City of Cape Town Contact issue 71_page 5

THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S NEWSLETTER FOR STAFF | NO 71 | JULY/AUGUST 2016
11Innovations and
awards: People
and projects in
outstanding
action
14Flush and
forget? Where
it goes, thanks
to a slick waste-
water system
19Art on the move:
Local is lekker at
the vibrant new
Mitchells Plain
MyCiTi station
23Madiba magic:
How staffers
spent (much
more than) their
67 minutes
CONTACT
Making progress possible. Together.
In recognition of Women’s Month, we celebrate our female staff members,
at every level of the organisation. Meet some of these workers, wives and
mothers, ﬁerce ﬁghters and dedicated human beings, doing extraordinary
things in the workplace and beyond.
See pages 5–10.

CONTACT 71 ┃ 2 ┃ JULY/AUGUST 2016
How to make
CONTACT
Contributions, opinions and
news tips are very welcome.
Write to
staff.newsletter@capetown.gov.za
PO Box 298,Cape Town 8000
Fax 021 400 1260 (Please note new fax!)
Editor
Aletta Kruger
aletta.kruger@capetown.gov.za
021 400 3433/084 909 9362
Project administrator
Alison Smith
alisonrebecca.smith@capetown.gov.za
021 400 1716
Photography
Bruce Sutherland
bruce.sutherland@capetown.gov.za
084 378 5025
Jéan du Plessis
mwduples@mweb.co.za
083 309 2572
Editing & production
The Creative Store
contact@creativestore.co.za
• Contact is the City of Cape Town’s official
staff newsletter.The next issue will be in
September/October 2016.
• No images in this publication may be
reused or reproduced without the
written permission of the editor.
Please recycle this copy of Contact.
Recycling helps save landfill space.
Afrikaans: In pas met die Raad se taalbeleid,
is Contact-artikels op versoek in Afrikaans en
Xhosa beskikbaar. Skakel 021 400 3433, of vra
jou toesighouer of bestuurder om hulp.
English: In line with Council’s language policy,
Contact articles will be translated into Afrikaans
and Xhosa on request. Call 021 400 3433, or ask
your supervisor or manager for assistance.
Xhosa: Nanjengoko nisazi ukuba iBhunga inepolisi
entsha malunga neelwimi ezisebenzayo,ukusukela
ngoku,amanqaku eContact aya kufumaneka
ngesiXhosa nangesi-Afrikaans xa wenze isicelo
ngokufuwunela kule nombolo 021 400 3433,
okanye ucele uncedo kuManejala wakho.
ABOUT TRANSLATIONS
┃ U P F R O N T ┃
EDITOR’S NOTE
Paying tribute to City staff
It’s a great relief to have the elections over
and done with,and to know that this organ-
isation can continue on its stable path.The
results are a fine tribute to all the hard-
working staff members who have con-
tributed so much towards creating a highly
functional City,whose effectiveness has
been endorsed by the people it serves.
Approximatelyhalf thosestaff members
arewomen,manyof whomworkinwhatare
consideredtraditionallymalejobs.Inhon-
ourof Women’sMonth,wewentlookingfor
Citywomenwhoaredoingexceptional
thingsacrossarangeof fieldsandjoblevels.
Wefoundthem,andmore – fartoomany
tofeaturehere. Wehopeyouenjoyreading
aboutthehandfulweselectedonpages5to
10.Toourmanythousandsof Citywomen,
mostof whomareworkersplusbusywives
andmothers,wesaluteyouall.
Spring may be fast approaching,but
CapeTown’s winter traditionally drags on
until October – and here’s hoping for that
this year because we desperately need
more rain.To keep you warm until sum-
mer arrives, we’re giving away the niftiest
little (very portable) gas heater, complete
with cylinder, on the back page. Give it
and our other competitions a go.
Read on, and don’t forget to write.
BEST CORPORATE
NEWSPAPER 2015
The local government elections are now behind
us, and our councillors are beginning to settle
down in their new roles.We congratulate and
welcome all councillors of the 13 political par-
ties who together make up our new City of
Cape Town Council.
This new five-year term presents us with
many challenges as well as opportunities. Cen-
tral to this is the need for us to ensure that we
continue to excel in those things that we are
doing well, and develop strategies in order to
fill the gaps and improve on the things that we
are not doing so well.
We will need to work very hard towards be-
coming a truly 21st
-century city, one that will be
a leader not just on this continent, but world-
wide. I believe we have the organisational sta-
bility, the expertise and the will to strive hard in
this direction.
As you are aware,excellence requires ongo-
ing fresh thinking and better methods for plan-
ning,delivering and responding to our
customers’ needs.That fresh thinking is going to
be the outcome of the Organisational Develop-
ment andTransformation Programme (ODTP)
process,which I trust you will all be following
with keen interest.
In a nutshell,the ODTP is a process of re-
aligning City structures and functions to im-
prove efficiency,and to deepen the partnerships
we have with residents,businesses and the
many other organisations we interact with.
It’s going to be a set of changes for the bet-
ter.This is not change we are making because
we must adapt to a new structural landscape as
it was during the first decade of the Unicity.This
is change we choose in order to become even
more effective and efficient.
Realigning and streamlining many
processes will assist us in taking service deliv-
ery to the next level.The overarching intention
is that we will be able to work more logically,
use scarce resources more effectively and get
the maximum gain from our efforts.
In this way, we will strive to remain on top
of our game and will work harder to enjoy the
trust and endorsement of our residents.
It is a great privilege to be part of such an
outstanding organisation. I look forward to our
continued hard work, loyalty and support.
– Achmat Ebrahim
Now, an even greater responsibility
650 000
700 000
750 000
800 000
850 000
900 000
950 000
1 000 000
1 050 000
1 100 000
1 150 000
1 200 000
1 250 000
2006/7 baseline
Baseline + historical
Actual 2015/16
JulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOctSepAug
The City’s baseline and actual energy use, in MWh
Percentage saved against baseline
27,1
%
26,2
%
25,8
%
25,9
%
25,4
%
24,6
%
26,5
%
24,0
%
22,5
%
21,7
%
25,8
%
25,9
%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
TotalBergRiverTheewaterskloofVoëlvleiSteenbrasUpperSteenbrasLowerWemmershoek
20162012 2013 2014 2015
Dam levels – individual dams and total storage – by year
57,1%
71,4%
101,6%
101,2%
85,8%
ASOF15AUGUST2016
Electricity use by Capetonians over the past year (the red
line on the graph below) is less than it was a decade ago
in the national energy regulator’s 2006/7 reference year
(the blue line).The yellow baseline is what the City
makes allowance for.
Residents can still become more energy-efficient.
Consider replacing light bulbs with LEDs. For more en-
ergy-saving tips, see www.savingelectricity.org.za.
The worst drought in two decades has left the levels
of the major dams much lower than they have been in
years, and water restrictions are in force.
You may water your garden only on Tuesdays,Thurs-
days and Saturdays for a maximum of one hour per
premises, either before 09:00 or after 16:00, and you
may not wash down hard or paved areas with a hose.
Electricity consumption and dam levels
Andrew Janisch (45) passed away on
Friday 29 July 2016 after a heart attack.
He was Principal Engineer: Renew-
able Energy and Energy Efficiency in the
Environmental Resource Management
Department’s Energy and Climate
Change Unit and was central to the Unit’s work.
Andrew was a kind, generous and gentle soul who
brought clarity into complexity, carefully listening before
sharing his thoughts.A talented and broadminded engi-
neer (he trained in Electrical Engineering at UCT), he pro-
vided clarity, insight and solid backing to the Cape Town
Energy2040 Vision and Action Plan, and on the complexi-
ties of the Energy Game Changer.
He did much of the deep work that galvanised city dis-
cussions and actions across South Africa on the impacts
and opportunities of energy efficiency, solar water heaters
and rooftop photovoltaic systems – and was central to
making Cape Town a leading city in these areas.
He was a musician – banjo and guitar were his great
loves – and wrote and played the solar water heater song
for the City’s programme, recorded with the aptly named
band Hot Water.
He was able to make complex things understandable
and communicated clearly with everyone.According to his
colleagues,Andrew leaves an enormous gap. But he set
down the foundations for them to build on further.
He leaves his wife, Dee, and children,Julian and Erin.
I N M E M O R I A M
I
have been humbled by the faith that resi-
dents have shown in me to serve for another
five years.
We have received a major endorsement
from the people of this great city to continue
the work we have started, and make progress
possible, together.
It is an honour to continue to serve in this
great progressive cause of building a better fu-
ture for everyone.
The votes that have kept the DA in office in
Cape Town were not just won in the past eight
months of political campaigning.
They were won day by day over the past ten
years of governance in Cape Town, by the work
of past leaders of the City, by the policies and
programmes we will continue and enhance in
order to keep making progress, and by the ded-
icated staff members of the organisation who
have worked tirelessly to provide excellent serv-
ice delivery.
This new term brings with it even greater
responsibility, not to just maintain our levels of
service delivery, but to improve them.
We will continue to spend 67% of our
budget on the poor, to redress the imbalances
of the past, and to replace concrete roads, retro-
fit ceilings in government housing, and give
title deeds and property ownership to people.
We will continue to provide sanitation and
basic services to informal settlements, and to
provide the best level of services in the country
to all residents.
And we will continue to attract business and
investment, creating jobs and growth.
Everyone in this Cape Town ecosystem has a
role to play in keeping it healthy,and this
ecosystem needs to thrive because the munici-
pality is going to evolve over the next five years.
For the past ten months, a City team has
been working on a plan to give life to our vi-
sion of becoming one of the leading city gov-
ernments of the 21st century.
This plan, the Organisational Development
and Transformation Programme (ODTP), will
propose a re-ordering of government that
builds on our strengths and lessons learnt to
focus relentlessly on service delivery for our res-
idents, and on becoming a truly high-perform-
ing, strategy-led organisation.
Staff will learn more about the ODTP in the
very near future.
It will mark a new era for metro govern-
ment in South Africa, and an entrenchment of
our reputation as the leading city in the country
– one that has achieved global recognition with
almost 90 international awards in the past five
years, that has assumed leadership roles in in-
ternational organisations, and has delivered
successive clean audits. My team and I are
ready for the task at hand.
