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City proud employer of 12 655 women; meet three of these inspiring individuals

<p>The City is a proud employer of 12 655 women, and committed to providing employment opportunities to women in particular, across our vast number of service departments, often within sectors which have been predominantly male dominated in the past.</p><p>‘We decided to kick off Women’s Month by showcasing three talented women employed at the City, and their extraordinary roles at the Municipality. Careers most people would not naturally assume are available at the City, or perhaps are not even aware of at all. These three dedicated staff members embody key attributes: a passion for their occupation and the service they deliver to our residents. The City is a proud employer of 12 655 women. We believe in the resilient and smart women at the City and continue to create opportunities for women to grow and expand on their knowledge and skills while employed here. All of the resilient, ambitious and hard working women at the City are a part of Team Cape Town; may you all keep on growing and flourishing in your unique working environments,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.</p><div>Meet Samantha Sawyer from Eerste Rivier, who is currently a Caulker within the City’s Bulk Water Services Department <br></div><div>Sawyer joined the City in 2010 as a Senior Worker, and soon after became the first Handywoman at the City. Based at the Blackheath Reservoir, Sawyer worked towards becoming a Caulker within the department, a goal she achieved when she was appointed as the City’s first woman to occupy this job. A core function of a Caulker is to maintain the City’s Bulk Water Infrastructure. Sawyer is responsible for the daily maintenance of the pipeline and different valves of the City’s Bulk Water pipeline network within the Blackheath and surrounding areas.<br></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/DSC_1942.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:600px;height:405px;" /><br></div><div><br></div><div>‘I chose this job because I knew that it was mainly men doing this work and I wanted that challenge for myself. These include being part of the team that physically looks after our bulk water pipelines and to prove that I was capable of doing this physically demanding work. Our team truly gives our best to the public to make sure they have running water on a daily basis. Caulking entails the repairing of our major bulk water pipelines. To prevent infrastructure failure, it's imperative that we carry out daily, weekly and monthly maintenance on the pipelines and valves. This ensures that our people have drinking water available to them each day without any hassle.</div><div><br></div><div>‘My job sometimes requires that I work in all weather conditions, at times throughout the night, while residents are asleep as we need to ensure that our pipelines and valves are in the best condition. Many times the deadlines are very tight when it comes to the repair work and in most cases, our pipelines are pressurised. The holes are sometimes as deep as four metres, so safety is a huge priority for our team as we go about doing the urgent work that is required. Some of the intense scenarios include days when the weather elements are very bad and you need to lay underneath a pipe which ranges from 760mm to 840mm in diameter to try and stop the leak. Those are the days we definitely feel like behind the scenes heroes.’</div><div><br></div><div>Meet Ancunel Steyn from Simon’s Town, a Landscape Architect within the City’s Coastal Management Branch. </div><div>Steyn joined the City in 2008 with an undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture. In 2009, she started with her post graduate degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Cape Town (UCT) with a City funded bursary to complete her Master’s degree. Landscape architects are planners and architects of both urban and natural landscapes, who undertake planning and design projects while also understanding the people and cultures that use these environments. <br></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/DSC_1973.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:600px;" /><br></div><div><br></div><div>‘I define success as the positive impact that I make on the environment. I have the opportunity to plan and design public open spaces that currently are along our coast, and see the majority of these projects implemented. At the City of Cape Town, I have always been surrounded by hard working professionals that are passionate about their area of impact. My colleagues in Coastal Management are some of the best in their profession and work ceaselessly to improve the coastline for all of us, and the next generation. I work on diverse projects on our extremely challenging, yet breath-taking coastline where I learn how to work with nature and seek solutions for complex spatial challenges,’ said Steyn.</div><div><br></div><div>Steyn was involved with the Fisherman’s Lane precinct along the False Bay coastline from the inception phase and considered the different alternatives and benefits of each to the community. <br></div><div><br></div><div>‘I really like to add something special to each project and at Fisherman’s Lane, it was through the artwork in the playground. It is rewarding to see an environment being transformed from derelict to a space which people can enjoy,’ said Steyn.</div><div><br></div><div>At Miller’s Point, in order to repair the tidal pool in a way that will benefit both people and marine life, Steyn inspected the nooks of the tidal pool to see where the marine life live and took actual measurements of the water levels over a lunar cycle to understand how the water fluctuates in the tidal pool. She will now be involved in the design of the paths leading to the tidal pool and restaurant and the design of the tidal pool itself to meet the needs of people and marine life. </div><div><br></div><div>Meet Janine Dookoo from Plattekloof, who is currently a Senior Professional Officer within the City’s IS&T department</div><div>Dookoo started her career at the City in 2010 and now works as a Senior Professional Officer in Programme and Change Management. <br></div><div><br></div><div><img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/DSC_2352.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:600px;" /><br></div><div><br></div><div>‘I was drawn to IT as I've always been passionate about creating innovative solutions. My BBusSc (Information Systems) honours degree from UCT gave me the tools to tackle complex problems,’ said Dookoo. </div><div><br></div><div>Dookoo also excelled at mathematics, made the Dean's List and received the Golden Key Honour Society Award for Academic Excellence, making IT a perfect fit.</div><div><br></div><div>Leading the Sm@rtCape 2.0 Research and Development Portfolio has been a truly exciting experience for Dookoo as she has been able to experiment with cutting-edge AI technologies. Dookoo is currently leading the AI chatbot proof of concept, called PEXA, developed in collaboration with HR. This provides valuable practical learnings and insights into the capabilities of AI and to explore this to assist users. However the part Dookoo finds most rewarding is seeing how her projects positively impact the community.</div><div><br></div><div>‘The joy of seeing young kids who benefited from our recreation application was incredibly heart-warming and to see the relief of pet owners being reunited with their lost furry friends thanks to CityPetFinder was just as special. I've been fortunate to have supportive leadership that has encouraged my growth and contributions. Women play a pivotal role in the City's technological landscape, making it more representative of the communities we serve.</div><div><br></div><div>‘I am a mom to a bright, kind and inspirational 10-year-old daughter who happens to be on the autism spectrum. Leveraging AI to create visual and animated content has been a game-changer for her education, unlocking her potential in ways I never thought possible. It's a testament to the power of AI’s technology to support individuals with diverse needs,’ said Dookoo.</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Majority of the women employed at the City work within the following directorates:</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Community Services and Health employs 2 875 women mostly within the City’s Health Department</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Safety and Security employs 2 222 women, mostly within the Public Safety Department</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Water and Sanitation employs 1 474 women, mostly within the Distribution Services Department</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Corporate Services employs 1 288 women, mostly within the Human Resource and IS&T department </div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Urban Waste Management employs 1 142 women, mostly within the Waste Services Department</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Finance employs 897 women, mostly within the Revenue Department</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Energy employs 723 women, mostly within the Electricity Generation and Distribution Department.</div><div><br></div><div>•<span style="white-space:pre;"> </span>Urban Mobility employs 674 women, mostly within the Roads Infrastructure Management Department</div><div> </div><div>Some of the top roles occupied by women at the City include Law Enforcement Officers; clerks; nurses; administration officers; librarians; handy women; artisans and general workers across all service departments.</div><div><br></div><div>End</div><div><br></div><div>Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town<br></div>

2024-07-31T22:00:00Z

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