As 2024 draws to a close, the Elsie’s River City Improvement District celebrates a year of notable achievements in making our area a cleaner, safer and more vibrant community. And, we share our festive season safety tips for businesses and all those going on holiday this season.
2024 in review – efficient service delivery in urban cleaning.
Urban Cleaning Success
This year, our urban cleaning and management efforts have continued to be a priority across our City Improvement District. Thanks to the tireless work of our team, our streets and public spaces remain clean and well maintained. Improved waste management, rapid response to urban defects, and efficient service delivery have all contributed to creating a cleaner environment for residents and businesses.
Looking Ahead
“Despite a tough economic climate, rising costs and ongoing service delivery challenges, we’ve stayed focused on delivering high-quality services,” says Gene Lohrentz, Managing Director of Geocentric Urban Management. “The achievements in urban cleaning and continual focus on crime prevention in deploying ever more safety officers this year are a testament to this commitment. We’re eager to continue this momentum into 2025.”
Geocentric, a partner in managing CIDs for 15 years, proudly oversees 13 of the 54 City Improvement Districts (CIDs).
Our Board and Geocentric management team are dedicated to innovative and effective approaches to service delivery, ensuring our district remains a thriving, inclusive community for all. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in these endeavours. Here’s to a safe, clean and prosperous 2025!
As the year progresses, we invite all stakeholders to join us for Elsies River City Improvement District’s Annual General Meeting (AGM 2024). This is a vital opportunity to reflect on our achievements over the past year and begin planning for 2025/26. Details below.
This year, we have worked on revising our Frequently Asked Questions with the City, revisiting the official definitions of a City Improvement District to create a better understanding of the CIDs and how we work.
Read on for more.
Save the Date!
We are excited to announce that AGM 2024 is just around the corner. All stakeholders are welcome to participate as we review our progress and set the direction for the year ahead.
Please note: All non-members wishing to take part must be registered before Friday, 11 October 2024.
AGM Details
Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2024 Time: 15:00 Venue: Emplast, 40 Sixth Avenue, Elsies River, Cape Town, 7480
We’ve recently updated our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section, providing a detailed overview of City Improvement Districts (CIDs) in the City of Cape Town. This update covers how CIDs are formed, their regulatory framework, the benefits they offer property owners, and the types of services they provide. Additionally, it explains the different types of CIDs and the process for establishing one.
Do Property Owners Have a Say? Yes, all property owners can participate, but only registered members can vote at meetings like the AGM. Membership is required to have a vote.
Can my CID additional rates be spent anywhere in the City? No, it is ring-fenced to be ploughed back exclusively into the CID
Meet our Elsies River City Improvement District Manager!
Heinrich Cobus is passionate about improving the safety and development of Elsies River, ensuring that our community thrives. Heinrich is committed to making a positive impact on our CID.
It’s been another year of successes and tackling challenges head-on for the Elsies River 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 Elsie’s River as a thriving residential hub.
Our ERCID 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 Elsie’s River in 2023. These urban beautification projects will be continued throughout 2024, in line with the goal of continuously upgrading our community.
2023 Elsie’s River City Improvement DistrictStats
“Despite the challenges of a struggling economy, ongoing load shedding and higher fuel prices, the aim of the ERCID remained focussed on delivering top-up services to the public spaces of Elsie’s River throughout the year,” says Gene Lohrentz of Geocentric Urban Management, tasked with the delivery of our City Improvement District services.
The ERCID 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 community. We look forward to more opportunities to make a tangible difference in 2024.
Safety Tips for the Holiday Season
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:
Emergency Numbers
Quick access to relevant emergency numbers can be the difference between life and death. We have compiled a comprehensive list for you to save and share for easy access to these numbers.
Once again, our 24-hour security control room is always available for your public safety emergencies.
Whatsapp group info
If you’re interested in staying informed about our initiatives, as well as the newest developments in your improvement district, you can become a member of our ERCID business WhatsApp group by:
• Sending a WhatsApp message to 081 869 8911.