I would like to thank the team in my office
for their professional excellence, the adminis-
tration led by Achmat Ebrahim, and all 27 000
employees whose dedication and commitment
have helped make this city what it is today.
The days before us will require hard work
and sacrifice.As we work to make this great city
even greater, let’s make each day count.
Let us continue to make progress possible,
together.
Laat ons vooruitgang moontlik maak,
tesame.
Senza inkqubela yenzeke, sisonke.
– Patricia de Lille
Working towards becoming a 21st
-century city
“Everyone in this
Cape Town
ecosystem has a
role to play in
keeping it healthy.
A credit to good leadership
Moody’s Investors Service, one of the
world’s leading rating agencies, has
released its latest favourable opinion
regarding the City of Cape Town.
Moody’s has given the City long and
short-term global scale ratings of Baa2
and Prime-2 respectively, and long and
short-term national scale ratings of Aaa.za
and Prime-1.za respectively.
A favourable rating gives investors
confidence in the municipality’s financial
leadership and management, and allows
the City to issue bonds and borrow money
at favourable interest rates.

I
n the municipal elections held on
Wednesday 3 August, the Democratic
Alliance (DA) was returned to govern Cape
Town with just over two-thirds – 66,1% – of
the vote.
The election was contested by 37 parties,
13 of which were allocated seats on the 231-
seat city council.The DA won 154 seats, the
African National Congress (ANC) 57 seats, the
Economic Freedom Fighters – contesting for the
first time – seven seats, and the African Chris-
tian Democratic Party (ACDP) three seats.
The Al Jama-ah party gained a second seat,
and the African Independent Congress, Cape
Muslim Congress, Congress of the People,
Democratic Independent Party, Pan Africanist
Congress of Azania, Patriotic Alliance, United
Democratic Movement and Vryheidsfront Plus
all won a seat each.
Voter turnout across the metro’s 810 voting
districts, at 63,98%, was significantly higher
than the national turnout of 57,97% – and itself
the highest turnout ever for local government
elections.
This solid mandate represented the will of
the residents and had been earned day by day
over the past ten years, Executive Mayor Patri-
cia de Lille said at the inaugural Council meet-
ing on 11 August.
Working together
She thanked the administration led by City
Manager Achmat Ebrahim and all 27 000 em-
ployees for the dedication and commitment
that helped make Cape Town the best-run
metro in the country.
Noting that, nationally, this election has
“defined the beginning of a new era of our
country’s history, the time when we start to ma-
ture as a democracy”, she appealed to opposi-
tion parties, which represent a third of the
electorate, to work constructively in the new
Council and serve the interests of every resi-
dent, regardless of their vote.
Voters have rejected the politics of division,
she said, and the City can serve its residents
best when every constituency has a credible
voice in Council.
The Mayor announced the Mayoral Commit-
tee, which is largely unchanged from the previ-
ous administration, with Anda Ntsodo being
appointed as Mayco member for Community
Services, and Edwin ‘Eddie’ Andrews as mem-
ber for Tourism, Events and Economic Develop-
ment.This team would be working to make the
City one of the leading city governments of the
21st
century, the Mayor said.
Dirk Smit remains as Speaker, and Shaun
August was elected Chief Whip.
┃ A W E L L - R U N C I T Y ┃
A clear vote of confidence for Council
With an impressive turnout, Capetonians elected to give the Democratic Alliance a two-thirds
majority in the local government elections. This vote of confidence, steadily earned over the past
decade, gives Council a very clear mandate for making the city an even more exceptional one.
Dirk Smit
Speaker
Patricia de Lille
Executive Mayor
Ian Neilson
Deputy Executive
Mayor,
and Finance
Edwin Andrews
Tourism, Events and
Economic
Development
Shaun August
Chief Whip
Brett Heron
Transport for Cape
Town
Xanthea Limberg
Corporate Services
Suzette Little
Social Development
and Early Childhood
Development
Siyabulela Mamkeli
Health
Anda Ntsodo
Community Services
Jean-Pierre Smith
Safety and Security
Ernest Sonnenberg
Utility Services
Johan van der Merwe
Energy, Environmental
and Spatial Planning
Benedicta
van Minnen
Human Settlements
DA
ANC
Tint shows the
proportion of votes
– darker is higher.
2006
210 seats
2011
221 seats
2016
231 seats
CURRENT AND PAST RESULTS
Year Votes cast % of vote Shift*
Democratic Alliance (DA)
2016 832 624 66,75% +5,6%
2011 682 929 61,15% +18,89
2006 306 246 42,26% –11,02
2000 377 885 53,28% –
African National Congress (ANC)
2016 305 902 24,52% -8,65%
2011 370 420 33,17% –5,5%
2006 280 232 38,67% +0,29%
2000 272 181 38,38% –
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)
2016 38 871 3,12% n/a
* Percentage change from previous election
SEAT ALLOCATIONS BY PARTY
Party Votes cast % of vote Seats
1 977 690
registered voters
voters turned out
valid votes cast, of which:
were
valid ward votes
were
valid proportional votes
spoilt votes
voter turnout
Source: Independent Electoral Commission
CITY OF CAPE TOWN 2016 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS AT A GLANCEOWN 2016 MUNICIPTOF CAPEYYCITTY
which:ofvalid votes cast,
voters turned out
ed votersegisterr
1 977 690
TIONSELECAL2016 MUNICIPPA
42,26%306 2462006
61,15%682 9292011
66,75%832 6242016
A)(Datic AllianceDemocr
vote% ofotes castVareY
TSRESULTTASAND PPACURRENT
GLANCEAATAATTIONS
2016
231 seats
–11,02
+18,89
+5,6%
t*Shifft artyP
TIONS BOCAALLTSEAAT
vote% ofotes castV
TYARPPAYYTIONS B
atsSe
sionommisal CCoce: Independent ElectorSour
voter turnout
spoilt votes
oportional votesvalid pr
ewer
d votesvalid war
ewer
which:ofvalid votes cast,
g evious electionom prcentage change frer* P
3,12%38 8712016
ighters (EFF)eedom FrEconomic F
38,38%272 1812000
38,67%280 2322006
33,17%370 4202011
24,52%305 9022016
s (ANC)esongrAfrican National C
53,28%377 8852000
42,26%306 2462006
DAANC OPECCDPA
2006
210 seats
2011
221 seats
evious election
n/a
ighters (EFF)
–
+0,29%
–5,5%
-8,65%
s (ANC)
–
–11,02
IDEFFOPE
Moving forward: Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille and City Manager Achmat Ebrahim at the inaugural Council meeting on 11 August.
The Mayoral Committee

┃ W R I T E O N ┃
Where a same-sex couple are having a baby,
the system and procedure for maternity leave
and the Local Conditions of Service (July 2016)
specify that the birth mother may be granted
three months’ paid leave .Two months’ paid
leave will be granted in the event of the legal
care and/or adoption of a child between the age
of three months and two years. In a case where
both parents, including same sex partners, are
employed by Council, only one will qualify for
adoption leave.There is no legal obligation to
provide maternity leave to both partners.
A cold response to freezing offices
‘Border Collie’ from Corporate Services and
Compliance writes:
I realise that the outside staff may snigger at
this, but … if you work in an office (especially
an enclosed one), you expect the temperature
to be at a decent level which allows you to work
in relative comfort (the so-called ‘shirt sleeve’
environment).
Sadly, in some places in the Civic Centre,
your shirt sleeves are buried under multiple
layers of tracksuits, jerseys and jackets as staff
battle to stay warm. In our workspace, we
bizarrely need fans to keep cool in summer and
heaters to get warm in winter –
whilst simultaneously having some-
thing we’ll politely call ‘air condi-
tioning’.We’ve measured the
temperature on the floor and have found it to
touch a balmy 17 degrees – at 12:00 in the af-
ternoon! Complaints to the Facilities Manage-
ment number and e-mail occasionally produce
a puff of warmer air, but it never lasts.
So …asking nicely for a little heat meets
with a cold response.Plan B is to plug in heaters
around the floor – which we are told we shouldn’t
do as it wastes electricity! It’s also unhealthy to
spend one’s day huddled over a heater,but
when one’s fingertips go numb after a few min-
utes at work,you don’t have much choice.A
number of staff don’t even bother to take off the
jacket they come to work in; they need it for pro-
tection from the frigid air.
In the interest of employee well-being, pro-
ductivity and comfort: Can we please have a
comfortable temperature – throughout the
year – in the offices?
Interview process questionable
‘Anonymous’ from Water Services writes:
It’s very sad that some people who apply for a
post in the City already know what they will be
asked in the interview and assessments. I
found a question paper for a senior process
controller just lying around. How does this
work in the City? How was this information
leaked out? Are there double standards in the
organisation?
Michelle Kleynhans, Head: Recruitment and
Selection, responds:
All role-players involved in the filling of vacan-
cies are required to ensure confidentiality
within the process.To ensure this, panel mem-
bers are required to sign an undertaking to up-
hold the strictest confidentiality in respect of
any information supplied.This matter can only
be addressed if the details are shared with me.
MyCiTi locks us out – or in!
Gary Wilke from Water Services writes:
It seems to me that the MyCiTi buses are be-
In appreciate of the gift of sight
Madelene van der Berg, a senior clerk in
Specialised Technical Services, collected 140
pairs of glasses for Lions’ Operation Brightsight,
which distributes them to people who can’t
afford spectacles. She writes:
Over the past few days I once again re-
alised what a privilege it is to be able
to see well enough to read. I have
been fully reliant on aids for better
sight for quite a few years now. I have a Prism
reader connected to a large TV screen in my of-
fice. This way, I read all the documents and
correspondence handed to me by the public,
which I would not be able to see without mag-
nification.
I also write this way, otherwise I would not
be able to read what I have written. I have be-
come as accustomed to this wonder aid as one
would to spectacles, and tend to forget how
much I really depend on it.
And then it happened – my screen malfunc-
tioned. I suddenly felt so awkward and lost. I
usually write down telephone numbers and
e-mail addresses for clients. But now I had to
do it without being able to see what I had
written and I was extremely self-conscious
about my scribbling.
Ironically, there are two boxes full of specta-
cles that I have collected standing here.There
are 140 pairs of spectacles, but I cannot use a
single one of them, because my aid is massive
and does not fit on one’s nose.That made me
realise how fortunate we are to have aids to
help us see better.
