Tag Archive for: Parow East Industrial City Improvement District

AGM 2024 Save the Date

As the year progresses, we invite all stakeholders to join us for Parow East Industrial 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: Resolutions presented at the AGM can only be voted on by bonafide members. All non-members wishing to take part must be registered before Thursday, 10 October 2024.

AGM Details

Date: Monday, 21 October 2024
Time: 15:00
Venue: Diesel-Electric, 27 Jones Street, Parow East, Cape Town, 7500

RSVP to info@peicid.co.za.

Update to Our CID FAQs

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.

For a comprehensive look, visit our FAQ page.

Here are some key updates:

  • What is a CID? A defined area where property owners contribute additional rates for supplementary services.
  • Types of Services Provided: Public safety, cleansing, infrastructure maintenance, and environmental projects.
  • How CIDs are Formed: A community-driven process with input from property owners.
  • CID Benefits: Increased safety, improved urban management, and enhanced property values.
  • 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

For more information, visit our FAQ page.

Meet our Parow East Industrial City Improvement District Manager!

Daneel Kotze is excited to be at the helm of Parow East Industrial CID, dedicated to enhancing the area for businesses and residents. Daneel is focused on driving positive change and ensuring a safe and thriving environment.

Daneel can be contacted directly on 084 743 8030 or at peicid@geocentric.co.za.
General CID enquiries can be directed to info@peicid.co.za.
For Public Safety Emergencies, contact our 24-hour control room on 021 565 0900.

For other important contact numbers, visit our contact page.

Q1 Review, Winter Preparation & Wheelie Bin Safety

As we move into the cooler months, we’re looking back and highlighting the efforts made during Q1 to keep the Parow East Industrial City Improvement District a safe and clean place to live, work and visit. At this time, we also start preparing for winter with all the necessary maintenance to public space, and we ask you to take care of your property and business by doing the same. Lastly, we offer our safety tips for your wheelie bin, which can become a security hazard, especially as our daylight hours decrease.

Looking back at Q1

For Quarter One 2024, we focused on maintaining a safe environment through our security initiatives, which include ensuring bin-pickers and loiterers are monitored and dealt with.  Additionally, the Parow East Industrial City Improvement District’s cleanliness was a priority, with our cleaning services ensuring a well-maintained space through initiatives such as emptying public bins on time and cleaning public gutters when needed. You can learn more about what we accomplished this quarter below.

On the ground report from our CID manager

Our CID manager reports that there has been a focus on repairing infrastructure this quarter.

“The City of Cape Town did repairs on the streetlights in Parow East Industrial. Geocentric accompanied them
throughout the entire process to ensure all lights were functional.”

wheelie bin safety + how to replace your wheelie bin

Wheelie Bin Safety

Learn how to keep your wheelie bin and property safe, or replace a lost bin, with these helpful tips.

Keeping your wheelie bin secure benefits both you and the community. Clearly marking your bin with your house number or address increases the chances of its safe return if it gets misplaced. But security goes beyond just the bin itself. To ensure your overall safety, be mindful of what you throw away. Avoid discarding medication bottles with your name or address visible. Shred any personal documents before disposal to prevent identity theft.

Bin placement also plays a role in security. Leaving your wheelie bin too close to walls or fences creates a potential climbing aid for trespassers. Ideally, store your bin in a designated area, like a garage or shed, whenever possible. If not, position it in a well-lit, open area away from fences and walls. By following these simple tips, you can keep your wheelie bin secure and reduce potential security risks around your property.

Winter Readiness

The crisp air and cosy vibes of winter are fast approaching, but so are the challenges of rain, wind and potential disruptions. Don’t get caught off guard! We’ve got you covered with essential tips to navigate the season seamlessly. 

From keeping your property prepared and business functioning smoothly, to staying safe on the roads, these handy suggestions will help you embrace the winter flow. 

Welcoming 2024 – Let’s Create A Better Parow East Industrial Together

Working together with residents, local businesses and urban management specialists to create a rich urban environment where the Parow East Industrial community can thrive, we – the Parow East Industrial City Improvement District – welcome 2024 with the new challenges and opportunities it will provide. Together with the City of Cape Town, our partners, outreach initiatives and you, we will continue to strive towards reinvigorating our urban environment.

Aligned in our collective mission, we are committed to cultivating a thriving urban ecosystem that is safe, accessible and inviting to all the workers, visitors and community members of our district. We are unwavering in our commitment to the property and business owners of our area and intend to consolidate and elevate our services based on the successes of last year.

