| Drought crisis: desalination, augmentation process under way; not cancelled | Contrary to allegations emerging over the weekend, the City of Cape Town’s augmentation programme is progressing with urgency. | <p>Contrary to allegations emerging over the weekend, the City of Cape Town’s augmentation programme is progressing with urgency. </p><p>The first tender batch which was issued comprised small-scale temporary containerised desalination plants (with a combined yield of approximately 15 million litres per day) in Hout Bay, Granger Bay and Dido Valley. </p><p>Tenders received were, however, non-responsive. The tenders are being re-advertised and these initiatives have not been cancelled. </p><p>The augmentation programme consists of more than the first tenders. The City is pursuing a mix of alternative water resources (desalination, groundwater and water reclamation) together with aggressively reducing consumption to ensure that existing surface water can sustain us through to winter 2018. </p><p>The City has to ensure that we run a fair process for all competitors, receive a product that the City has asked for, and that Cape Town needs. The City has an appeal process in terms of the Municipal Systems Act which is a platform for bidders to raise disputes or appeals on tender processes.</p><p>All tender processes are being conducted in accordance with the City’s Supply Chain Management Policy which complies with national legislation. Neither the Mayor, nor any politicians, are part of the tender processes. </p><p>We encourage bidders to participate in the tender. The private sector is part of the solution to securing Cape Town’s water future. </p><p>Initially 17 sites were explored, but this was reduced to 10 sites after environmental considerations were factored in. Furthermore, the sites must be situated close to the reticulation system for the water supply to enter the supply system. </p><p>All programmes are continuing. During this time of heightened concern on the subject of water, it is now more important than ever for information that is shared to be factual and for stories not to be proliferated solely for the fanning of sensationalist fires. </p><p><br><strong>End</strong><br></p> | 2017-10-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Drought crisis: consumption remains far too high | WARNING: PHASE 1 OF THE CITY’S CRITICAL WATER SHORTAGES DISASTER PLAN IS IN EFFECT. WATER RATIONING UNDER WAY | <p>Dam storage levels are at 37,4%, with useable water at 27,4%. </p><p>Consumption remains too high, at 600 million litres of collective usage per day. This is 100 million litres above the crucial consumption target of 500 million litres per day. </p><p>The City of Cape Town activated water rationing as part of the implementation of its Critical Water Shortages Management Disaster Plan. This action intensifies the preceding months of pressure management which continues to be done in an attempt to force water consumption down to required levels. </p><p>Water usage must be reduced immediately. </p><p><br><strong>End</strong><br></p> | 2017-10-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Cape Town’s status as events capital of Africa continues to grow | Cape Town is continually affirming its place as the events capital of Africa by securing key international and local events over the next 12 months | <span><p>Cape Town is continually affirming its place as the events capital of Africa by securing key international and local events over the next 12 months. Eight of these signature events are set to contribute more than R3 billion to the local economy and create more than 20 000 temporary jobs. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/capital2.jpg" alt="" style="width:948px;" /> </figure></span><p>While some of the jobs related to major events are temporary, they afford people the opportunity gain experience and acquire skills for permanent employment.</p><p>This success is thanks to the City of Cape Town’s commitment to building an opportunity city that creates an enabling environment for inclusive economic growth and job creation.</p><p>We have many of the key event organisers here with us today who work all year round to ensure that they bring us bigger and better offerings each year. </p><p>I want to thank all event organisers for working with the City and for your commitment to keeping us at the number one spot as the event location of choice. Thank you for your contributions to job creation and our economy.</p><span><p>In 2012, the City launched its Integrated Events Strategy and set out to become the events capital of Africa. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/capital1.jpg" alt="" style="width:948px;" /> </figure></span><p>We have delivered on our commitment and we proudly hold a dynamic annual events calendar with established internationally renowned events and many new events coming to our city each year.</p><p>Cape Town is recognised globally as the leading events destination on the continent.</p><p>The City’s event support budget has grown tenfold: from R4 million in 2012 to R40 million in the 2016/17 financial year. The increase has enabled us to support 198 local and international events, with nearly half allocated to cultural events, 40% to sporting events, and 12 % to conferences.</p><p>We are working with our partners in Convenco and Wesgro’s convention bureau in order to strengthen our Marketing, Incentives, Conferencing and Event (MICE) Strategy which we see as key to growing both our tourism market and our fast growing business tourism brand. </p><p>The shared success of our events calendar speaks to the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan and its emphasis on delivering excellent services, leveraging partnerships for progress, and positioning Cape Town as a forward-looking, innovative and globally competitive city.</p><p>Cape Town truly is a city where you can live, work, play and invest.