For this reason, it is my heartfelt wish that
Operation Brightsight can truly help some of
those less privileged.And if you are irritated by
the glasses that you have to wear, try coping
without them for a week and then you’d realise
what a wonderful aid they are.
What’s the policy on paternity leave?
‘Equality Supporter’ from Revenue writes:
I have studied the systems and procedures for
maternity leave dated November 2015, but
the document does not state whether
the City grants paternity leave to the
father of the newborn child. How are
new fathers being accommodated, given that
other major organisations have specific provi-
sion for paternal leave? Or must they use family
responsibility leave for this purpose?
How does the City provide for same-sex
couples who are having a baby of their own, in
particular the partner who is not having the
baby herself – and, of course, males where
none of them is actively having the baby, but
are officially the parents of a newborn and
hence qualify for such leave?
Charl Prinsloo, Manager: Remuneration, Condi-
tions of Service, Benefits and Policies, responds:
Provision is made for five days’ paternity leave,
which is managed under the category of family
responsibility leave as contained in the Local
Conditions of Service (July 2016).This docu-
ment may be found on the HR website under
Policies/SALGBC and Local Conditions of Serv-
ice. Details of family responsibility leave are
also included under paragraph 8.4 of the Main
Collective Agreement .There is no legal obliga-
tion for the City to provide paternity leave
equivalent to maternity leave.
Sudoku solutions (for page 24)
Mild • Hot •••
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coming just like Metrorail.
On some mornings when the buses stop at
the stations, not all the bus doors open.And
the station doors don’t always open.You have
to pull the doors open in order to get into or
out of the bus. Sometimes only one door on
the bus is working. Don’t they do checks and
service the buses?
I like using the MyCiTi buses – it’s quick and
hassle-free,but the doors need to be sorted out.
.
Kobus Swanepoel, Senior Professional Officer:
Customer Relationship Management,Transport
for Cape Town, responds:
MyCiTi is aware of the problems being experi-
enced with the doors. Malfunctioning doors
happen due to bus doors failing, station doors
failing and/or the electronic communication be-
tween the bus and the station door (activating
the station door, failing.This can happen for
various reasons.
These problems are being dealt with in con-
sultation with our service providers and passen-
gers should soon experience an improvement
in this regard.We apologise for the inconven-
ience our passengers are experiencing.
Do unto others …
Rene Lochner from Electricity Services writes:
Why does a person often have a wrong impres-
sion about others? I find it more and more in
the workplace, where staff from one section do
not know how to deal with staff in another sec-
tion, or at times even their own section.
Strangely when I deal with the same staff or
colleagues, I have no problem.
The moral of this story is: People must learn
to stop wanting to be bossy or a boss, and in-
stead be equal.Treat your colleagues and
clients with the same dignity and respect you
want to be treated with, and you will find your
approach to your work and to life as a whole
will change.
There is no need to walk around with the
burdens of the world on your shoulders if you
do what you are supposed to and deal with
each and every requirement on its own merit.
Instead of thinking “impossible”, think “I’m
possible”! And when you decide to stop and
think, rather convert that stop to a pause, as a
pause lasts longer so you can think first before
you act.
Staff need to understand policies
Nathan Joseph Jacobs from Revenue writes:
The City has many policies, bylaws, processes
and procedures that we are required to know
and adhere to.Yet, so little has been done to
ensure compliance – and see to it that we (as
staff) who must enforce the policies, are well-
versed and trained. While some would say this
could be done in-house or by an HR represen-
tative, the fact is that staff members have
access to all the information via the intranet.
Truth be told, most employees don’t look at
the processes and procedures until they are
faced with the process of lodging a grievance
or disciplinary procedure.
I recommend training interventions that
would train employees with reference to
processes and procedures.These interventions
should however be done in collaboration with
HR and the unions and also in consultation
with the Local Government SETA, to structure
training around City officials’ misunderstand-
ing and incorrect interpretation.Training could
also be structured with classes set up in a di-
verse style, with management and employees
in the same class.
The best employee any company can have
is an educated employee.Then, no more time
would be wasted on grievances and ignorance
regarding processes and procedures.
Ghost buster at work
Irma Joy van Stavel from Research and Informa-
tion writes:
I am a GIS technician based on the 12th
floor of
Cape Town Civic Centre, 4-bay side.While on
my lunch break on 18 May, I observed the fol-
lowing from my window: A silver-grey car (I
could not tell the make) coming from DF Malan
Street made an incorrect turn and was heading
into the incoming lanes of traffic leaving the
Civic Centre on Herzog Boulevard.
This caused great confusion and surprise for
drivers of oncoming vehicles, who suddenly
saw a vehicle heading towards them.
An officer in a white ‘Ghost Squad’ vehicle
spotted this and quickly intervened by blocking
off the silver-grey car and at the same time,
stopping oncoming traffic to allow this car to
back-up and manoeuvre into the correct lanes.
This was a great observation and quick
response by the officer in the Ghost Squad
vehicle. He or she potentially prevented a
head-on collision.
Brilliant, Bellville Traffic Department!
Panorama resident Elaine Soutar writes:
There are organisations and institutions one
would rather avoid, but then there are those
that make you feel good when you go there.
I want to commend Bellville Traffic Depart-
ment.These people are professional, friendly
and helpful.You don’t even mind waiting in
the queue, because when you get to the front
of the line, you are treated so well that you for-
get all about the waiting. Everything in the of-
fice is clean and tidy.Why can’t more public
institutions be like this one?
The problem is that everybody reading this
letter may now prefer to go to Bellville Traffic
Department. Sorry, Bellville, but I just had to
share this wonderful experience.
Sizzling service, and in wet weather
Wynberg resident Dwayne Naude writes:
I want to commend the repair crew from Wyn-
berg Electricity Depot, who restored power to
my house in pouring rain late at night. During
a storm earlier in the evening, a branch had
snapped off a tree overhanging the power
lines, and shorted the wires out.
Within an hour of me reporting this, the re-
pair crew was there and fixed the fault with the
greatest good cheer in miserable weather and
what I thought were dangerous conditions.
I recently moved to Cape Town from the
Highveld, where I had never experienced such
service from a municipality.Thank you!
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“I’ve always wanted to
pursue a career within
the built environment,
mainly because the
results are tangible.You
get to see the
transformation and
then see and touch
the end product.
┃ W I N N I N G W O M E N ┃
Feisty, formidable, fabulous women!
In celebration of Women’s Month, we feature 14 female City employees with fascinating stories to
tell over the next six pages. These are not just women who are beating their high heels against the
glass ceiling, but those with their flats firmly on the ground; dedicated and committed staff
members who excel in their positions, sometimes in spite of their gender or age. These are ordinary
women, workers, wives and mothers, doing extraordinary things in the workplace and beyond.
How we selected our handful of City sisters
In anticipation of this Women’s Month feature, I ‘collected’ names for some months, based on conversations with colleagues,
suggestions and by keeping my ear to the ground. I deliberately wanted to feature women not on the very highest levels, but lower
down in this huge top-down organisation, where one can easily feel like a number, especially if you are not in a senior position.
We also wanted to showcase women doing great work in all departments, on all levels and in different career streams. Some
work in traditionally male-dominated fields; others have had to fight bravely to achieve their positions, and all display exceptional
skills and passion in the workplace – all this while they have families, raise children and pursue hobbies.
To them, and the many thousands of other formidable women working in the City, we respect and salute you. – Ed.
Nyasha Mpemba
Senior Professional Officer: Capital Programme Implementation in
the Department of Sport, Recreation and Amenities
N
yasha Mpemba is tackling the traditionally male-dominated field
of construction head on,something she says is both challenging
and exciting.She started the year off on a high note by obtaining
her globally accredited Project Management Professional (PMP) certifica-
tion from America’s Project Management Institute (PMI).
Nyasha says men are slowly starting to accept that women can be as
successful in the construction business. “When I’m on site, I see myself
not as a woman, but as a project manager,” she says. “I’ve always wanted
to pursue a career within the built environment, mainly because the re-
sults are tangible.You get to see the transformation, and then see and
touch the end product,” she says.
But it wasn’t an easy road for the 30-year-old, who started working for
the City four years ago. She says it took her an entire year to prepare for
the four-hour exam she wrote in January. “As there is no class contact or
attendance, it was difficult, because the studying had to be done in my
own time after a long day at work.”
Mentorship matters
But she at least could rely on the mentorship of Keith Barron, who is also
in the Community Services Directorate as Manager: Capital Programme
Implementation. “Nyasha has a strong drive to improve herself, so she
was an easy candidate to guide and mentor,” Keith says. He points out
that Nyasha is the only person in his department who has obtained this
prestigious professional registration, which he puts down to her rare abil-
ity to consistently work hard.
It’s a quality that is standing her in good stead. She holds a BSc Con-
struction Studies and a BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying from the University
of Cape Town (UCT), and has no plans to slow down. “I have recently regis-
tered with UCT for my masters’ in Project Management and I also intend
to obtain accreditation with the South African Council for Project and Con-
struction Management Professionals in the near future,” she says.
Nyasha loves what she does and says she would encourage other
women to seriously consider the field, which offers a wide range of
projects and the opportunity to meet many different people.
O
riginally trained as a civil engineer,
Pauline Houniet first got involved
with housing in the private sector.
She soon found herself working for the Provin-
cial Department of Human Settlements and
later, the City’s Human Settlements Directorate,
where she currently is the District Programme
Manager: Development and Delivery.
Set to retire in September this year, Pauline
has ensured a legacy of “building people up”
through her work with Expanded Public Works
Programme (EPWP) projects. Some examples
include the Ocean View housing project, where
Table Mountain sandstone was used to provide
“very neat, unique stonemasonry houses” and
the Hangberg Sea View housing project where
she initiated the training of unemployed local
youth in mosaic artwork.
Providing unique skills
“Having spent the last nine years with the City
and experiencing first-hand the huge chal-
lenge of getting a housing project off the
ground, from inception to construction, has
been very rewarding. On the one hand, it is a
highlight to see beneficiaries getting keys to
their houses after waiting more than 30 years
in some cases, but on the other hand, there are
some who struggle to maintain these assets,”
says Pauline. “That is why I have tried to leave
some skills within the community that can as-
sist them to become more self-sustainable.”
