Big corporates were deserting the area in drovesand who wanted to live in the inner city? Cumulatively, these concerns added up to a big problem. A solution had to be found.
The CCID was set up in November 2000 with operations focusing on the urgent problems of grime and crime. Today the CCID has more than 200 security officers on the beat and employs 100 people through its cleansing partner J&M Cleaning Services.
One of the prerequisites for the CCID’s partners is that a proportion of staff should be sourced from social development programmes. As a result, the CCID is now a creator of jobs and opportunities. Wimpy in St George’s Mall and the Formula 1 hotel group warrant particular mention for the uptake of previously homeless people into their employ.
Although the CCID’s labour force is relatively small, it has been successfully parlayed into a significant force. During the past year, the CCID’s security staff assisted with 9 570 arrests, assisted the public 4 753 times, took 51 201 preventative measures, assisted at 180 accident scenes and assisted medical teams in Town 243 times.
Likewise, the urban management team consisting of four precinct managers, one of whom is a senior precinct manager, have reported 528 cleansing incidents, overseen the removal of 823 unwanted graffiti, 286 defects and had 830 dangerous pole stumps cut down and cemented to prevent accidents.
The innovative social development department consisting of two social development field workers and the recent addition of a social development manager – have garnered accolades – not least an award from the International Downtown Association for social development. The team have reunited 55 children aged 12-18 years old with their families and 41 adults. They have provided permanent employment to 24 adults and given medical assistance to 11 people in need. Furthermore, the CCID and its partners collected more than 2.5 tons of donations for the victims of xenophobia.
Walking around the streets, the changes of the past eight years become clearer too. And that is what is happening, more people are venturing into the streets of the Central City’s streets to discover for themselves how the little changes have made a huge difference to both the urban environment and the intangible feeling of safety and security that is a feature of the revitalised City Centre.
Theodore Yach, Chairperson of the CCID says: “The CCID is very excited about the Cape Town Partnership’s Central City Development Strategy launched by Chief Executive Andrew Boraine on Wednesday. It is an ambitious plan to reconnect the City to the sea, return people to the Central City through residential densification and affordable housing, improve the public transport system, provide space for future growth and investment in the Central City and divide the area into 20 character neighbourhoods.”
“We discussed how something of this grand scale would not have been possible as recent as five years ago. With all the changes that have taken place in the Central City in over these eight years, there is now a platform to springboard greater development.”
