CCID celebrates 20th anniversary

The City Central Improvement District management team, Kally Benito, Muneeb Hendricks, Sharon Sorour-Morris, Tasso Evangelinos, Pat Eddy and Stephen Willenburg.

Despite a tough year due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as a strained economic environment, the City Central Improvement District (CCID) boasted its 20th clean audit in a row at its annual general meeting.

CCID chair Rob Kane said the organisation had stood the test of time thanks to the principles that underpinned its operation, namely resilience, stability, a clear focus, decisive management and leadership.

Strong corporate governance and financial control had resulted in the organisation’s 20th clean consecutive audit, he said at the meeting last Monday, November 16, at The Box in Burg Street.

Mr Kane said the CCID’s mandate – to provide top-up services to ensure the CBD of Cape Town was safe, clean and open for business – had remained unchanged over two decades. However, the organisation had remained relevant to its community.

“The CCID had worked “incredibly hard” with its primary partners over two decades to stabilise the Cape Town central city and transform it from the crime-and-grime scenario which existed 20 years ago – a scenario investors couldn’t wait to escape – to the CBD of today where the value of property was now R44 billion and where the total value of property investment into the CBD in 2019 was R13.8 billion.“

CEO Tasso Evangelinos, who also celebrates 20 years with the organisation, said the CCID’s anniversary was not only a celebration for the organisation but for the whole of Cape Town.

CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos receiving a 20-year award from CCID chairperson Rob Kane

“Maintaining this success this year during the pandemic has placed huge demands on our organisation but we rose to the challenge from the get-go and were prepared to face the ultimate test, swiftly adapting our operational strategies and continuing to deliver on our mandate of keeping the city centre safe, clean, caring – especially during the lockdown levels when it was not open for business.”

During the 2019/2020 financial year, CCID department’s made 392 arrests with Cape Town Central police and law enforcement; removed 783 tons of litter and waste and 33 tons of illegal dumping from the CBD’s streets; and made 404 road maintenance repairs.

Fines worth R4.6 million were issued by the CCID funded law enforcement officers.

The social development department engaged with 2 332 homeless people, with 203 adults placed in shelters, 64 taken to health care facilities, 184 referred to secondary organisations and 127 people transported back to their homes.