While there have been a number of proj-
ects where “we have done things differently
and applied unusual skills for the target com-
munity”, it was the Ocean View housing project
that provided unique stonemasonry skills and
prompted the City’s Environmental Resource
Management Department to investigate the
possibility of establishing a Green Jobs Unit in
the environmental and heritage sector.
“It may be possible to extend the Green
Jobs Unit to cover other areas, including work
on the City’s heritage buildings,” says Pauline.
“Because stone construction is extremely
labour-intensive, the project provided approxi-
mately 1 500 EPWP job opportunities over a
period of three years to a large portion of the
unemployed population of Ocean View.”
Following the success of the mosaic art-
work, the Directorate has initiated the training
of 20 unemployed youth from Manenberg and
Gugulethu.As part of their three-month train-
ing they have created murals on the retaining
walls of the Manenberg housing units.
Pauline says she draws inspiration from
breaking the repetitive style of RDP housing,
instead designing an “unconventional” house
that will change the perception of government
low-cost housing projects.Another
example is the Hazendal/Heideveld housing
initiative along the N2, where the bright
colours have transformed the project.
Going private
Of the lives that have been transformed
through these efforts, she says she is extremely
proud of the people who will apply their new
skills in the private sector – a Manenberg mo-
saic trainee who has registered on the City’s
database as a vendor and a Hangberg mosaic
trainee who wants to make mosaic his career.
“These are but a few lives that have
changed because of a window of opportunity
provided by a housing project,” says Pauline.
It’s a process not without its challenges.
One of Pauline’s frustrations is that there is no
official certification for trained stonema-
sons. “The Department of Labour
would need to extend a building qual-
ification to include stonemasonry,
but unfortunately I don’t think this
will happen in my time,” she says.
“It is a highlight to see beneficiaries
getting houses after waiting so long,
but there are some who struggle to
maintain these assets.That is the
reason I have tried to leave behind
some skills within the community
that can assist them to become more
self-sustainable.
Pauline Houniet
District Programme Manager: Development and Delivery in the Human Settlements Directorate

A
t 39 years old, Maureen Whare is
Manager: Tender and Contract
Administration for Supply Chain
Management (SCM) and the youngest official
(one of only three women) serving on the City’s
Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC).
An admitted attorney, conveyancer and no-
tary public, she holds BCom Law and LLB de-
grees from Stellenbosch University, and a
diploma in Public Procurement from Unisa.
“I was raised by a single mom who didn’t
finish high school, so while I have not had the
hardest path, it was not easy for me either. I fin-
ished university in 2001 with massive student
debts, which I only settled in full when I turned
30. I’ll never forget making the final instal-
ment!” says Maureen.
She practised as an attorney, mostly in com-
mercial law, for five years before being ap-
pointed as a legal advisor in the City’s Legal
Services Department in a specialist unit dedi-
cated to SCM. In 2012, Maureen was appointed
manager of that unit.
I know I can do this
Leading up to Ian Bindeman’s recent retire-
ment from SCM after 46 years with the City, his
post was advertised as part of the Department’s
succession planning. “I was very excited about
it, having worked so closely with SCM for so
long. It was one of the rare occasions in life
when you think to yourself: ‘I know I can do this
job’,” says Maureen.
“It was intimidating being interviewed and
sitting in the waiting area with candidates who
had flown in from other parts of the country. I
had to convince the panel that I could go from
managing a tiny unit of four people to a staff
complement of 76.
“I’ve been with SCM for almost a year now,
and it has been amazing.The staff are wonder-
ful and they have adapted to me as well as a
new director. My fellow managers are very
experienced and have all gone out of their way
to share with me everything they know.”
Maureen has served on the BAC since 2008
as the designated legal representative. “In
2008, I was barely 30 years old and asking ex-
perienced City officials probing questions
about their tenders.At that stage, everyone in
the room was about 20 years older than I was,
but I had no choice. I have to be tough because
it’s in the best interest of the City,” she says.
In the work environment, Maureen says her
age is a bigger challenge than her gender.
Once people realise she speaks to a topic confi-
dently and with experience and authority, all
their preconceived ideas disappear.
“My age has also been a challenge to me
personally and I’ve had to mature very fast in
my time with the City. I spoke at the City’s Youth
Indaba hosted by the City’s Youth Forum last
month about learning to balance your ‘fire’,
drive and innovation as a young person with
the realities of a very structured organisation
with defined decision-making channels.
“I explained that I also found it challenging
when I first started here and had to learn to
adapt and not be frustrated by it. I don’t want
young people in the City to feel stifled.We
need their innovation.”
Strength in knowledge
Maureen believes her strength is that she
knows the body of law relevant to SCM ex-
tremely well. “I think what people enjoy most
about me is the fact that I ‘translate’ the law.
When officials leave my office or read my
e-mail, they know exactly what they can and
can’t do, and what the risks are,” she says.
“You do, however, have to accept that some-
times people may not agree with you. I never
take it personally and I always try to see if I can
be of support to that person, even if their deci-
sion goes against what I advised or believe.”
After hours, Maureen enjoys an active out-
door life, which helps her unwind. She loves
road running, trail running and exercise in gen-
eral, dedicating about six hours or more per
week to these activities.
“Recently, I’ve also started competing with
my dog in canine obedience. She’s a very clever
little mixed-breed called Booboo which we
rescued and she is pure joy to be around.
Amina Taylor
Production Support Office: Department of Integrated Strategic Communication and Branding
“A
minaTaylor started her Council career fresh out
of matric.By watching and learning from her
seniors,she worked her way up to her current
post,Production Support Officer: Department of Integrated
Strategic Communication and Branding,which means she is
heading the City’s production unit which functions much like a
factory for anything from handwritten mayoral scrolls to flags,
beach balls,leaflets,brochures,banners,flags and lots more.
She has a vast knowledge of almost all production
processes and does not scare easily when it comes to impossi-
ble deadlines.This is a demanding job which leaves her jug-
gling a multitude of projects,clients,deadlines and suppliers –
some planned,but also many last-minute crisis jobs.
And she handles it all with her ‘no problem’ attitude. What
also makes her a formidable woman is that she has mentored
many a youngster,student or intern – sharing her knowledge
and work ethic with a firm but friendly hand.”
The above introduction was written by one of Amina’s sen-
ior colleagues – a strong indication of the respect and admira-
tion she enjoys from her peers.How does she do it? “Apositive
attitude.I love my job and I mean it,” saysAmina.
Keep on smiling …
“The most important part of managing it – no matter how hard
it gets or how tight the deadlines are – is to smile.It helps me
and sets the clients at ease.The 2010 FIFAWorld Cup was the
ultimate test and we got through it,” she says.
Her tips for coping in a stressful environment include stay-
ing calm,knowing how to prioritise as “everything cannot be
handled as urgent”,and not over-committing.
“When a request comes from the Mayor’s Office,we cannot
say no,but we also have to be as-
sertive when it comes to managing
a tight deadline.If we promise what
we can’t deliver,we’ll set ourselves
up for failure,” saysAmina.
It’s a commitment that she
shares with her team,and she
makes a point of reminding them
how vital their role is in completing
each job.
“I take mentoring within my
team very seriously – it is important to grow the team mem-
bers.I have also found that in production things can go horribly
wrong when you do something for the first time.I like to share
this with the team so they know what not to do if they are faced
with a similar situation.As essential as it is to share in suc-
cesses,it is equally important to share the failures and learn
from them.”
Whether she is dealing with colleagues,clients or suppliers,
the same principles apply.“You have to be firm,patient,calm
and reassuring,” she says.Patience and maturity comes with
age,and experience has taught her how to manage each situa-
tion towards a positive outcome.
“You have to be firm with suppliers – and know how to han-
dle the unreliable ones.And clients need to know that they
need to do their part in order for us to do ours.”
… while being firm yet friendly
Amina says that when she is firm yet friendly,people tend to
engage with her more.“In my job,this is quite important.We
tell them exactly what is possible and what is not – but we have
to be assertive.We want to help our clients,so engaging with
them on how important it is to have something branded cor-
rectly is for our mutual benefit.
“What I love about production is when we meet our dead-
line and see the satisfaction on our client’s face when we de-
liver their product.Most of all,it’s being able to see our work on
the posters on street poles,flags in the streets and banners at a
mayoral function,for example.
“One of the most significant and proud reminders of this is
at the end of my daily drive to work when I see the Madiba
image on the Civic Centre building and know that I had some-
thing to do with it!”
Another aspect thatAmina
loves about her job is being able to
work with students.“On one occa-
sion,a student actually said,‘Oh,
wow,the City does actually work.I
can see how busy your team is; I’m
going to tell everyone I know
about this.’
“That’s gratifying – changing
public perception of the City.”
“My age has been a challenge to me
personally and I’ve had to mature
very fast in my time with the City. I
don’t want young people in the City
to feel stifled. We need their
innovation.
“I take mentoring within my team very
seriously. In production, things can go
horribly wrong when you do something
for the first time.As essential as it is to
share in successes, it is equally important
to share the failures and learn from them.
Maureen Whare
Manager:Tender and ContractAdministration for Supply Chain Management

Linda Vanga
Principal Process Controller: Water and Sanitation Department
A
At 46 years old, Linda Vanga prides herself on her progression
through the ranks of the Water and Sanitation Department.A
City employee for 16 years, she is the first African woman to
have been appointed as a water process controller, thanks to the sterling
job she does in a field that demands precision and an eye for detail.
Linda is principal process controller at Constantia Nek water treatment
plant, where she supervises 12 staff. It’s a male-dominated environment,
with only two women in the section.
“Most of the time, it’s not easy, because male colleagues always want
to help me.They think I can’t turn the valve. But I started at the bottom of
this department. I know how to do everything,” says Linda. “Someone who
has only trained as a process controller, for example, won’t know when to
backwash the filter. But I’ve learnt through practical experience.”
Scarce skills, indeed
Linda studied Water Treatment Practice at Athlone Technical College, a
course no longer offered, which puts her qualification in the scarce-skills
category. “We need more process controllers and operators … it’s very
difficult to find people with the required training and experience.
