As we head into the colder months, we’re preparing you with some winter readiness tips to keep both yourself and your property safe.
Additionally, we share some tips on keeping your wheelie bin safe so that you know it’ll always find its way back home, as well as some exciting news about a greening initiative being run in Woodstock.
And, we share some recent updates from our WID manager on their operational achievements in the CID.
Cape Town is notoriously prone to wildfires that occur in natural vegetation when it is hot and dry in the summer months, which coincide with the windy season – creating ideal conditions for wildfires to occur and quickly get out of control. This season has already been earmarked to be the worst fire season in 8 years.
Cape Town fires are particularly common in the Table Mountain National Park due to the natural conditions in our fynbos ecosystem. But, homes and businesses are not exempt from danger, as any fire can spread quickly and far – up to tens of kilometres from the source. It is most important to keep your home, family and business safe, protecting life and property, as our urban living spaces share a boundary with the national parks in many parts of Cape Town and the Western Cape.
In Cape Town, there are various organisations in place to manage fire safety and interventions that should be taken, both to avoid fire and to control it when it happens.
Continue readingIt’s been another year of successes and tackling challenges head-on for the Woodstock Improvement District. As part of our renewed commitment to public safety and urban cleaning and management, we persist in leading the way toward the continuous improvement of Woodstock as a thriving residential and business hub.
Our team has increased their presence on the ground, resulting in improved statistics across the board for 2023. We’ve driven more kilometres in our patrol vehicles, engaged with more members of the public and attended to more service requests and urban defects than ever before. We’ll continue with this increased presence in the community in 2024 and the years beyond.
This year, with 51 CIDs now in operation in the City of Cape Town, the new CID by-law and policy has come into effect. Geocentric, who has now been working with city improvement district initiatives for more than 2 decades, is proud to be responsible for over 25% of the total CIDs in operation.
In addition to taking care of the public’s safety and urban cleaning, our CID placed a focus on greening areas across Woodstock in 2023. These urban beautification projects will be continued throughout 2024, in line with the goal of continuously upgrading our community.
“Despite the challenges of a struggling economy, ongoing load shedding and higher fuel prices, the aim of the Woodstock Improvement District remained focussed on delivering top-up services to the public spaces of Woodstock throughout the year,” says Gene Lohrentz of Geocentric Urban Management, tasked with the delivery of the WID services.
The WID Board and Geocentric management team is committed to finding innovative, efficient and cost-effective ways to continue delivering on the vision for a safer, cleaner, well-maintained and vibrant Woodstock. We look forward to more opportunities to make a tangible difference in 2024.
As the festive season approaches, it is essential to prioritise safety at this time, as crime, accidents and fire hazards are usually on the rise during the holiday period.
Being mindful of potential risks and hazards can help safeguard you, your business and your property – from road safety considerations to vigilance against petty crimes in crowded business premises to more serious crimes such as hijacking and robbery.
Along with keeping your personal safety in mind, if you are a business owner, it is imperative to be vigilant and proactive in implementing strategies that protect your assets, property and staff during the busiest time of year.
Prevention is better than cure. That’s why we urge property and business owners to make every effort to prepare their properties, businesses, staff and themselves against opportunists and criminals with our safety tips below:
Continue readingAs the chilly and wet winter season approaches, it’s time to prepare ourselves for the unique challenges and delights that it brings.
From the brisk air to the rain-soaked streets, Cape Town winter demands our attention and readiness. Here, we explore practical tips to help you navigate the winter months with ease. From maintaining your home and business’ functionality to prioritising safety on the roads, these essential suggestions will ensure you’re well-prepared to go with the flow this winter. Let’s dive in and discover how to make the most of the wet season while keeping everything running smoothly.
2023 is well underway and as we embark on a year set to take our Woodstock Improvement District to new heights, we introduce you to our core team and share some important reminders from WID and the City.
2022 has been a year for celebrating successes for Woodstock Improvement District and tackling new and ongoing challenges. With our new five-year business plan term commencing in July 2022 we renew our commitment to providing top-up services to the City of Cape Town with a special focus on public safety, urban cleaning and management, continuing to lead the charge in the continual improvement of Woodstock as a residential and business area.
As we round up 2022 following our recent AGM held in November, we recap on the year’s work, successes and statistics.
Woodstock Improvement District’s achievements of the last year are a testament to the team’s commitment, experience and increased on-the-ground presence – led by the capable hands of Geocentric, who have been working with city improvement district initiatives since 2001 and responsible for a total of thirteen of Cape Town’s improvement districts from Salt River through to Strand, Tyger Valley and Wynberg.
“The rollercoasting aftermath of Covid lockdowns steadily calmed down in 2022, yet conditions remained difficult as significant increases in the cost of living and the continuous challenges of load-shedding remained at the forefront,” says Gene Lohrentz, director of Geocentric.
“In the face of these new challenges, the WID board and management team have remained steadfast in our commitment to providing high-quality top-up services in Woodstock. Embracing and implementing adaptability into our vision now seems entrenched in our day-to-day operations as well as our strategic thinking.”
Rounding up the financial year, Woodstock 2022 has seen some great results from WID, our city improvement district.
The Woodstock Improvement District works together with residents, local businesses and urban management specialists to create a rich urban environment where the Woodstock community can thrive.
Together with the City’s Cleansing Department and the SAPS, we provide public safety and urban cleansing services to boost the sanitation and safety of the Woodstock area. View Woodstock 2022 Map
Working towards our most important goals – public safety, cleaning and urban management – here are some of our achievements for the last quarter of 2022.
Visit our Contact page for more details and our About page for more information about WID.
Visit capetown.gov.za for more City of Cape Town Emergency Numbers.
Did you know? Annually, over 180 000 tons of waste are cleared from illegal dumping hot spots! That costs the city, and you as the taxpayer, a staggering R350 million a year just in clean-up. In other words, cleaning illegal dumping costs 20 times more than collecting waste from wheelie bins. That is why to create a clean, healthy and safe community we take our work tackling illegal dumping very seriously.
“Illegal dumping is a severe problem that puts our community at risk of injury and illness and pollutes our ecosystem. In addition, illegal dumpsites can serve as magnets for other criminal activities,” says Gene Lohrentz, CEO of urban management company Geocentric.
The saying goes that ‘Great floods flow from simple sources’. As we prepare for the harshness of the howling gales and pelting rain that make up Cape Town storms, we couldn’t agree more. Many of us are even more conscious now of the pivotal role that winter preparation plays in city management – and what the lack of it can look like – in the aftermath of the 2022 KZN floods.
“A combination of terrain challenges, insufficient or ill-maintained infrastructure and increased population density are the main contributors to flooding problems,” says Gene Lohrentz, CEO of urban management company Geocentric, and current management team of the Woodstock Improvement District.
The Board of the WID has taken the initiative to extend the CCTV camera network of the WID. The proposed intervention will focus on supporting the current public safety and urban management activities thereby contributing to securing the area and driving incidents of crime down.
The project will focus on the implementation of additional Static and PTZ cameras.
The detailed Request for Proposal document can be found here.
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