Please feel free to contact us at any time with queries or concerns and be reminded of our 24-hour security control room number for public safety incidents.

For Public Safety Emergencies Contact

24-hour Geocentric Control Room: 021 565 0900

Let’s embark on this journey together, embracing the challenges and opportunities that 2024 presents, as we collectively shape the future of our Parow East community. Together we can create a stable, safe, clean area that is prosperous for our community both economically and socially.

Safety & Fire During the Hot, Dry and Windy Cape Town Summer Months

Cape Town fire season occurs from November through May. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe.

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.

By 18 January 2024, there had been a total of 22 new fire incidents, with SANParks firefighting teams demonstrating swift response and effective containment. This influx has occurred particularly in the southern section of Table Mountain National Park, in Kalk Bay, Oceanview and Red Hill areas, as well as in the north of the park, in the Signal Hill and Pipe Track areas, posing significant risk to the communities living adjacent to the park, particularly with hot temperatures and strong wind conditions being experienced.

Fire Safety Precautions & Interventions

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. 

Home and work checklist for fire safety

  • Always have a “grab bag” with your important documents in it such as birth certificates and passports.
  • Make sure that all your insurance documents and other important documentation are backed up securely to the cloud.
  • Assign tasks to family members or staff such as placing pets or kids in the car and driving them to safety at a friend’s house out of smoke danger.
  • 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.
  • Wetting the roof and gutters can stop hot ash from burning the roof.
  • Keep grass cut as short grass helps slow down fire.
  • Keep a hose pipe rolled up and ready to put out fires.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher in kitchens and train staff or family members how to use it.
  • If you volunteer on the mountain in a wildfire, take a spade  –  this helps to beat out fire or throw sand on smouldering grass tufts.
  • Always remember, your safety is first and if you are not properly trained, call for assistance. 

Each year, the City of Cape Town’s Fire and Rescue Service contracts the use of two Huey helicopters and a Cessna 182 spotter plane to support its firefighting efforts. These aircraft allow for mountain wildfires to be combated in inaccessible areas that pose a serious risk to property and life.

For the first time since using the aerial appliances, they are now branded this season, clearly identifiable as City resources.

Emergency & Contact information

Fire and Rescue Service Department

24-hour emergencies:

Telephone: 107 (landline) or 021 480 7700 (cellphone)

General fire safety enquiries:

Telephone: 021 590 1971 / 021 590 1975

To report a fire in the Table Mountain National Park

Please call:

  • Hotline: 086 110 6417 or
  • The City’s Regional Fire Control No: (021) 590 1900
  • Newlands Fire Base: Tel: +27(0) 21 689 7438

Fire Prevention Tips

There are simple preventatives we can all pay heed to – such as not lighting a fire or braai on a hot and windy day, and never extinguishing a cigarette out of doors, such as out of a car window, in grass or when hiking.

For property owners, 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. 

Other interventions that you can implement on a larger scale include considering your construction materials if you are remodelling and supplementing them for fire-resistant alternatives. You should also ensure full continued compliance with all local and national fire safety codes and think about installing fire protection systems such as overhead sprinklers. 

Unfortunately, despite all the precautions, a fire can happen to any size business at any time. That is why protecting your employees and your property should be a top priority. Following the above steps will help you avoid any fires breaking out and minimise fire-related damages. While there may be no such thing as truly “fireproof,” these guidelines are an excellent starting point for safeguarding your business. 

Resources

Western Cape Government

City of Cape Town

Sanparks

Facebook

Parow East Industrial City Improvement District 2023 Roundup

It’s been another year of successes and tackling challenges head-on for the Parow East Industrial City 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 Parow East as a thriving business hub.

Our CID 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 general area improvement areas across Parow East in 2023. These urban beautification projects will be continued throughout 2024, in line with the goal of continuously upgrading our community. 

2023 Parow East Industrial City Improvement District Stats

“Despite the challenges of a struggling economy, ongoing load shedding and higher fuel prices, the aim of the PEICID remained focussed on delivering top-up services to the public spaces of Parow East throughout the year,” says Gene Lohrentz of Geocentric Urban Management, tasked with the delivery of our City Improvement District services.

The PEICID 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 PEICID 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.

AGM Save the Date & spring update from PEICID

This October, we hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM 2023) to review the year’s activities and begin our planning for 2024/25. We hope all our members can attend. Non-members still have time to register. The new City of Cape Town CID by-law and policy came into effect on 1 July and that is available to view online.