“I like my job because I work for the community. So many people
depend on me. If I make a mistake with the dosage, I can’t just rectify it,
because water flows continuously. I have to be very responsible,” she says.
Once Linda has determined the amounts of chemicals needed to pu-
rify the water, the process operator mixes the chemicals.They test the
water quality every hour and check in between as well. “I like working in
the lab,” says Linda. “We learn from each other.”
She says that as a woman in this department, she must deliver. “I must
be strong when working with men. I must be able to do everything they
can do.That keeps me on my toes,” she says.
That’s at work.At home, she has a husband and three children ranging
in age from five to 14 years old, who also need her time and attention.
Because she works shifts, she ensures that she makes quality time for her
family by planning trips to the park or going away on her weekends off.
H
eading Solid Waste Management’s
Collections Department is a far cry
from Erica Gilbert’s original plan to
become a teacher.
She completed a BA with a postgraduate
qualification in Education,but when she quali-
fied,there were no posts available for teachers.
She worked for a call centre and an NGO fo-
cused on education before joining Cape Town
Municipality in 1996 as a secretary and typist in
the Cleansing Department.She took the oppor-
tunity to learn more about the business and
completed several Waste Management courses.
Relating to the customer
She has since worked as an administrative offi-
cer at the Cleansing Branch,where she was re-
sponsible for records management and
customer relations (mainly service delivery com-
plaints),as well as the Finance and Revenue
Section of Solid Waste Management,where she
was also responsible for customer relations.
“This was intimidating at first, as I had to
deal with customer complaints and revenue-re-
lated queries. But I had supportive colleagues
who were prepared to share information and
knowledge with me,” says Erica.
In 2008, she successfully applied for, and
was appointed to, the position of Area Head:
Collections. “I applied for the position as it was
a different working environment. My previous
jobs were more administrative and contact with
customers was telephonic. I was keen to work
in an operational environment that involves
more people to manage, different resources
(refuse collection vehicles), legislation and poli-
cies, as well as other factors such as weather,
traffic, vehicle breakdowns and labour rela-
tions,” she says.
“Every vehicle that is off the road equates to
about 1 500 bins not being serviced. Not hav-
ing refuse removed can become a big issue,
and customers generally complain.All that is
required is to give each complaint the neces-
sary attention, resolve it and try not to have the
same problem arise again. Having said that, I
have also learnt that we cannot always please
everyone, no matter how hard we try.”
Erica loves her job, and it shows in the way
that she gets things done, looks after her staff
and maintains the respect of her colleagues.
Ian Oliver, who has worked with Erica ever since
she started at the City, says she is capable,
confident and respected for her
professional conduct, excellent knowledge of
the business, knowing what she wants and
determination to achieve her goals.
Ncedo Mcani says Erica is a strategic thinker
and a team player, while Eunice Smit admires
the way she never overreacts to a situation or
makes anyone feel inadequate.
“Erica has a natural management style and
easy way of communicating with people. She is
someone who can inspire other women to bet-
ter themselves,” says Eunice.
Attitude and altitude
Erica says that in her work life she lives by the
motto ‘your attitude determines your altitude’.
That’s not meant literally, in terms of her senior-
ity, but refers to being respected by her peers
and staff. “I have developed a pet name, ‘Sister
Boss’, among some of my former staff, and they
still call me that today.”
She loves her job, saying that the most re-
warding part is the sense of accomplishment
when a problem has been resolved or a project
completed. It is also the feedback that she re-
ceives from colleagues – not only in her own
department, but also from others.
In her spare time, Erica enjoys music and
singing (she belongs to her church choir) and
helps her daughter with her matric studies. She
also supports charities and non-profitable or-
ganisations involved in education and
youth development.
O
n paper,Vuyolwethu Mzam is a clerk
for Revenue Protection and Meter
Management, but in person, she is a
‘raakvatter’ – much like the person in a control
tower at an airport.
She was thrown in at the deep end and
today she is a giant in the way she handles
stress, and conducts herself in a male-domi-
nated section. “I was first employed as a
cleaner, but at a later stage, management
asked me to assist with managing complaints. I
did not ask why, but I walk an extra mile to do
an excellent job,” says Vuyolwethu.
She works in Utility Services’ Water and
Sanitation Branch in the Water Demand Man-
agement (WDM) Section: Metering, with eight
contractors, and handles the very stressful job
of receiving and handling the many citywide
complaints (sometimes from very angry mem-
bers of the public) about faulty water
meters that need to be tested and repaired.
The complaints are submitted mostly via
phone calls and e-mails, but she has to respond
to up to 200 e-mails per day on other matters.
Vuyolwethu takes it all in her stride, saying that
the stressful work environment does not affect
her because she loves what she does.
She also has no problem working mostly
with men. “My colleagues respect me a lot and
as a result they jump when I’m asking them to
do a job. I know my work very well and I don’t
ask for advice. I just find my own way to resolve
the problem.”
There are many stories to tell about how
Vuyolwethu’s approach has helped calm a very
angry client, but her favourite one to share has
a happy ending involving her own colleagues.
“When I started at WDM in 2007, I was
employed by a labour broker as a cleaner. My
contract expired in 2008 and another company
took over. When that contract also expired,
I was left without a job, despite management
and staff saying how much respect they had
for my work.
“I offered to volunteer, which meant I would
clean for them without getting paid.All WDM
staff in Wynberg decided to pay me from their
own pockets and I was so happy,” she says.
“Work is not about money. It is
about love and passion.That is
what I have really experienced.”
“Work is not
about money.
It is about love
and passion.
That is what I
have really
experienced.
Vuyolwethu Mzam
Clerk: Revenue Protection and Meter Management in the Water and Sanitation Department
“My male colleagues always want to help me.They think I
can’t turn the valve. But I started at the bottom of this
department. I know how to do everything.
“Erica has a natural management style
and easy way of communicating with
people. She is someone who
can inspire other women to
better themselves.
– Eunice Smit
Erica Gilbert
Head: Collections in the Solid Waste Management Department

Zisanda Mamve
Senior Building Inspector: Property and Building Development
Department
A
fter Zisanda Mamve passed matric, she had no idea what she
wanted to study further, or which career path to follow. Her
Science and Maths marks were so good, however, that a univer-
sity assessment pointed her towards Engineering.
She applied for a national diploma in Building (Construction Manage-
ment and Quantity Surveying) and was accepted at Walter Sisulu Univer-
sity in Butterworth. Zisanda says it was during her second-year in-service
training that she began to develop a passion for the built environment.
After graduation, she was employed as a junior quantity surveyor in King
William’s Town and has never looked back.
Zisanda’s entry into a municipality was as an intern building techni-
cian for Nyandeni Municipality in the OR Tambo district of the Eastern
Cape in April 2010. She moved to Cape Town in 2011.While working for
the Department of Public Works, she enrolled for a short course in Project
Management at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
Zisanda got her “first taste of legislation” in her next position at
Mossel Bay Municipality as building inspector, where she had to enforce
the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of
1977 and municipal bylaws.
The only woman
“In every position I have held, I have always been the only woman in the
office.At first, I felt uncomfortable and intimidated, but I have empowered
myself and overcome the need to prove my worth in what has generally
been regarded as a male-dominated environment,” says Zisanda.
In August 2013 she was appointed as a building inspector for the City
of Cape Town. “I immediately enrolled at CPUT to further my education in
the same academic field.After graduating this year with a BTech Con-
struction Management, I applied for a vacant position and was appointed
as a senior building inspector,” says Zisanda. “This is my first supervisory
position. I work with a good team who respect and appreciate my abili-
ties and input.”
Zisanda is often out of the office, conducting site inspections or meet-
ing and interacting with new people as well as various stakeholders in
the industry. “I enjoy being on the road and the fact that I learn daily as I
am exposed to different challenges on different sites,” she says. “Apply-
ing my knowledge to overcome obstacles fulfils my need to make a con-
tribution to the built environment.And being a civil servant who assists
the public motivates me every day to go out there and help resolve
building-related issues.”
It’s tough
Though she was unsure of the course of her career, Zisanda says she grew
to love the industry, is still growing, and is ready for new challenges.
“Everyone knows it’s a tough industry, working on site for 12 hours a day,
seven days a week, no matter the weather conditions.As a woman, every-
one expects you to be soft, but I took it as a challenge.”
It’s not a male-dominated industry as everyone thinks, she adds.
“Women should empower themselves and find a place where they are
comfortable. Having said that, I was exposed to this industry at a very
young age and without the support of my parents and the entire family,
I would not be where I am today.They played a huge role in the progres-
sion of my career, always motivating and supporting me in every decision
that I make and appreciating everything that I do.”
F
rom a very young age,Chandré Rhoda
wanted to help animals and people.One
of those children who brought home in-
jured animals,Chandré could not have known
that one day she would be appointed Head: In-
vasive Species in the Environmental Resource
Management Department’s Green Jobs Unit.
“As a kid, I preferred to spend hours in a
small field close to our house instead of watch-
ing television. Growing up, I was never exposed
to ‘formal’ nature conservation, so I didn’t know
the career existed,” she says.
Hooked
She applied for an administration position at
Helderberg Nature Reserve and was soon in-
volved in firefighting, hand-raising young buck
and environmental education. “It was amazing
and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she says.
She successfully applied for an assistant
conservation officer post and, while working
full-time and raising two children, managed to
complete her national diploma in three-and-a-
half years. “I knew that if I wanted to move up
in the Department, I needed to have the quali-
fication to support it,” she says.
After graduating, she was promoted to pro-
fessional officer. “One of my biggest projects
was clearing the weeds in the Black River,
which meant getting several departments on
board and working together to keep it clean.”
On 1 July, she was appointed Head: Inva-
sive Species in the Green Jobs Unit, which
works city-wide across all departments to keep
invasive species under control. Chandré attrib-
utes her rapid progression to the support of her
current and previous managers and mentors,
Roy Ernstzen and Louise Stafford.
In September, Chandré celebrates her tenth
year at the City. Extremely capable, proactive,
strong and humble, she is having a big impact
on her team of 250 workers.They recently won
the best project management award for the
Kader Asmal Integrated Catchment Manage-
ment Programme. “I am so proud of them and
thankful for their contributions,” says Chandré.
