| Book online to avoid queues at customer offices | The City encourages residents to use its Online Booking System to get ahead of the queue at City Walk-In centres. | <p></p><p>'In 2022, the City launched its innovative and easy to use Online Booking System, which has assisted more than 5 288 residents at offices across the metro thus far.</p><p> </p><p>'The City's customer offices across the metro are experiencing an increase in the number of customers in queues at certain times, primarily due to Eskom's load-shedding. Electronic equipment used to process transactions at some City customer offices are offline during periods of load-shedding. The City is looking at all feasible solutions to assist with the supply needs at offices. While we find solutions, we ask that residents plan their visits in advance or phone ahead to avoid any long queues. </p><p> </p><p>'Offices that are not affected as much by load-shedding are Liberty Promenade Mall, Lansdowne Corner, Table Bay Mall , Cape Town Civic Centre, Bellville Municipal Complex, Durbanville Municipal office and Lentegeur Civic Centre. The majority of customers are visiting these offices during load-shedding. This is subsequently increasing customer volumes and queues. </p><p> </p><p>'For residents who cannot make their way to a customer office, we encourage them to register for the City's eServices, which is convenient, easy to use and will assist them in managing their municipal affairs from home,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Councillor Siseko Mbandezi. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Residents may access the online booking system at </strong><a href="https://bookings.capetown.gov.za/"><strong>https://bookings.capetown.gov.za</strong></a><strong> to book an appointment.</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Follow five easy steps and make your booking:</strong></p><ul><li>Visit the City's website: <a href="https://bookings.capetown.gov.za/">https://bookings.capetown.gov.za</a></li><li>Select your Customer Office</li><li>Select a service (e.g. account queries/payment, vehicle licensing/registration)</li><li>Select a date and time for your booking</li><li>Enter your contact details </li></ul><p> </p><p>Customers will receive an SMS and email confirmation with their appointment reference, which will be required and checked on the day of the appointment. </p><p> </p><p><strong>See this short YouTube video:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3WH8j5o">https://bit.ly/3WH8j5o</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>Checking in: </strong>Once the resident arrives at the Walk-in Centre where the booking has been made, the booking reference number must be inserted on the touch screen terminal to receive their Queue Management System (QMS) ticket. The next available City consultant will then call the QMS number. </p><p> </p><p><strong>It is important to note that bookings will only be valid from 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the appointment time. Bookings are automatically cancelled when the customer misses the 15</strong><strong>-</strong><strong>minute window.</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Contacts</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>To register for eServices visit:</strong> <a href="https://eservices.capetown.gov.za/irj/portal" target="_blank">https://eservices.capetown.gov.za/irj/portal</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>For motor vehicle registration and licensing assistance:</strong> <a href="mailto:Vehicle.Licence@capetown.gov.za" target="_blank">Vehicle.Licence@capetown.gov.za</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>For municipal and City rental payments:</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Online:</strong> <a href="http://www.easypay.co.za/" target="_blank">www.Easypay.co.za</a> or <a href="http://www.powertime.co.za/" target="_blank">www.powertime.co.za</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>EFTs:</strong> Select the City as a bank-listed beneficiary. Use only your nine-digit municipal account number as reference</p><p> </p><p><strong>Retailers:</strong> Shoprite, Checkers, USave, Pick n Pay, PEP, Ackermans, Lewis, Top It Up, Woolworths and selected Spar shops</p><p><strong>ATM:</strong> Contact your bank to add the City as an ATM beneficiary</p><p> </p><p><strong>For more information contact the City's Customer Call Centre on: </strong>086 010 3089 or email us at<em> </em><a href="mailto:contact.us@capetown.gov.za" target="_blank">contact.us@capetown.gov.za</a> <strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>End</strong></p><p><br></p> | 2023-02-02T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| City boosts digital engagement with the public, Mayor calls for innovation | Cape Town is proud to announce exciting changes to the City’s Collaboration Platform, which will form part of the suite of digital engagement channels available to the public. | <p></p><p style="text-align:justify;">The City recognises that great ideas can be sourced from a variety of stakeholders, including employees, residents, businesses, NGOs, and civil society. The
<a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/collaborate" target="_blank">Collaboration Platform</a> will enhance e-participation between the public and the City on a range of topics presented on the Platform. It will promote innovative, design-led approaches to service delivery and effective engagement with members of the public on matters that affect them. The Platform is a means for crowd-sourcing great ideas from the public for both public participation and innovation related topics. </p><p style="text-align:justify;"> </p><p style="text-align:justify;">In this way, the public can get involved in decision-making processes of the City via the Collaboration Platform's seamless user experience. Registered users will also be able to interact on the platform by sharing innovative ideas, commenting, and voting on the submissions of others.</p><p style="text-align:justify;"> <br></p><p style="text-align:justify;">'We are striving to promote a culture of openness and innovation, and to actively engage Capetonians on ideas that can help us rise to the challenges facing our city. The Collaboration Platform is another step towards digital government, and offers the exciting prospect of crowd-sourcing innovative ideas from the public, and up-voting the best ones.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">
<br>'Cities across the world are demonstrating how collaborative technologies and idea management systems can enable a deeper understanding of the needs of residents. We hope to build constructive relationships with various stakeholder groups via these user friendly platforms as we work towards our long-term vision of building a City of Hope for all,' said Mayor Geordin-Hill-Lewis. </p><p style="text-align:justify;">The Platform can be accessed via the City's website and residents are encouraged to visit it regularly to check for announcements around new topics.</p><p style="text-align:justify;">
