| Mayor joins Cape Town Central City Improvement District in celebrating launch of 10th flagship economic report | Mayor joins Cape Town Central City Improvement District in celebrating launch of 10th flagship economic report | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/%28Treasury%29%20Policies%20and%20publications%20Header.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | <p>Statement by Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis<br></p> | <p>I was delighted to join the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) this morning as they launched their 2021 State of Cape Town Central City report. The report is the CCID's flagship economic public publication, offering reliable data and insights into the state of the inner city economy. </p><p>The report reveals a substantial recovery of the inner city economy after the devastation of the Covid-19 lockdowns. It reports an investment of R5,717 billion in new property in the CBD in 2021 and more than 400 new businesses having opened in the area. This includes 37 more retail businesses, 33 more legal services businesses, and 15 more finance, investment, insurance and banking businesses than in 2020. </p><p>The report also draws attention to the high levels of business confidence amongst inner city business owners, which steadily increased throughout 2021 into 2022. </p><p>Cape Town's inner city is recovering and improving. This stands in stark contrast to the tragic decay that has occurred in other South African CBDs, which have become dirty, crime-ridden, and inhospitable to commerce.</p><p>Central Cape Town stands as a hopeful reminder that decline and decay are not inevitable in South Africa. With thoughtful and clean decision-making in government, willing and proactive private sector partners, and residents who have a sense of personal responsibility for their city, it is possible for South African cities to rival the great cities of the world. </p><p>The CCID's CEO, Tasso Evangelinos, remarked, 'In the ten years since the launch of the CCID's flagship publication, Cape Town and its CBD have weathered various crises and have emerged from them even stronger. From nearly running out of water and coping with electricity blackouts to the coronavirus pandemic disaster that has brought the global economy to its knees, Cape Town's inner city economy has continued to hold its own. This has not been an accident. Rather, it is the result of years' worth of investment in cleansing, law enforcement, public safety and the other things that inner city businesses and homes need to thrive'.</p><p>The City of Cape Town will continue to work hand-in-hand with the CCID to further guarantee the inner city's thriving, especially on the issue of safety, a crucial concern for inner city businesses and residents. The City recently announced the deployment of 100 new officers in the CBD; early reports suggest that rates of arrest are up and crime is down as a result. We are also investing heavily in crime fighting tech, and data-driven policing in the inner city and other areas in Cape Town. </p><p>I am confident that Cape Town's inner city will continue to be a beacon of hope for South Africa and the continent. </p><p> </p><p><strong>End</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><br></p> | 2022-09-13T22:00:00Z | GP0|#1d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70;L0|#01d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70|City news;GTSet|#62efe227-07aa-45e7-944c-ceebacca891d;GP0|#904f8ac3-ad18-4896-a9a8-86feb1d4a1b7;L0|#0904f8ac3-ad18-4896-a9a8-86feb1d4a1b7|Statements | | | | | GP0|#079e72ed-760e-4419-ab49-748326c5b6de;L0|#0079e72ed-760e-4419-ab49-748326c5b6de|central city;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GP0|#acb19493-305d-4277-ae79-62291e39df82;L0|#0acb19493-305d-4277-ae79-62291e39df82|improvement district;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