</p><p>To expand our efforts of building an inclusive city, the City is also allocating more permits to enable communities to celebrate our diverse cultures and sport. In the 2016/17 financial year, we processed 1 856 applications and issued 1 447 permits – up from 1 244 permits in 2012. </p><p>The City supported 11 events in 2012 and this increased to 198 events supported in 2016/17 financial year.</p><p>Cape Town has become the envy of many global cities as a result of its wide-ranging events portfolio with more domestic and international visitors making their way to our city to enjoy and compete in events.</p><p>The City of Portsmouth, south of England, recently used the City of Cape Town’s Event Strategy as a blueprint to assist with Portsmouth’s strategic positioning as an events-friendly destination. </p><p>Portsmouth and other international cities recognise the strategic importance of major events and Cape Town as the leader in the field</p><p>Events provide enormous benefit to the local economy and play a pivotal role in generating visitor expenditure. It is important for the city that this translates into economic inclusion of all communities in Cape Town.</p><p>The City could not have done this without the incredible investment from our event organisers.</p><p>Our jewel or signature events include: the HSBC Sevens Rugby, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, Design Indaba, Mining Indaba, Absa Cape Epic, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Cape Town Open, Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, the Volvo Ocean Race, and Africa Travel Week.</p><p>Major international events coming to Cape Town this summer include: </p><ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">AfricArena 2017, International Africa Tech Conference</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">FIA World RallyCross Championship</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">15th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Cape Town Open (golf)</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Volvo Ocean Race</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Manufacturing Indaba </div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Investing in African Mining Indaba </div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Design Indaba </div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Cape Town Carnival </div></li></ul><p>The City’s own major events include:</p><ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">Switching on of the festive lights</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Cape Town Summer Market</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">New Year’s Eve celebration in conjunction with the V&A Waterfront</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Assistance with funding the Tweede Nuwe Jaar Minstrel Carnival</div></li></ul><p>Some of the major events on the Cape Town International Convention Centre’s calendar for the next few weeks include AfricaCom 2017, the Windaba and the Brand Summit and Awards South Africa. </p><span></span><span><p>Next, the City’s aims to create stability in the events industry and ensure that these events return to the city each year.</p>
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<img class="responsive" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/capital3.jpg" alt="" style="width:948px;" /> </figure></span><p>We can never rest on our laurels and take these successes for granted. We live in a competitive global village and we must continually find new ways of building on the events calendar. </p><p>By taking events to the next level, we will enhance their economic impact and tackle socio-economic challenges in our communities by creating more much-needed jobs.</p><p>We are also making it easier for organisers to obtain permits for their events. Every year we host an events briefing where we provide information to help streamline applications. In August 2017, 200 event organisers attended the briefing and our events team is available throughout the year to help guide organisers.</p><p>Only events with crowds bigger than 200 attendees need to apply for a permit. The application process consists of five steps: </p><ul><li><div style="text-align:left;">Step 1: Submit your application form and documentation by email, fax or hand</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Step 2: About 16 City departments, the South African Police Service (SAPS), and eight additional City departments, if needed, will assess your application</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Step 3: The City allocates resources to support an event and the SAPS creates a safety plan</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Step 4: An event is approved or rejected. Organisers can appeal a decision</div></li><li><div style="text-align:left;">Step 5: The City monitors the organiser’s implementation of the permit and organisers are invited after the event for an evaluation</div></li></ul><p>Safety at events is one of the key factors the City looks at when issuing a permit. Organisers must include a safety plan, emergency plan, and medical plan when they submit their application.</p><p>The City is developing an electronic permitting system to enable organisers to submit and track their application online.</p><p>While we must celebrate the economic and social benefits that these events bring to our shores, the City is also ensuring that they are sustainable and they don’t place a burden on our scarce resources, including water.</p><p>The City introduced additional criteria in our events permit application and each organiser has to say how much and what water resources they will use. We are a dynamic city and adapting to our New Normal and the events industry has a key role to play in this regard. </p><p>The future of our events success demands that we all work together to not only put our best foot forward to provide entertainment and brilliance in sporting events, but we must factor in how we will ensure water resilience in all our work.