City shares expertise, best practices about CIDs with Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality from Graaff Reinet
29 January 2026
The City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment (SPE), Alderman Eddie Andrews, accompanied by the City’s SPE Executive Director, Robert McGaffin and team, hosted the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality from Graaff Reinet this week to provide insights to its best practices with the establishment of City Improvement Districts (CIDs) and the role the municipality plays in this process. The City is recognised by municipalities across the country for its success in establishing and effecting regulatory oversight of CIDs in Cape Town.
The Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality approached the City of Cape Town to request this knowledge sharing session, as the City is widely recognised by municipalities across South Africa for its significant success in establishing effective CIDs, as well as for its effective regulatory oversight framework. To date there are 55 established CID’s across the metro.
A CID is a geographically defined area where property owners pay additional property rates to fund enhanced and supplementary municipal services which improve and upgrade the area in terms of a Business Plan which was supported by the community and approved by Council. This plan could include strategies to accomplish various goals within an area such as improving and upgrading areas through sustainable urban management; enhancing and supplementing municipal services; creating safe, clean, socially responsible environments; halting degeneration and facilitating upliftment of distressed areas or attracting investment to an area. One of the key benefits being that it results in the focussed management of an area and facilitates a co-operative approach between the City and private sector.
The City of Cape Town plays a facilitative and regulatory role in the establishment of City Improvement Districts by providing procedural guidance to communities, ensuring compliance with the applicable legislative and policy framework and coordinating the consultation with the relevant internal departments at the municipality.
While any CID initiative is community-driven, the City’s role is to safeguard due process, transparency and financial sustainability without directing or advocating for the establishment of a CID.
A CID is a geographically defined area where property owners pay additional property rates to fund enhanced and supplementary municipal services which improve and upgrade the area in terms of a Business Plan supported by the community and approved by Council. This plan can include strategies to accomplish various goals within an area such as improving and upgrading areas through sustainable urban management; enhancing and supplementing municipal services; creating safe, clean, socially responsible environments; halting degeneration and facilitating upliftment of distressed areas or attracting investment to an area. One of the key benefits being that it results in the focused management of an area and facilitates a cooperative approach between the City and private sector.
The City of Cape Town plays a facilitative and regulatory role in the establishment of City Improvement Districts by providing procedural guidance to communities, ensuring compliance with the applicable legislative and policy framework and coordinating the consultation with the relevant internal departments at the municipality.
While any CID initiative is community-driven, the City’s role is to safeguard due process, transparency and financial sustainability without directing or advocating for the establishment of a CID.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
