City bolsters enforcement presence in Nyanga | City bolsters enforcement presence in Nyanga | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/City%20news.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | The City’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to a fire at approximately 22:30 and found multiple vehicles alight. | <p>The City’s Fire and Rescue Service responded to a fire at approximately 22:30 and found multiple vehicles alight.</p><p>Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire at 23:40.</p><p>‘It is unlikely that the torching of vehicles in Nyanga was accidental - SAPS is investigating a case of arson. Also, this turn of events comes just weeks after a deadly shooting at the rank that resulted in more than a dozen arrests. The City will support SAPS with as many resources as we have at our disposal. It is imperative that this incident is investigated speedily, and if anyone is to blame, that they are brought to book, so that calm can be restored in Nyanga. That taxi rank is a vital node for thousands of people daily – we have a duty to ensure that they are able to go about their lives without fear of a repeat of events of recent weeks,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.</p><p>In general enforcement efforts over the past week, the City’s agencies made 290 arrests and issued 61 293 fines for various traffic and by-law transgressions.</p><p>Law Enforcement officers made 189 arrests and issued 4 852 fines for various transgressions.</p><p>Their Metro Police counterparts made 69 arrests and issued 4 414 fines.</p><p>On the roads, Traffic Officers made 32 arrests – 16 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 10 for reckless and negligent driving and six for various other offences including possession of a stolen vehicle, presenting false documentation and assaulting an officer. </p><p>Officers executed 1 020 warrants of arrest, impounded 219 public transport vehicles and recorded 52 027 offences.</p><p>In the emergency call-taking environment, the Public Emergency Communication Centre recorded 1 722 incidents over a 48-hour period this past weekend.</p><p>This included 92 fires, 110 cases of assault, 65 domestic violence incidents, 231 noise complaints and 53 motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents.</p><p><br>End</p> | 2025-02-09T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
Cape Town leads SA cities on jobs growth over last decade | Cape Town leads SA cities on jobs growth over last decade | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/Cape%20Town%20Competitive%20Advantage%20Factors%20Headers.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | We’re encouraged to see Cape Town’s jobs growth outpacing other cities based on a new research report | <p>‘We’re encouraged to see Cape Town’s jobs growth outpacing other cities based on a new research report. This is no accident – it is built on the back of stable good governance and infrastructure investments far exceeding that of other cities. With growth, must come the opportunity to lift more people out of poverty and into employment over time. While there is plenty more to do, we are glad that in Cape Town the prospects of finding a job shine brighter than in any other city,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.</p><p>The report notes that, ‘Cape Town’s recent employment growth has been more robust and resilient than the other metros, as well as being somewhat faster’, according to the report by Prof Ivan Turok and Dr Justin Visagie of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), entitled Striking disparities in employment across South Africa: Evidence from a new spatial database.</p><p>While Cape Town’s jobs growth has managed to keep similar pace with its fast-growing population, overall jobs growth in SA’s cities has been lacklustre in the last decade according to the report.</p><p>The main sectors driving Cape Town’s jobs growth have been retail and wholesale services, call centres, security, finance and insurance. </p><p>This new jobs data, drawn from SARS tax records, corroborates the most recent Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force survey for Q3 2024, showing that Cape Town retains SA’s lowest broad unemployment rate with 1,76m people employed and over 300 000 jobs added since Q1 2022. </p><p>‘The City continues to run targeted initiatives and campaigns to support our high-growth industries, which is evident in the growth in services, such as call centres over the last decade. More than R6,4 billion in investments and over 15 000 jobs were directly secured in 2024 via the City’s support to 11 Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) across sectors such as business process outsourcing (BPO), technology, clothing and textile manufacturing, and marine manufacturing. Looking ahead, my priority will be the rollout of the Productivity Efficiency Programme to assist companies, as well as the Business Retention and Expansion Initiative across the city’s industrial nodes to drive further job-creating economic growth,’ said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth.</p><p>In contrast to Cape Town’s stability, the spatial tax research report cites ‘political instability, mismanagement and dysfunction in key metro municipalities have been major problems’. The report further emphasises the Covid pandemic as being ‘a serious setback everywhere’. </p><p>The lack of national government funding for metros is cited as ‘unfair and unreasonable’ given the rate of population growth ‘without substantial state support for public infrastructure and essential services’. </p><p>Cape Town is rising above this challenge to invest a SA-record R39,5bn in infrastructure over three years, a plan the city expects to create 130 000 construction-related jobs alone, aside from the wider economic benefits of improved infrastructure. In 2024, the City released budget data showing it spends more on infrastructure directly benefitting lower income households than the entire capital budgets of other cities (R9bn, or 75% of budget in 24/25). </p><p>End</p> | 2025-02-09T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