• You will need to include your Name and Surname or the name of your business
• You will need to include your street address, which should be within the boundary of the CID
• We will add you to the relevant CID Community Group
Rules and regulations for communicating will be stipulated in the group.
2022 has been a year for celebrating successes for Elsie’s River Improvement District and tackling new and ongoing challenges. 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 Elsie’s River 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.
Elsie’s River Improvement District at work, 2022
Elsie’s River 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 Elsie’s River board and management team have remained steadfast in our commitment to providing high-quality top-up services in Elsie’s River. Embracing and implementing adaptability into our vision now seems entrenched in our day-to-day operations as well as our strategic thinking.”
2022 Elsie’s River Improvement District stats
Stay safe this festive season
From increased fire hazards in Cape Town to countrywide holiday travel to seasonal crime spikes, there are many reasons to up our vigilance these summer months and to take the necessary precautions to stay safe.
Home and Work Checklist for Fire Safety
Ember-proofing any area, requires the removal of all flammable plants up to 7m from a building, as well as overhanging branches. Checking and cleaning gutters and roofing for debris is important too.
Always remember, your safety is first and if you are not properly trained, call for assistance.
Make sure that all your insurance documents and other important documentation are backed up securely to the cloud.
Assign tasks to staff and run fire drills so that everyone is prepared in an emergency.
If you need to stay and help fight fires, cover your head, nose and mouth and protect your eyes with goggles. Wear good shoes and gloves.
If you have access to water, wet the roof and gutters to stop hot ash from burning the roof.
Keep grass cut as short as possible as it helps slow the fire.
Keep a hose pipe rolled up and ready.
Keep fire extinguishers around that are regularly maintained and train your staff on how to use them safely and correctly.
Safety Tips To Prevent Property Crime
Ensure your property can be secured properly. This includes checking all locks, gates, doors, windows and roller shutters.
Ensure there are no gaps in your fence or perimeter wall or unintentional points of access to your business or home that may need additional security.
Make sure all bushes or trees close to your walls, gates and fences are trimmed, to avoid the possibility of intruders hiding or using them to access your property.
Adequate lighting around the perimeter of your property acts as a good deterrent
Connecting outdoor lights to timers and motion sensors act as an additional deterrent.
Have an alarm installed by a reputable security company with armed response.
The key to effective security lies in being able to detect a potential intruder before they gain access. Adding detection beams and sensors of electrical fences vastly contributes to property security
Ensure your alarm is in working order. Business and property owners should test their alarms at least once a month and should the system require servicing this should be arranged as early as possible.
Please ensure that all the key holder information is available and ensure that key holders are available and able to come out to the property should the alarm activate, and checking be required.
Don’t leave ladders, spades or tools outside as these can be excellent break-in tools.
Ensure that remote controls for automatic gates and garage doors are not left lying around.
Always be alert to vehicles or persons following you into your entrance or the parking area.
Road safety tips
Check your vehicle before travelling long distances – including tyre tread and pressure, oil and water, wind-screen wipers, headlights and brakelights and ensure your spare tyre, jack and emergency warning triangle are all intact and stored in your vehicle
Leave early to be prepared for road congestion during busy periods
Take breaks to avoid road fatigue which can cause accidents
Be aware of pedestrians particularly when passing broken down vehicles or public transport
If you are curious about the work we do and want to stay up to date with the latest developments in your improvement district, you will be able to join our ERCID business WhatsApp group by:
• Sending a WhatsApp message to 081 869 8911
• You will need to include your Name and Surname or the name of your business
• You will need to include your street address which should be within the boundary of the Elsie’s River Improvement District
• We will add you to the Elsie’s River Improvement District Community Group
Rules and regulations for communicating will be stipulated in the group.
We believe that you are an expert in your area and have seen the positive change we can make first-hand. You know better than anyone, where our precious resources are best spent and we value your contribution in helping us plan for future projects.
The legislative structure governing much of our work in your area is up for amendment. We hope that the proposed changes of making the processes of starting and running a CID more structured will improve the efficiency of CIDs citywide.