Our CID has undertaken several urban upgrade projects, including the establishment of the CCTV network over the last year and updating our roads with proper road markings to aid in regulating traffic and managing parking.

Lastly, the recent bout of storms and cold fronts experienced in the Cape have certainly added to the work of the CIDs, in particular in the way of road maintenance and fallen trees. We’d like to remind you at this time to assist us in providing effective service by logging a service request for any faults encountered.

Read more below.

AGM Save the Date_PEICID

Our AGM is coming up

All stakeholders are invited to a review of the year’s activities and planning for 2024/25.

Resolutions presented at the AGM can only be voted for by bonafide members. All non-members wishing to take part must be registered before 12 October.

View all AGM documents here.

AGM Details

Monday, 23 October 2023, 15:00
Diesel-Electric, 27 Jones Street, Parow East
RSVP to info@peicid.co.za

Road markings for Parow East

For any City Improvement District, it is important to maintain a well-managed area that includes proper road markings to regulate traffic and parking. This is all part of creating a well-managed area that is inviting to do business in, contributing to the long-term economic success of the business district.

Road markings are also important in order for Law Enforcement and Traffic services to be able to issue tickets and manage the proper enforcement of the rules of the road.

Our CID has recently added all the correct road markings to Duminy Street (above and bottom) and Railway Street (below) in the PEICID area.

PECID road markings

New CID By-law Policy

The new CID by-law policy came into effect from 1 July, which serves “To provide for the establishment of City Improvement Districts; to provide for additional rates; and to provide for matters incidental thereto.”

The City of Cape Town’s by-law and policy regarding the establishment and management of City Improvement Districts has gone through several iterations over the years since the concept of a CID was first tested in the year 2000.

The latest revisions of the by-law and policy comes as more than 50 CIDs are now in operation.

The by-law is available to download online here at openbylaws.org.za.

CCTV Network for PEICID

The PEICID has always operated as a relatively small City Improvement District (CID) with limited financial resources.

Our long-term safety officer and patrol network was always going to be limited, and so Geocentric, the management company for the CID, acknowledged the necessity for a deterrent against criminal activities like attempted cable theft and damage to public infrastructure in the form of a security camera network. In order to implement a CCTV network, the CID had to work very carefully to create a plan that could be accommodated by the budget.

Even though the CID was operationally active from 1 July 2022, the CID was only fully implemented four months later. The money collected from the property owners for those first four months was accumulated in order to create the capital fund with which the camera network was implemented.

More than 20 CCTV cameras have been implemented throughout several strategic locations both within and on the boundary of the CID. There are both pan-tilt zoom camera, which are monitored in the control room, as well as static CCTV cameras equipped with artificial intelligence for human detection.

These latter cameras have been placed specifically along the boundary area, which is vulnerable to criminal activity along the railway reserve and the road reserve to the south and to the east of the improvement district. Whenever these cameras detect human movement during late-night and early-morning hours, an alert is triggered. This alert is then shared with our public safety provider’s control room and their patrol vehicles, which actively participate in patrolling the area as part of their routine neighborhood patrols. In that way, this collaborative approach means that whoever is on patrol that night, receives the alert first and has resources readily available, is able to investigate the movement and ascertain if there is any criminal activity involved.

Using the combination of strategic planning of the budget over four months, along with the implementation of both types of cameras – the static being lower cost both financially and in human resources – we were able to implement the CCTV network fairly quickly and effectively and be able to protect the area long-term with this investment.

Logging a service request with the City

You too can assist with urban management and the growing number of faults and service requests that the City and our CID deal with on a daily basis. By reporting water and electricity faults and other maintenance requirements such as potholes, missing road signs or blocked stormwater drains, through the correct channels, we and the City are able to attend to these service requests and log their status in an effective way.

There are multiple channels through which you can do this – the easiest being the online portal at capetown.gov.za/servicerequests, which is also now available in the City of Cape Town mobile app.

View all the steps to log a service request on the flyers below.

First quarter 2023 updates + Meet the PEICID manager

2023 is well underway and as we embark on a year set to take our Parow East Industrial City Improvement District to new heights, we introduce you to our manager and share some important reminders from PEICID and the City.

As always, our focus remains on developing a safe, accessible and welcoming urban ecosystem for all workers, visitors and community members in our district. We are firmly committed to supporting the property and business owners in our locality, and our aim is to build upon last year’s successes by strengthening and enhancing our services.

Meet our Parow East Industrial City Improvement District manager!

Read more