In the last financial year the Department
had a budget of R28 million and created over
2 000 job opportunities. Most of the funding
came from the national EPWP, and workers are
employed to clear alien vegetation and litter,
and do environmental rehabilitation. “Our chal-
lenge lies with inconsistent funding and get-
ting public buy-in,” says Chandré.
Then there’s the administrative work associ-
ated with EPWP employment – and the human
factor. “EPWP workers have lots of social issues,
which we try to help them resolve. Some are ex-
posed to substance abuse or domestic violence
or receive threats on their lives because they
are trying to make a better living,” she says.
“We teach them about appropriate work-
place behaviour and empowering themselves –
many are sole breadwinners.We have a lot of
success stories where workers who started with
the Kader Asmal programme are now em-
ployed by the City or in the private sector.”
Sharing stories
Sharing those stories gives the workers hope
that they can change their lives, says Chandré.
“We have to ensure that the teams stay focused
and motivated, as they don’t get the best
wages and work in very poor conditions.Just
the other day, they found a half-decomposed
body when they were cleaning along the river.”
Chandré is a firm believer in motivating her
team, treating them with respect, providing op-
portunities for them to develop, involving them
in decision-making, giving credit where it is
due and showing appreciation for their effort.
“I believe if people know exactly what is ex-
pected of them and what their role is, they will
automatically feel part of a team. Our team
members are passionate and willing to go the
extra mile, because we want to make a differ-
ence in the environment and their lives.”
Chuné Burgess
Clerk: Street People Programme, Social Development Department
W
hen Chuné Burgess was born, she
was diagnosed with phocomelia,
a rare congenital disorder that af-
fects the development and growth of the arms.
She was five months pregnant when she dis-
covered that her daughter would be born with
the same disability.
“A generic specialist rediagnosed this condi-
tion as Holt-Oram syndrome, which is also
known as heart-hand syndrome. It is caused by
a generic gene that affects the heart and arms.
Fortunately, my daughter and I do not have
most of the abnormalities associated with this
condition, except for the shortened arms. Both
our hearts are healthy,” she says.
Having been born with this condition,
Chuné has learnt to live with it from a young
age and it doesn’t get her down. Maintaining a
positive attitude has helped her throughout her
life and she says the only challenge she admits
to is not being able to pick up heavy items or
reach high places.
As an office-bound clerk working on the
Department of Social Development and Early
Childhood Development’s Street People Pro-
gramme, her interactions with this social group
are limited to when she is asked to allocate
someone from the unit to assist them. Chuné’s
disability does not affect the way she does her
job. She says the most important asset for a
clerk is to be organised and attentive, because
“you are required to deal with a lot paperwork”.
“Everyone knows it’s a
tough industry, working
on site for 12 hours a
day, seven days a week,
no matter the weather
conditions.As a female,
everyone expects you to
be soft, but I took it as
a challenge.
“I believe if people know exactly what
is expected of them and what their
role is they will automatically feel
part of a team. Our team members
are very passionate and are willing to
go the extra mile, because we want to
make a difference.
Chandré Rhoda
Head: Invasive Species in the Environmental Resource Management Department’s Green Jobs Unit

Milly Niemand
Contractor: Telecoms Project Management Office at IS&T
W
hen the Metro Police Dog Unit
was established in 2009,Joan
Felix successfully applied for an
advertised vacancy and completed the basic
dog handling course in December that year.
Her operational work began as a narcotic dog
handler with her canine, named Carla, and they
are now fulfilling completely different roles
from the ones they held when they started.
Joan is the Canine Unit commander, also
performing dual functions as superintendent of
the Unit (operational) and manager of the Unit.
This includes supervising the two and four-
legged staff, finance, facility, fleet, assets and kennel man-
agement, which forces her to be less active as a handler.Joan
is, however, still involved with training, public awareness
programmes and work permit assessments.
People, not drugs
Carla, on the other hand, is retired and lives at home with
Joan.The labrador crossbreed – “a real lady” – lost interest in
her work, which was to detect drugs, instead favouring inter-
actions with people, especially the elderly, the disabled and
children at the Unit’s public awareness programmes.
“During our executions of searches at schools and other
private institutions we realised how misinformed the public
really is about the working canine. In 2011, I suggested to
the unit commander at that time that we conduct presenta-
tions to educate the public with regard to working canines
and their functions, as well as raise awareness of the differ-
ent substances (drugs) they are trained to detect.”
Carla is not alone in her retirement. She has Rocky for
company, a German shepherd patrol dog with a gentlemanly
personality living out his twilight years in domestic bliss.
“I remember a few years ago I had to run in a ‘bite suit’
for him to apprehend me as a ‘suspect’ at one of our dog
shows. He came running to attack, but when he realised that
it was me in the suit, he just stood still and stared at me. I
begged him to ‘bite’ or ‘attack’ me!” says Joan.
While her position prevents her from having her own
working dog,Joan says she treats all 22 canines in the Unit
as her own. “It is important to know each canine’s behaviour
and character so that you can quickly tell when something is
wrong. I interact with the canines daily and conduct work
permit assessments every third month to as-
sess handler-and-canine work competency.”
Each handler has the option to have their
working dog stay with them at home.They are
responsible for their canine’s fitness and daily
obedience training as well as other training
conducted by appointed instructors.
There are many rewarding aspects to Joan’s
job – the pleasure of working with dog and
handler, seeing the pride and excitement
shown by the dogs when they make a discovery
during searches, and the children’s faces when
they watch them perform at dog shows.
Different breeds make suitable police working dogs de-
pending on whether they meet certain criteria and have the
appropriate characteristics for the required functions.
“We mostly use German shepherds as they can be
trained for protection work as well as detection of substances
if they have a suitable combination of canine working drive
and aggression.We also train border collies (mostly for sub-
stance detection) and labradors as they, together with the
German shepherds, have a higher level of intelligence
among the breeds,” she says.
An emotional commitment
Joan had no previous experience with working or show dogs
when she joined the Unit, only pets at home, but it takes a
special kind of person to work well with animals. She ex-
plains that although the Unit has been in existence for more
than six years, there are new challenges and demands al-
most every day, both administratively and operationally.
“Dog handling is a work function that requires great pas-
sion.There is huge responsibility, and a tremendous emo-
tional and physical commitment is required,” says Joan.
“As unit commander I must keep tabs on everything,
which includes managing the Unit operationally, kennel
management, breeding, assets, transport, equipment and
training. I am grateful for the support I receive from my men-
tor and manager (the former unit commander), members of
the Unit as well as my family at home.”
Joan says this is the best section she has ever worked at
within the Metro Police Department. “Every day I learn some-
thing new.The canines are like children and surprise us daily
with their unique personalities and actions.”
M
illy Niemand is described as a formi-
dable athlete with many triathlon
and Ironman competitions under
her belt.To achieve that kind of success, she
has to juggle her full-time job at the Telecoms
Project Management Office for IS&T at the Dur-
banville Civic Centre with intensive physical
training after hours.
She has always been very active in the
sports arena, but only got involved with
triathlons about four years ago, when she
decided to work towards completing the full
Ironman SA.
“I have done a few half-Ironman standard
races and have my goal set on the full Ironman
SA in April 2017,” she says. “I love the fact that
there are three different sports involved (swim-
ming, cycling and running), so there is never a
dull moment and no time to get bored.”
An athletic family
Milly’s mother was a provincial netball and bas-
ketball player, while her father played provin-
cial soccer and baseball. Milly took part in
everything from gymnastics and athletics to
swimming and netball in primary school, focus-
ing on the latter as well as basketball in high
school.That decision paid off as she repre-
sented Eastern Province (EP) and South Africa
in basketball at school and under-21 level, and
EP at senior level.
“Once I got married and started
a family, it was difficult to get
back into a team sport as I did
not have enough time to fully
commit.That is when I started
road running. I have
completed a few
Two Oceans ultra
marathons as
well as the Com-
rades Marathon,”
she says.
What Milly,
who is 44, fails to
mention for this
story is that she
was the second
woman across the
finish line in her
age category in
the Discovery
World Duathlon
and Triathlon indi-
vidual sprint
triathlon event in a
time of 01:31:28.
She downplays
her success, saying
that she sees herself
as a participant “just
like everyone else.Any person who enters
races, I am sure, sets themselves some sort of a
goal, whether to just finish or to achieve a spe-
cific time.Whichever your goal is, you need to
be committed to achieve it.”
When Milly is training for a specific race,
she normally works from a programme that
prepares her for that required distance. Most
weeks before a race, she would need to train six
days a week, of which at least three days are
double sessions (swim and cycle, or run and
cycle, for example).
“The mornings work best for me. In the
summer, I would start on some mornings at
04:45 and end at 07:00, so I can double up. I
don’t follow a specific diet, as I’m generally a
healthy eater. I just use certain supplements to
keep me going when training schedules get a
bit hectic.”
Going with the flow
As far as triathlons go, Milly says she does not
start a race with a particular achievement in
mind. “I am a strong believer in going with
how my body feels. Being involved with various
sports over the years, I have realised that every
sport has its good and bad days and you just
need go with it on the day.”
Milly trains with her husband, who she says
is the stronger athlete, so she constantly needs
to work hard to stay with him.
“That’s not so good for him
though.We train with a group on
certain days when he gets to push
himself with a few of the guys at
his level. My son is 21 and a stu-
dent, so he does not even realise
when we are out training as he is
still sleeping or studying, but he is
very keen to support us at races.”
“Dog handling
requires great
passion.There is
huge responsibility,
and a tremendous
emotional and
physical
commitment is
required.
Joan Felix
Canine Unit Commander: Metro Police Department of Safety and Security
“Any person who enters races, I am
sure, sets themselves some sort of a
goal, whether to just finish or to
achieve a specific time.
Whichever your goal is, you
need to be committed to
achieve it.

Charlotte Lingenfelder
Head: Payroll and Benefit Administration, Strategic Human Resources
Vivienne Grill
General Worker: Environmental Resource Management Department
A
s children, there were a few school-
yard games equally loved and
dreaded depending on your popular-
ity or sporting skills.They involved nominating
the leaders of two teams, who would take turns
selecting team members from among the
group around them. If Charlotte Lingenfelder
was in that group, she was bound to have been
one of the first to be picked.