Justice for Emaan: Cape Town Mayor calls for maximum sentence, welcomes guilty verdict | Justice for Emaan: Cape Town Mayor calls for maximum sentence, welcomes guilty verdict | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/Former%20Mayors%20Header.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis joined the family of Emaan Solomons at the Western Cape High Court this morning, and welcomed the guilty verdict handed down by the court | <p></p><span><p>‘I was relieved to witness the High Court deliver a guilty verdict in the trial of the gangsters responsible for the brutal killing of little Emaan. No amount of jail time can bring back Emaan, but I hope this sends a message to those gangsters in Cape Town who show no respect for human life, let alone the lives of little children. I call on the court to impose the maximum possible sentence for these murderers. The City will make a submission motivating for the court to deliver a sentence that sends a strong message to gangsters. Their actions must be met with the harshest possible consequences at all times.</p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/IMG-20250210-WA0025.jpg" alt="" style="width:1898px;" /> </figure></span><span><p>‘Most of all, I am thankful that this family are gaining some measure of justice for the loss of their little one. This remarkable family has somehow managed to stay warm-hearted and kind, despite this tragedy,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.<br> <br>Mayor Hill-Lewis said the City’s goal is to help the South African Police Service (SAPS) do much more, especially in the fight against gang, gun and drug crime.<br> <br>‘It is families like Emaan’s who inspire us in our mission to make Cape Town safer, so that no family has to suffer this deep pain of loss in such a tragic way.</p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/IMG-20250210-WA0027.jpg" alt="" style="width:1069px;" /></figure></span><p>‘Our promise to the community of Ocean View and Emaan’s family is that our officers will keep working every day to take more illegal guns and drugs off our streets together with SAPS. We will also keep pushing for more policing powers so our officers can take their crime prevention role a step further and build prosecution-ready case dockets to gain convictions for gang, gun, and drug crime,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.</p><p>Caption: Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis together with family and friends of Emaan Solomons (7) at the Western Cape High Court on 10 February.<br> </p><p>End</p><span><figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> </figure></span><span></span> | 2025-02-09T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |
Almost 1700 residents benefit from City’s Indigent Leak Repair Project | Almost 1700 residents benefit from City’s Indigent Leak Repair Project | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/City%20news.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Households who opted in for the programme will be assisted with repairs to leaking internal pipes, taps, toilets, fittings and meter replacements, as determined by individual needs | <p></p><span><p>Households are identified based on unexplained high water usage. Once the City engages with the affected resident and inspects the property to find the source of the water leak, repairs are conducted at no cost to the property owner.</p><p>‘Indigent customers receive a free water allocation of 15 000 litres (15kl) per month. Consumption above this threshold may result in water supply restrictions, making leak repairs critical for sustainable water use. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/1688%20residents%20benefit%20from%20City%e2%80%99s%20Indigent%20Leak%20Repair%20Project%201.jpg" alt="" style="width:2135px;" /> </figure></span><span><p><br>‘To support these residents, the City offers a once-off leak repair benefit to qualifying households. Beneficiaries are determined by analysing trends where registered indigent properties are found to be consuming water above 50 000 litres (50Kl) per month. </p><p>‘Households who opted in for the programme will be assisted with repairs to leaking internal pipes, taps, toilets, fittings and meter replacements, as determined by individual needs,’ said Councillor Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.</p><p>The City has invested R3,8 million towards this programme for the 2024/2025 financial year.</p><p>The top 10 areas where the City has recently conducted leak repairs includes: Nyanga, Philippi, Gugulethu, Delft, Leiden, Bloekombos, Wallacedene, Tafelsig, Vrygrond and Bonteheuwel. </p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/1688%20residents%20benefit%20from%20City%e2%80%99s%20Indigent%20Leak%20Repair%20Project%202.jpg" alt="" style="width:1924px;" /> </figure></span><span><p>'Through this initiative, water losses are reduced and it demonstrates the importance of residents maintaining plumbing on private properties to avoid unnecessary costs. The growing uptake of the programme is encouraging and shows how aware indigent customers have become, about water-wise behaviours. </p><p>‘Regardless of the season or our dam levels, we must all continue to save water and use our resources responsibly,’ said Councillor Badroodien.</p>
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<img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/1688%20residents%20benefit%20from%20City%e2%80%99s%20Indigent%20Leak%20Repair%20Project%203.jpg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure></span><p>Helpful guides on ‘Finding and Fixing leaks’ are available here: <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/savewater">http://www.capetown.gov.za/savewater</a> </p><p><br><strong>End</strong><br> </p> | 2025-02-09T22:00:00Z | | | | | | | 1 | | | |