<strong>The pilot facilitated some successful public engagements:</strong></p><ul><li>Comment on the City's draft 2022-2027 Water and Waste Sector Plans</li><li>Comment on the City's draft 2022-2027 Integrated Development Plan</li><li>Comment on the City of Cape Town's 'Doing More' Budget 2022/23<br><br>The Platform reached 3 426 users and more than 870 submissions were received during the pilot phase.<br><br>The City is thrilled to launch the first Call for Ideas for the
<a href="https://www.flui.city/capetown/posts/63390-water-and-sanitation-innovation-indaba" target="_blank">Water and Sanitation Innovation Indaba</a>.<br><br>Scan the QR Code below to access the Platform<br><br><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/CollaborationPlatform.png" alt="" style="margin:5px;" /><br><br>We look forward to collaborating with you. </li></ul><p>
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| ‘Hit the stupid rule button’, Mayor encourages City staff in red-tape cutting bid | The City of Cape Town has introduced a stupid rule button for staff which aims to promote an ease of doing business mindset amongst staf | <p></p><p>'City staff now have a red 'Stupid Rule' button on their desktops that they can hit to let us know about any customs, practices, ways of working, or plain stupid rules they have to follow in their daily work that need to change. <br></p><p>'This is part of our 'I mean Business' campaign aimed at City staff. In this way, we aim to improve the ease of doing business in Cape Town, and enhance the general service delivery experience of Capetonians, by removing all self-imposed red tape that is unnecessary, inflexible, redundant, or too bureaucratic to deliver a service quickly and easily,' said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. <br></p><p>Mayor Hill-Lewis has set a goal of making Cape Town the easiest place to do business in Africa. The 'I Mean Business' campaign is part of several initiatives in this regard, which include:<br></p><ul><li><strong>Upgrades to digital platforms for development applications, property certification, and other important economic processes</strong></li><li> <strong>Enhancing e-services for municipal billing, and online appointment systems for, inter alia, vehicle licensing</strong> </li><li><strong>The upgrading of digital platforms to report service delivery issues to the City of Cape Town</strong></li><li><strong>Advocacy for National Treasury to cut a range of unnecessary red tape provisions in municipal procurement legislation</strong></li><li> <strong>Investment incentives including one-stop investment facilitation, incentivised electricity tariff, waiving of fees, and fast-tracking of deve</strong>lopment applications.<br></li></ul><p>'Once City staff hit the stupid rule button, the report is sent to the Executive Director of the relevant directorate who will allocate a team to investigate. Once this investigation is done, steps will be actioned to either amend, explain or remove the rule. The officials who work within these parameters on a daily basis have first-hand experience of how processes can be improved. We are looking forward to receiving their feedback,' said Mayor Hill-Lewis.<br></p><p> </p><p><strong>End</strong></p><p><br></p> | 2023-02-02T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
| Women power lights up Cape Town’s green economy | This plant will focus on servicing the local market as well as exporting to the rest of Africa | <p></p><span><p>Ener-G-Africa (EGA), an energy company that has a presence in South Africa and Malawi, invested a total of $2,1 million estimated (R36 015 000.00) in EGACQUEST (Pty) Ltd to set up the 20MW per annum solar panel assembly plant in Ndabeni, which will be operated by women technicians only.</p><p>According to Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, this plant will focus on servicing the local market as well as exporting to the rest of Africa. He explains that the City government is pushing ahead with projects that seize energy supply opportunities to create a more economically sustainable future for our children, in fact, for ourselves right now.<br></p>
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<img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/afw1.jpg" class="responsive" alt="" style="width:802px;" /> </figure></span><p>Alderman Vos welcomed this company's investment in Cape Town and describes it as taking place at a crucial time when South Africa is battling its worst electricity blackouts, forcing many businesses and homes to turn to renewable energy, including solar.</p><span><div class="image-gallery-slider img-gal-1" id="img-gal-1" data-slide="1" data-slides="3" style="height:493.5px;"><div class="image-gallery-content" style="height:414px;">
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<i class="icon arrow-white-prev"></i></div></div></div></div></span><p>'With an increased demand for solar panels, we can create job opportunities for the millions of currently unemployed South Africans. One report showed that the solar PV industry alone could create up to 30 000 jobs per year,' said Alderman Vos.</p><p> </p><p>The City of Cape Town's strategic business partner, GreenCape, was responsible for assisting with the facilitation of this significant investment. The Economic Growth Directorate provides funding to GreenCape to help the City attract investors in the green economy sector while unlocking the potential of this industry in various fields.</p><p> </p><p>'The time is now for renewable manufacturing. Cape Town and the Western Cape are ready! There is a growing appetite to invest in renewables amid the energy crunch with multi-year investment opportunities arising. These opportunities stem from the convergence of several factors such as international shifts to clean energy, the focus on energy security globally as an outcome of the impact of the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the load-shedding crisis in South Africa and the consequent policy shifts at a national government level to deregulate the energy sector. Wesgro will continue to support Ener-G-Africa. We are excited by the prospects that this new facility will bring,' said the City and the Western Cape Trade and Promotion Agency, Wesgro's Chief Executive Officer, Wrenelle Stander.</p><p> </p><p>'Cost-effective energy efficiency improvements can have positive macro-economic impacts that boost economic activity and lead to increased employment. There has never been a more critical point to make real commitments towards moving away from fossil fuels and turning towards the vast energy opportunities of renewables.</p><p> </p><p>'Investment in these sectors is good for business, people, and the planet, and therefore the City and our partners stand ready to work with industry so that we can make Cape Town the easiest place to do business in Africa,' said Alderman Vos.</p><p> </p><p><strong> End</strong><br></p><p><br></p> | 2023-02-02T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