</p><p><br><strong>End </strong></p><span></span> | 2017-10-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| City and Western Cape Government sign significant agreement to speed up delivery of housing opportunities | Today, 16 October 2017, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA | <p>Today, 16 October 2017, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which will see the two spheres of government entering a process to give the City assignment functions with regard to human settlements. </p><span><figure class="figure-credits left"><img class="responsive" alt="placeholder" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/housing2.jpg" style="width:507px;" /><figcaption>
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</span><p>This means that the City also will be directly accountable for the management of the funds, with the Western Cape Government retaining an oversight role. </p><p>This will lead to more effective planning and the establishment of a more responsive pipeline of projects. </p><p>This development is in line with the objectives of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP) to enhance service delivery and become more a proactive and customer-centric administration.</p><p>The City was granted Level 1 and 2 accreditation of Human Settlements delegations and functions from the Western Cape Government during March 2011.</p><p>This enables the City to manage and administer all human settlement programmes which it has been accredited to perform – a responsibility that previously fell under the purview of the Western Cape Government Department of Human Settlements. </p><p>This is the next step in the process where the processes set out in the MOA will lead to the City receiving the final assignment function. </p><p>Prior the MOA signing today, an Implementation Protocol was signed between the City and the Western Cape Government Department of Human Settlements on 14 June 2012 which later expired and was renewed on 21 September 2015. The Implementation Protocol set out the roles and responsibilities of the City and Western Cape Government Human Settlements Department relating to the assignment process. </p><p>The signing of the MOA between the Mayor and the MEC today marks a significant step for the future management of housing delivery in the City of Cape Town.</p><p>MEC for Human Settlements, Bonginkosi Madikizela said: ‘This is a journey we started some time ago. I am hoping that finally we will be able to assign the City the accreditation to ensure the City has full powers to administer National and Provincial Housing functions and programs in terms of Section 126 of the Constitution and Section 10 of the Municipal Systems Act. This MOA is providing a roadmap and clear guidelines as to what needs to be done between now and 30 June 2018. The intention is that come 1 July, the City is given full assignment to administer all the housing functions. The commitment we must now make is to look at the gaps that exist and work together to deal with the problems so that by June next year, we are on track.<br></p><span><figure class="figure-credits right"><img class="responsive" alt="placeholder" src="http://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/housing1.jpg" style="width:476px;" /><figcaption>
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</span>‘Clauses 5 and 6 of this agreement clearly stipulate roles and responsibilities of my department and the City of Cape Town during this process. Our teams are working towards ensuring that these time frames are met’.<p>Mayor De Lille said: ‘We still need to continue to do joint planning. In the City administration, we have put the urban planning, transport and human settlement departments together so that we can address apartheid spatial planning and we need the help of Province to bridge those gaps. To deal with the backlog of housing, we need to work with all three spheres of government.’</p><p>The MOA binds the parties to the process and timeframes for full assignment to the City to come into effect by 1 July 2018.</p><p>Once the various required steps within the Roadmap to Assignment are completed, the assignment to the City will be finalised when it is gazetted by Western Cape Premier, Helen Zille. </p><p>While it will still take time to build houses to address the historic backlog of people on the City’s housing database, this development will go a long way to help us implement housing projects faster by shifting the focus to medium- and high-density housing projects, informal settlement upgrading, and the backyarders programme. </p><p>The housing backlog in the city, like the rest of the country, requires all spheres of government to work together and to constantly pursue innovative ways of fast-tracking delivery to enable us to stand a realistic chance of stopping the backlog from growing to unmanageable proportions. </p><p>This will require that we continue to work closely with our colleagues in the National and Provincial Government and other key role players to deliver housing opportunities. </p><p>Today, the Power of Attorney was also issued by the City to the Western Cape Human Settlements Department for the Western Cape Government to commence with the land development applications to enable development on City-owned land related to the southern corridor informal settlements along the N2 highway.</p><p>At the same time, the Western Government and the City are working on a joint business plan for these areas in order to create sustainable transit-oriented development and integrated communities.</p><p><br><strong>End </strong><br></p><p> </p> | 2017-10-15T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
