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City Views: Cape Town as a mobile city, October 2012
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>> page 10&11
Taxi poetryin motion
>> page 4&5
Towards complete streets
Mobilityin the city
>> page 8&9
Cape Town as a
MOBILE CITY
CLEAN | SAFE | CARING
CITYVIEWSYOUR FREE CAPE TOWN CENTRAL CITY PAPER October 2012
Phot
o: L
isa
Bur
nell
about town 2 CityViews October 2012
SAFE: Our security interventions• Sponsored training for
15 trauma counsellors• Assisted 615 members of the
public• Attended to more
than 251 motor vehicle accidents
• Made 758 criminal arrests • Acted on 40 medical
call-outs• Issued R1.5-million in law
enforcement fi nes • Attended the IFSEC
international security conference in Birming-ham, UK
October 2012
October in Cape Town is transport month, so be sure to make the most
of this opportunity to explore different modes of moving around the CBD: Change your route into work, take the train, hop on a bus, learn to ride a bike. Take time to refl ect on how your mode of transport changes your experience of the space (and start by reading this month’s edition of City Views, focused on what moves the CBD and the people in it).
As you’re exploring the CBD, keep your eyes and your mind open to who and what you see there. In particular, let me en-courage you to think more care-fully about those who don’t just walk the streets, but live there.
10 October is World Homeless
Day, and an important opportu-nity to rethink your response to people living on the streets. Do you want to help, but don’t know how? Do you give R5 at the street corner, or buy some-one milk or a loaf of bread in-stead? Do you prefer to ignore the issue altogether?
As you’re reconsidering your response, I’d like to give you some more food for thought: What the CCID has found since focusing on social development issues in the city in a more sus-tained way, is that small change given on the street or at a traf-fi c light only feeds the cycle of aggressive begging, anti-social behaviour and substance abuse that further entrenches home-lessness and its stigmas.
The circumstances that force someone on to the streets – such as abuse, chronic illness, mental disability, or extreme poverty – can’t be fi xed with a R5 coin or even a R50 note. Someone who is homeless needs professional help, shelter, and an alternative to life on the street. The way you can make that possible is by giving to organisations who are already working with the homeless, and by helping them to do their job better. Many of these NGOs are in desperate need of skills, assistance and funding. Give your R5 or your R50 to these organisations, so they can give people living on the streets the right help at the right time. Give where it will make a difference.
If you’d like to know more about NGOs working with people living on the streets, visit www.capetowncid.co.za and contact our head of so-cial development, Pat Eddy, [email protected] or 021 419 1881.
Please keep giving, but give where it counts. Tasso EvangelinosCOO of the CCID
The Central City Improvement Dis-trict is a private-public partnership formed by the property owners of a defi ned geographical area to pro-vide top-up services over and above what the City of Cape Town provides. The CCID and its managing agent, the Cape Town Partnership, were formed when the City of Cape Town, the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA), the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other stakeholders came together to address issues of urban degeneration, disinvestment in the Central City and related social problems. The Central City’s rapid regeneration process has been built upon the strength and pillars of suc-cessful private-public partnerships at both operational and strategic levels, and a shared vision for a clean, safe and caring Cape Town CBD.
SAVE THESE NUMBERS ON YOUR PHONE
CCID Security Manager: 082 453 2942
CCID Deputy Security Manager: 082 442 2112
CCID 24-hour number: 082 415 7127
SAPS Control Room: 021 467 8002
Social Department:082 563 4289
CITYVIEWS
Reading City ViewsWe love knowing who our read-
ers are and what they think. If you enjoy your copy of City Views, why not mail a picture
of you reading it, wherever you love to read it (Your local coffee shop? On a street bench while people-watching?) telling us what you enjoyed most. If we
like it, we’ll run it. Get in touch: [email protected].
Telling your story in City Views
City Views does not sell advertis-ing or editorial space at this time. We are, however, always on the look out for city ownership sto-
ries: tales of people who love the CBD, who choose to live, work, study, invest, and play here. If you would like to be featured,
please send your story to [email protected]
for consideration. Please note that submission of a story doesn’t guarantee that it will be included.