As Head: Payroll and Benefit Administra-
tion, Charlotte is one of those bosses most em-
ployees would choose. She’s described as
having a warm, friendly nature and a can-do at-
titude that makes her one of the go-to staffers
in Human Resources. If you want a quick an-
swer or friendly advice, Charlotte is the person
to phone.
An open-door approach
“I have an open-door approach and our motto
is not to direct clients from pillar to post if it
is within our power to help. Working with a
wonderful, dedicated team is a huge privi-
lege, and all serve with the conscious aware-
ness that a happy employee contributes to a
healthy organisation. All of them have experi-
enced, at some stage, the appreciation of a
contented client.”
Charlotte has lived through all the City’s
transformation phases since 1996, and says
that although she loves the exposure that a big
organisation offers, she often felt “enough is
enough”.
However,she explains that the positive side
to this is that change,which is ongoing in the
City,offers endless opportunities for self-growth
as well as gaining knowledge and experience.
Payroll and Benefit Administration might be
very intimidating and tedious to some,she
adds,but the upside is that the di-
verse range of functions and
challenging scenarios in-
volving the Depart-
ment’s valuable staff
complement really
taps into and refines
their problem-solv-
ing skills.
Legislation and
the interpretation and
debating of policies to a
point of consensus en-
sures that there is never a dull moment.
Charlotte says what she loves most about
her job is interacting with clients and the great
people in the teams she works with.
“In an organisation as big as the City, work-
ing within such tight timelines and with a
rather broad variation of functional responsibil-
ities, it takes resilience to ensure that projects
are successfully concluded – I have been privi-
leged to experience heartfelt gratitude from
clients and colleagues on many occasions
when a problem has been solved,” she says.
Patience is a virtue
Charlotte has another special quality. She is
patient. “You can’t raise children without hav-
ing patience and maybe the fact that the
teenage phase of my two lovely daughters,
now young women, was relatively smooth sail-
ing had something to do with me keeping
calm,” she says.
“Some days, issues and people can be more
challenging than others, but patience is luckily
a skill that you can acquire and build on. In our
environment, the value of a win-win situation is
key, so if that means we have to count to ten, so
be it. Patience in my book, however, does not
equate to surrender.”
How does she do it? “Realistically, every day
is not a song but I get up in the morning with
appreciation for this job, this organisation, this
team and opportunity. I live and work with the
knowledge that all days are not plain sailing,
but that I can always do something to make it
better – starting within my own environment
and team,” says Charlotte.
V
ivienne Grill, aka ‘Aunty Viv’, is the heart and soul of
the Environmental Resource Management Depart-
ment (ERMD). Besides ensuring that her colleagues
are well caffeinated, she constantly makes them laugh and
keeps them motivated.
This ERMD staffer says motivating people comes natu-
rally. “Protecting Cape Town’s environment is a tough job.
Our staff are very hard-working and passionate and I can see
when they are stressed, especially when they are trying to
meet tight deadlines,” says Vivienne.
“I make people laugh, whether I plan to or not. It just
runs in the family. Over the years, I have got to know my col-
leagues very well. I know what they like and don’t like and
will say something funny to brighten up their day.A little
laughter is good for the soul and a great stress-reliever!”
Vivienne joined the City as a worker at ERMD in 2005
and continued to service the Department once she moved
across to Specialised Technical Services (STS) three years
later. In July 2015, she moved back into ERMD where her job
now includes organising the tea service for staff and meet-
ings, assisting with organising events, helping out at training
workshops (e.g. smart cooking training) and basic job-related
administration. She also provides catering advice.
A creative doer
A valuable, much-loved and popular member of the ERMD
team, some say Vivienne knows more about what’s going on
in the Department than they do. “I am the type of person
who will take initiative. If something needs to be done, I will
do it. I am also a responsible person who takes her job seri-
ously,” she says. “In my spare time, I love being creative and
making cards for my colleagues – for birthdays, farewells,
bridal and baby showers.”
She’s at her creative best when she’s dressing up for a
fundraiser such as Casual Day or Slipper Day, when she’ll
make her outfits out of recycled material.
And for those looking for ideas on how to
make something without spending much
money, she’s happy to share her concepts.
When she started working for the City,
she knew nothing about the environment,
but has learnt more over the years by lis-
tening to her colleagues, asking them lots
of questions, offering to help them with
their work, paying attention to the content
of training programmes and workshops
she attends, and reading pamphlets and
books. She literally walks the talk.
“I use solar lights at home. In the morning before I go to
work, I leave the panel on a window ledge to charge. I also
reuse empty bottles to make sweetie jars for my family and
friends – for parties – and I reuse paper for decorations and
popcorn holders.
“I grow vegetables on my window ledge at work in recy-
cled yoghurt containers and plastic bottles, then replant
them in the rooftop garden at 44 Wale Street.To save water
at work, we use leftover water from the air pots and water
jugs for washing up and cleaning purposes.
“I collect all the old tea bags and use them for compost.
Tea bags also make great fire-lighters when dried out in a tin.
You can light them with paraffin. I am also collecting bottle
tops and bread tags from ERMD staff.
“Operation Smile uses the money collected from recycled
bottle tops to fund surgery for children born with cleft lips or
palates.And the Bread Tags for Wheelchairs project uses the
money collected from recycled bread tags, even broken ones,
to fund wheelchairs for those in need.”
Home from home
It’s probably not part of her job description but making de-
partmental interns feel at home is something Vivienne ex-
cels at. “When the interns start, it’s like they’re going to
school for the first time and they’re scared of the teachers.
The international interns are also far from home and some-
times need advice on the most inexpensive places to eat and
where to do their shopping. Most of them keep in touch with
me when they leave and they still pop in to visit when they
have finished their internship,” says Vivienne.
Smart cooking training is another of her passions.Vivi-
enne assists her colleagues in teaching communities how to
cook with Wonderbags and induction stoves to save energy,
which ultimately saves money and the environment.
She uses a Wonderbag at home
so that she can practise working
with it and share her results with
people she meets on the train or in
the street.
“I thank God for my job and
my colleagues, because they have
contributed a great deal to what I
know today. And I would really like
to encourage people to find hob-
bies they enjoy and help us save
the environment.”
“Some days, issues and people can
be more challenging than
others, but patience is a skill
that you can acquire. In our
environment, the value of a
win-win situation is key, so
if that means we have to
count to 10, so be it.
Patience in my book,
however, does not equate to
surrender.
“Our staff are very hard-working
and passionate and I can see
when they are stressed. I make
people laugh, whether I plan to
or not.A little laughter is good
for the soul and a great
stress-reliever!

┃ W I N N I N G W AY S ┃
A high-tech solution for a low problem
The notoriously low Atlantic Road bridge in Muizenberg – the scene of many an accident – will
hopefully be scar-free in future thanks to laser technology to warn drivers of tall trucks.
O
ne of Cape Town’s infamous
traffic spots is the railway
bridge over Atlantic Road in
Muizenberg, dubbed the
“truck-eating bridge” by lo-
cals. Lorry drivers often underestimate the
height of their vehicles – or of the bridge – and,
as a result, get stuck under this very low bridge.
This leads to road closures while emergency
services battle to ‘free’ the offending vehicle.
Because of the frequency of this problem –
on average one incident per week – the City has
now installed 3D laser technology to warn lorry
drivers beforehand if their vehicle is too high to
fit safely under the bridge.
According to Bernard Oosthuizen, Head:
Transport Network Technology at the Good-
wood Transport Management Centre, drivers
will in future be fined if they disobey the warn-
ing sign and cause an obstruction or cause
damage to Council property.
The recent reconstruction of Main Road cre-
ated the opportunity to install a new system to
address the constant problem.The laser tech-
nology was sourced in Europe, with special soft-
ware developed locally by Radar Vision.
The laser is mounted on a pole 6,6 m above
the road, scans the road 50 times a second and
registers everything up to a height of 5,8 m.
“The laser sees everything, but only flashes
a warning light when vehicles in the lane to
turning right are higher than 2,5 m.We don’t
want false alarms,” Bernard says.
“The advantage of a laser system is that it is
virtually maintenance-free.Years ago, we had
an infrared beam system, but the sensors had
to be cleaned continuously.The sea air made
maintenance a nightmare.We will inspect and
test the new sensor every six months.”
Bernard, who is in charge of testing all new
technology for the City’s roads, says vehicles
getting stuck under the bridge cost the City a
great deal of money on many levels, including
damage to the City’s property, the cost of the
emergency services having to remove the vehi-
cle, and losses because of road closure.
Because of the success of the new system –
at the time of writing, no crashes had occurred
since it started operating on 1 June – Council
has decided to install similar laser technology
on two other approaches to this crossing: one
above the southbound carriageway of Main
Road for traffic approaching Atlantic Road from
Steenberg, and another above Atlantic Road for
traffic approaching the railway bridge from the
eastern side along the R310.
Another problem spot is the Lower Church
Road bridge on the N1 going out of the city.
“There is about one incident per year, mostly a
truck leaving the harbour area.We plan to in-
stall a similar system there. It is the lowest
bridge in the city area of the N1,” Bernard says.
Bridge busters:
The Atlantic Road
bridge has been the
scene of almost
weekly incidents
involving trucks over
the past few years.
Light years ahead: The City is using innovative laser technology to solve
the problem of incredibly frequent incidents at Muizenberg’s ‘truck-eating’
railway bridge. Pictured at the bridge are, from left,Transport for Cape
Town’s Rob Martheze, Principal Technician: Transport Network Technology;
Achmat Gierdien,Technician: Transport Network Technology; Bernard
Oosthuizen, Head: Transport Network Technology, and Ian McDonald,
Head: Road Management.
Right: The laser
device at the bridge
measures the height
of approaching
vehicles and flashes
a warning if they
are too tall to fit
underneath.
Beach Road in Strand, which frequently suffers
from windblown sand and flooding during
high tide and the stormy season, will soon be
protected by a rehabilitated sea wall.Work
started in January this year.
The refurbishment of the old sea wall forms
part of the City’s Strand Pavilion precinct up-
grade project.Transport for Cape Town (TCT) is
spending approximately R103 million on the
first phase of about 1 000 metres from Strand
Pavilion to Da Gama Street.
