Stand up for your community

Every Cape Town resident can get involved in local government’s vision and decisions. There are many ways to give feedback and make sure that local government policies, by-laws and projects are relevant to your and your community’s needs.

Some examples are:

• Join the Junior City Council
• Attend public community meetings in your area
• Visit our Have Your Say portal for more ways to express your ideas or concerns to us.
• Empower yourself and learn more about how the City works and where you can fit in.

Start a community organisation

If there’s a need or service in your community that isn’t being met, this could be your chance to start a community-based organisation and make a difference. Even small steps can make a big change.

Christina Kaba is the driving force behind Moya we Khaya, an award-winning community food garden project which helps to create jobs and ensure food security in Khayelitsha.

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Volunteer in your community

Volunteering is a way to give back to your community and helps you grow and learn.

The City of Cape Town needs volunteers to help make our city great!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Disaster Risk Management volunteers help out when there is a natural or man-made disaster (e.g. floods, droughts, storms, shack fires), but they also assist with first aid, education and awareness programmes, crowd management at big events, and more.

Each year, volunteers help with community programmes and events hosted by the Recreation and Parks Department.

Volunteers in the Community Gardens Project improve previously neglected areas in parks and public open spaces by creating beautiful gardens. City Parks helps these volunteers with the design and preparation of the site as well as basic infrastructure and training.

Volunteer Wildfire Services is a volunteer-run organisation that helps the City’s Fire and Rescue Service and the Disaster Risk Management Team. You can also volunteer to be a reservist firefighter.

Volunteer in our libraries volunteers work in the library, fundraising, help with library, host talks and book launches, developing programmes for children and youth, helping with holiday programmes, holding events like reading competitions and career exhibitions, and more.

Help keep our streets safe

We are honoured to work with communities to keep Cape Town safe.

There are many ways you can get involved, from reporting crime to starting a neighbourhood watch to joining a City Improvement District (CID).

Help conserve our natural heritage

Nature provides us with food and jobs as well as places to work, play and lead healthy lives. Natural environments are also homes for many animals and plants. In protecting your community’s natural areas, whether big or small, you are helping our planet survive.

Some ways to care for your community’s natural spaces:

• Organise a clean up at your local park, beach or common
• Manage your rubbish properly so that pollutants don’t end up in your nearest river or wetland
• Volunteer at your nearest nature reserve or join a ‘Friends of’ group.

Collaborate with us

Partnerships and cooperation between the City, the private sector and our communities are vital in helping the City achieve its strategic objective of building a well-functioning and caring city. By getting involved with City projects, you will be exposed to a range of services that can be used to meet the needs of your community.

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