a caring and inclusive city, we know and appreciate the role of the religious community and know that our prosperity as a city cannot be achieved without your guidance, counsel and prayer.</p><p>Sometimes people underestimate the power of prayer. We have prayed for rain and we thank God for the rain and for listening to our prayers.</p><p>Since early last year, we all became more acutely aware of the importance of water as a source of life that needs to be conserved and not taken for granted.</p><p>In the past summer, we faced grim prospects and it has indeed been your prayers that has contributed to the showers of blessings that came down in recent weeks.</p><p>I recall when the first heavy rains fell earlier this year how Capetonians including myself rejoiced at the sound and feeling of the rain.</p><p>We now all have a greater appreciation for rain and, while we are at just over 60% dam storage capacity, we are still not out of the woods. </p><p>We have called for this service today to give thanks and to thank you as religious leaders especially for the role that you played during this trying time for our city.</p><p>Thank you for all the prayers you held with your congregations throughout this time.</p>
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<p>We are now nearing the end of winter and my call today to the religious community is to ask that you continue to play a leading role and continue to pray for rain so that our dams may recover fully.</p><p>We have seen that we cannot predict what will happen and the impact of no water in our dams is devastating for us all.</p><p>With climate change, weather patterns have become very unpredictable.</p><p>That is why it is important that we continue to seek spiritual guidance and support to supply our needs.</p><p>At this time, I must again express my heartfelt thanks to Team Cape Town for their amazing effort to bring down our collective water consumption from over 1 billion litres a day in 2016 to around 500 million litres a day currently.</p><p>This was no easy task but it shows what we can achieve when we all pull together for a common purpose. </p><p>I cannot stress the important role that residents and businesses played in bringing down our consumption especially in the past 18 months.</p><p>Team Cape Town continues to be the most important player in ensuring that we never find ourselves in that situation again where we go below the 20% dam storage mark.</p><p>There has been a great mindset change and this must continue as the new way of life and as the new normal. People must change their relationship with water and many people have made this change.</p><p>Water is life and can never again be taken for granted because we can only save water while we still have water to be saved.</p><p>So once again, my thanks go out to everyone for short showers, for flushing with grey water, for tolerating a dirty car and all other measures that Capetonians have implemented which has seen us avert Day Zero.</p><p>We asked for all hands on deck during the drought and indeed Capetonians and visitors responded to the call.</p><p>Let us continue on this path of being thankful for what we have, keeping up the water saving efforts and working together to conserve our precious water resources.</p><p>Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi, shukran and God Bless. </p><p>
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| New Atlantis substation could light up more than 10 million light bulbs | The new substation, which was constructed over four years, more than doubles the existing capacity in Atlantis | <p>The new substation, which was constructed over four years, more than doubles the existing capacity in Atlantis from 80 MVA (Mega Volt Amps) to 170 MVA. The capacity that has been created is roughly equivalent to lighting up more than 10 million light bulbs. </p><p>‘This new substation also provides a grid connection point for future independent power producers, which is in line with the City’s drive to diversify its energy mix to include renewable energy. </p><span><div class="image-gallery-slider img-gal-1" id="img-gal-1" data-slides="3" data-slide="1" style="height:493.5px;"><div class="image-gallery-content" style="height:414px;">
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<b></b></a>New Atlantis substation could light up more than 10 million light bulbs</p> </figcaption> </figure>
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<b></b>New Atlantis substation could light up more than 10 million light bulbs</p> </figcaption> </figure>
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<b></b>New Atlantis substation could light up more than 10 million light bulbs</p> </figcaption> </figure> </div><div class="image-gallery-control"><div class="image-gallery-caption"><p>
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<i class="icon arrow-white-prev"></i></div></div></div></div></span><p> </p><p>‘Importantly, this also shows our consumers where we spend the money that is received from electricity tariffs. About 25% of the income that we make from electricity tariffs goes toward the repair and maintenance of our electricity grid, which includes new substations, power lines and meters; while 10% goes toward the Rates account to help pay for shared services and vulnerable groupings. Lastly, some 65% is allocated to buy electricity from Eskom. </p><p>‘While on the one hand we must ensure that we save electricity as part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, the City must also ensure that it is able to meet urban growth demand, especially in areas such as the expanding West Coast Corridor,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy, Councillor Xanthea Limberg. </p><p>It is envisaged that this new substation will enable commercial and industrial developments in the area and it is essential for the establishment of the Atlantis Special Economic Zone. This is a special incentivised investment area established as a way to spur economic growth to enable job creation and enterprise development. </p><p>For more information on independent power producers, please visit <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/" target="_blank">www.capetown.gov.za</a> or click on the following URL IPPs and renewables </p><p>For more information on saving electricity and the City’s Small-Scale Embedded Generation programme please visit <a href="http://www.savingelectricity.org.za/" target="_blank">www.SavingElectricity.org.za</a></p><p><br><strong>End</strong></p><p> <br></p> | 2018-08-19T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
