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STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR WATER AND WASTE, COUNCILLOR XANTHEA LIMBERG
The City’s Water Strategy was approved by Council. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure that Cape Town becomes more resilient to future droughts.
In 2017, dam levels turned at approximately 19% prior to winter rainfall, and in 2018, they turned at 20%. It was thus necessary to plan for the worst. The unprecedented drought tested the resilience of our city.
The events of the past 24 months made for a steep learning curve, in which all Capetonians found themselves uncomfortably close to the reality of what climate change looks and feels like. While many cities across the globe have found themselves perilously close to running out of water, or indeed having run completely out of water, Cape Town collectively picked up the mantle and put up a champion fight against a savagely unrelenting drought. The battle was fierce and captured the world’s imagination. Thus, quite battered and sporting more than a few bruises, Cape Town became the somewhat reluctant superstar of international water saving efforts.
With ‘nothing to gain and nothing to lose’ for the Springbok Sevens team at the HSBC Paris Sevens at the Stade Jean-Bouin this weekend, Blitzbok coach Neil Powell is hopeful that the high standards they have, will deliver a positive result.
The Blitzboks are defending champions in France, but with Olympic qualification achieved, some could argue that there is not much to play for this weekend in the final of 10 tournaments on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
But Powell doesn’t agree.
“It is all about our standards,” said Powell.
“We cannot improve on our fourth spot and we cannot go down to five. It reminds me a bit of two years ago, when we had the World Series won with one tournament to go. Back then, we did not perform that well results-wise so we are keen to change that this weekend.
“We did not have the best of weekends in London, and we would like to change that around here in Paris. The players are very keen to go out there and improve on that.”
The coach shared a bit of his tactical thinking for the weekend, where he is keen to try some new combinations, amongst others.
STATEMENT BY MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES AND HEALTH, COUNCILLOR ZAHID BADROODIEN
Following the devastating fire at the Ikhwezi Clinic in Nomzamo, Strand, I have liaised with the Executive Mayor and secured a R50 000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest and successful conviction of those responsible for the apparent arson attack.
The Fire and Rescue Service responded to an alert at approximately 02:30 this morning, and extinguished the fire just after 04:00.
There has been extensive damage to the roof and the clinic interior, including the pharmacy and records room, where patient folders are kept.
Initial damage estimates put the cost of repairs at R10 million, but this could well change.
Founders Factory Africa (FFA) is excited to announce the selection and investment into their first five fintech startup businesses in Africa.
Founders Factory Africa is a South African company operating across Africa delivering a corporate-backed accelerator and incubator. It is building and scaling 140 tech-based startups across four sectors over the next five years. In October 2018, Standard Bank was the first investor into Founders Factory Africa, with fintech as its strategic sector.
Within the first few months of its launch, Founders Factory Africa received over 500 applications from leading fintech entrepreneurs across the continent. After a rigorous screening and selection process, five businesses from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda were selected.
The five businesses are:
Schoolable (Nigeria) – A school financing solution that collects money from parents and provides it to schools, with the ambition of providing credit to both parties in the future. Currently, the company has launched its software as a service (SaaS) platform and is building the technology that leverages the data created by schools and their interactions with stakeholders.
There are a number of changes to the DHL Western Province team to face the Toyota Free State XV in their SuperSport Rugby Challenge encounter in Port Elizabeth on Sunday.
DHL Western Province will be looking to make it six consecutive wins this season when they face the Free State side on neutral ground at the Wolfson Stadium, with kick-off at 12h30 on Sunday.
There are three changes to the backline, with David Brits coming into the midfield, EW Viljoen shifting to inside centre and left wing Edwill van der Merwe back this week.
There is an all-new loose trio with Chris Massyn moving to No.8 and Nama Xaba and Ben-Jason Dixon on the flanks. The lock pairing of Jordan Sesink-Clee and Brandon Valentyn is also a new combination.
In the front row tighthead prop Neethling Fouche comes in, with Michael Kumbirai on the replacements bench along with Brendon Esterhuizen and fit-again backs Paul de Wet and Tristan Leyds.
Council approved a three-year agreement between the City of Cape Town and Cape Town Tourism for in-destination and visitor services, tourism marketing and special City projects, until 2022. Read more below:
This holistic agreement affords Cape Town Tourism a period of continuity to focus on and execute areas of the revised Tourism Development Framework (TDF).
The strategy sets out five new focus areas that include ensuring visitor comfort, improving and diversifying products and experiences, stimulating demand, generating community involvement and benefit, and organising for growth.
‘My immediate priority is to oversee the implementation of the TDF with our partner Cape Town Tourism and the tourism industry, to facilitate sustainable job creation in a depressed economic climate. This will help to establish ‘tourism-preneurs’ while transforming the tourism landscape in Cape Town into a thriving tourism business ecosystem that drives demand,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos.
Currently, the tourism economy in Cape Town sustains around 150 000 jobs in total, making it the sector with the highest growth and employment potential. Continue reading