For further work to be done, the City has
had to close a stretch of Beach Road.The lane
closest to the sea will be closed to traffic until
15 December this year.
The first section of the refurbished sea wall
consists of about 600 L-shaped precast concrete
wall units. Each unit is placed onto a founda-
tion designed to support its weight, which
amounts to a hefty 14 to 16 tons.
The refurbishment is challenging.The site
has to be de-watered before excavations can
start and a pump is running 24/7 to keep the
working area dry.This is no simple task, and
contractors are working as fast as they can.
New irrigation, street lights and street furni-
ture are also being installed.A 5 m-wide prom-
enade will be created along the seaside in
Beach Road, stretching from the lifesaving club
in the west to Greenways in the east.
Where needed, broad steps will be con-
structed from the road level to the promenade
level.Trees will be planted and the boulevard
paved. By the end of the project, only about
800 mm of the concrete wall will be visible
above the promenade level.
TCT will limit the impact of the construction
activities as far as they can, but road users are
advised to try to avoid this section of Beach
Road where possible.
Upgrades in action:
Pictured at the new
wall along the Strand
beachfront are, from
left,Transport for
Cape Town’s Pierre
Roux, Professional
Officer: Catchment
Planning Region 1;
Ben de Wet, Head:
Catchment Planning
Region 1, and Barrie
Barnard, Regional
Manager: Projects,
with Environmental
Resource Manage-
ment colleagues
Natalie Newman and
Stephanie Coetzee.
Directorates are on disability target
Eight City directorates have received a
Certificate of Achievement award from
Executive Mayor Patricia de Lille and City
Manager Achmat Ebrahim for reaching the
2% target of their workforce being people
with disabilities.
The awards are in recognition of an initia-
tive driven by the Employment Equity De-
partment within Corporate and Compliance
Services.The targets are determined by the
National Department of Labour in accor-
dance with the Employment Equity (EE) Act,
and progress is monitored monthly.
All eight City directorates had achieved
their equity targets by the end of June 2015.
They are City Health; Community Services
and Special Projects; Corporate Services and
Compliance; Energy, Environ-
mental and Spatial Planning;
Finance; Human Settlements;
Social Development and Early
Childhood Development, and
the Office of the City Manager.
According to the 2011 cen-
sus, 7,5% of South Africa’s popu-
lation, or 2,9 million people, are
living with disabilities.
The EE Act describes people with disabili-
ties as “people who have a long-term or re-
curring physical or mental impairment
which substantially limits their prospects of
entry into, or advancement in, employment”.
One of the award recipients, the Social
Development and Early Childhood Develop-
ment Directorate (SDECD), exceeded its 2%
target by 0,5%.
“We are proud that the SDECD has sur-
passed its target and been awarded a Certifi-
cate of Achievement.We hope this will
encourage the City’s directorates to comply
with the aims outlined in the
Employment Equity Act,”
says Ernest Sass,Acting Ex-
ecutive Director of SDECD.
Equality in action: Ernest Sass,
Acting Executive Director of the
Social Development and Early
Childhood Development Direc-
torate, with the award received
for meeting its target in respect of
employing people with disabilities.
A wall to beat the weather in Strand

┃ W I N N I N G W AY S ┃
Exceptional efforts for job creation
Directorates across the board are making outstanding progress in the implementation of the
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) thanks to the dedication of the project’s various
coordinators. A number of EPWP teams were honoured in July.
An A+ report,
but every drop
still counts
The programmes in place in Cape Town
to promote more efficient use of water
have received an impressive 95% No
Drop score from the National Department
of Water and Sanitation’s assessment for
2014.There is however room for im-
provement in terms of the amount of
water used daily per person in the city.
The No Drop programme has a simi-
lar framework to the Blue Drop and
Green Drop assessments, and aims to en-
courage progress in water-use efficiency
and preventing water losses.
This report assesses usage patterns,
the City’s water planning, and its expert-
ise and monitoring of programmes that
support the sustainable use of water.
Some of the points from the report
are as follows:
• The No Drop score of 95% indicates
that the City knows its status and has
the required processes, systems and
plans in place to manage water losses
and non-revenue water.
• Monthly and annual water balances
are in place and were well presented.
Historic water-balance trend data
were used to verify and adjust the
data set accordingly.A comprehen-
sive water demand management
strategy is in place and is reflected in
the Integrated Development Plan.
• Water conservation and water de-
mand management programmes are
implemented on an ongoing basis.
Projects include pressure manage-
ment, pipe replacement, reuse and
metering as the main initiatives.
Movement against project timelines
was shown, including budget and re-
sponsible persons.
• An area of concern is water-use effi-
ciency – an average of 229,6 ℓ per
person per day – but this figure in-
cludes water supplied to external cus-
tomers. For water supplied internally,
this figure is 200 ℓ per person per
day. Measured against international
benchmarks, there is significant room
for improvement in this respect.
The City is pleased with this feedback,but
is concerned about the high daily usage.
While initiatives such as using effluent for
watering sports fields and parks can reduce
these figures,much of the power ulti-
mately lies in the hands of residents them-
selves.Please save every drop you can.
• Report water wastage to Water and
Sanitation on 0860 103 089, or the
SMS line on 31373. For information
on water restrictions and water-sav-
ings tips, visit www.capetown.gov.za.
Taking the pressure: The award-winning
pressure management system at Mandaly
helps reduce leaks.
A
n exceptionally high standard
of nominations marked this
year’s Expanded Public Works
Programme (EPWP) awards
held at Cape Town Civic Centre
on 12 July.The awards recognise staff and de-
partments for excelling in the implementation
of the EPWP during the 2015/16 financial year.
“Since 2011,the City has created 160 000
EPWP work opportunities,with more than R555
million in direct wages paid to EPWP workers,”
says Salome Sekgonyana,head of EPWP coordi-
nation in the Social Development and Early
Childhood Development Directorate (SDECD).
These wages have brought relief for poor
and unemployed residents, and although tem-
porary, the EPWP opportunities have increased
their employability through skills training.
Directorates entered 28 nominations in the
four categories of “Best Project Management
Team”, “Best People Developer Team”, “Best
Fostering the Community Team”, and “Unsung
Heroes”.
Empowering through innovation
The “Best Project Management Team” award
was based on the effective management of
projects of “great size, complexity or signifi-
cance”. Entries were also judged according to
the nominees’ use of resources, as well as
proactive problem-solving techniques.
Six entries were received for the infrastruc-
ture sector, which was won by the Ocean View
housing project. Seven nominations were en-
tered for the social sector, which was won by
the SDECD team (Northern District).Three nom-
inations were received for the environment and
social sector, which was won by the Kader
Asmal project team of the Energy, Environmen-
tal and Spatial Planning Directorate.
For the “People DeveloperTeam” category,
judges looked for teams that had empowered
employees by motivating,mentoring and sup-
porting them.Six nominations were received for
this category which was won by the street people
cleaning and rehabilitation project for all districts.
Building skills: The “Best Project Management
Team” award went to the Ocean View housing
project managers (right).The project provided
1 500 EPWP job opportunities over three years.
From left: Pauline Houniet, Madge George,
Clifton Carolus and Colleen Hannie.
Cape Town takes on the global resilience challenge
In May this year, Cape Town was selected to
join the100 Resilient Cities (100RC) pro-
gramme. Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foun-
dation, the programme chose 100 cities
across the globe to join an elite international
group proactively preparing to build re-
silience to social, economic and physical
challenges faced by urban environments.
Since its inception, members of the
100RC team and a panel of expert judges
reviewed over 1 000 applications from
prospective cities in three phases of the Re-
silient Cities Challenge.The first group of 32
cities was selected in December 2013, a sec-
ond group of 35 in 2014, and its final round
of winners in May this year. Cape Town was
chosen from among more than 325 appli-
cants – from 90 countries – on the basis of its
willingness, ability and need to become re-
silient in the face of future challenges.
“We selected Cape Town because of its
leaders’ commitment to resilience-building and
the innovative and proactive way they’ve been
thinking about the challenges the city faces,”
says 100RC president Michael Berkowitz.
Cape Town’s selection is not only a signifi-
cant honour, but will give the City the tools to
support a better Cape Town today, tomorrow
and for future generations.
As a member of 100RC,the City will gain ac-
cess to funding,expertise and other resources to
build resilience to 21st
-century challenges.
These challenges include chronic stresses
that weaken the fabric of a city,including unem-
ployment,inefficient public transport,endemic
crime and violence,drug and alcohol abuse,
and energy shortages and outages,as well as
acute shocks such as extreme weather events,
fires,floods,earthquakes and civil unrest.
Cape Town will be eligible for grant funding
to hire a chief resilience officer, who will lead
the resilience-building process and engage
Urban resilience
is the capacity
of individuals,
communities,
institutions,
businesses and
systems within a city
to survive, adapt and
grow, no matter what
kinds of chronic
stresses and acute
shocks they
experience.
stakeholders from government agencies, the
public and private sectors, and residents.
100RC partners offer tools and services
valued at over $180 million, at no direct cost
to members, in areas such as innovative fi-
nance, technology, infrastructure, land use,
and community and social resilience.
The population living in urban areas is
likely to grow from 50% today to 70% in
2050. Because of this, cities are vastly under-
prepared for rapid growth and natural and
man-made disasters.
The City views urban resilience as a core
factor in achieving its objectives of building
a safe, opportunity, caring, inclusive and
well-run city.
It is committed to building resilience to
urban challenges, particularly through ad-
dressing unemployment, which is one of the
factors that leaves households vulnerable to
social, environmental and economic shocks.
Jobs that help the environment: The Kader Asmal project team was awarded the “Best Project Management Team” award for
2016 in the environmental sector for their Green Jobs programme. From left: Sisanda Nuse, Heiner Riffel, Sabelo Memani,
Gillian Davids, Chandre Rhoda, Shireen Pieterse, Simone Petersen and Louise Stafford.
The award for “Fostering the Community
Team” was given to the team that had “made
the City a great place to work within the EPWP
environment”. Five nominations were received
for the category, and the winner was City Parks
of Mfuleni and Eerste River.
For the “Unsung Heroes” category, four
nominations were received and the judges de-
cided to select two worthy winners.They were
Colleen Hannie of Human Settlements, and
Michelle Gail Davids of Environmental Health.

City of Cape Town Contact issue 71_page 5

City of Cape Town Contact issue 71_page 5

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