Distributing City Views
If you’re an eager reader of City Views – and you know others
who would enjoy reading it too, consider becoming a dis-
tributor. All we need is your contact details, address and
how many copies you need each month. Or, if you would just like
to track down where you can obtain your FREE copy send an
email to Aziza Patandin on [email protected].
Central City snapshot
Published by:The Central City Improvement
District (CCID)
Editor:Judith Browne: 021 419 1881
ContributorsAlma Viviers
Ambre NicolsonHilary Alexander
Website:www.capetowncid.co.za
www.capetownpartnership.co.za
Design: Infestationwww.infestation.co.za
021 461 8601
Phot
o: L
isa
Bur
nell
A member of the CCID cleaning team sweeps the gutters of the Grand Parade
No small changeGive where it will make a difference
You would've seen CCID men and women in green and yellow, patrolling, sweeping and repairing the streets of the Central City: Here’s a quick snapshot of what they’ve done to keep the CBD clean, safe, caring and open for business between June and August 2012.
We are very excited to announce the launch of our brand new website. Visit www.capetowncid.co.za to connect with us, and explore our CBD via an interactive map that details where to shop, eat, stay, learn and visit with the click of a mouse.
I’m incredibly proud to announce that City Views recently scooped several awards: Not only did we re-ceive a merit award in the marketing and communica-tions category at the 2012 International Downtown Association’s Achievement Awards held in Minneapo-lis, but we also received certifi cates of merit at the 2012 SA Publication Forum in no less than fi ve categories: for excellence in writing, excellence in design and excellence in communication, as well as second runner-up for best newspaper and fi nalist for the best publication with limited resources.
The work of the Cape Town Partnership and CCID was also honoured with a merit award in the International Downtown Association leadership and management category.
PS:
“As you’re exploring the CBD, keep your eyes and your mind
open to who and what you see there. In particular, let me encourage you to
think more carefully about those who don’t just walk the streets,
but live there.”
Has the CCID changed your experience of the city in any way, big or small? Write to us and tell us about it.
CARING: Our social development initiatives• Distributed 1 000 care bags
and 500 new pairs of shoes to NGOs in the CBD
• Helped reunite 29 individuals with their families
• Assisted 7 individuals in need of medical attention and escorted them to hospital
• Referred 16 individuals to Straatwerk’s job creation programme
• Assisted 35 adults and referred them to various NGOs for services
CLEAN:Our urban management • Attended to 439 road defects • Issued R58 000 in fi nes for illegal
dumping (over 2.3 tons of waste dumped)
• Recycled 71% of 35 tons of waste collected
• Repaired 81 potholes• Completed 192 paving repairs• Repaired 56 road signs • Repaired 24 drains• Painted 42 road marking sites • Cleared 1 523 drains • Re-installed 11 bollards • Attended the ISSA Interclean
exhibition and conference in Amsterdam
Read the latest e-dition: www.capetownpartnership.co.za/city-views
Friend us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CityViewsCapeTown
Follow us on Twitter:@City_Views
CITY VIEWS ONLINE
3 about town October 2012 CityViews
The Civic Centre MyCiTi interchange is a vital tran
spo
rt no
de
Photo: Justin Patrick
A decent public transport service that is reliable and allows people to travel in a dignifi ed manner is abso-lutely essential – both in overcoming socio-economic barriers and in ensur-ing the economic functioning of the city. To date, the City of Cape Town has invested some R2.795-billion in a rapid transit system. City Views investigates the impact.By: Alma Viviers
3 October 2012
About two or three years ago, the number of pri-vately owned and reg-
istered motor vehicles in Cape Town exceeded 1-million. “That’s not a sustainable situation for the city,” says Councillor Brett Herron,
mayoral committee member for transport, roads and stormwater. “We can’t have our roads congest-ed with traffi c that doesn’t move. It is not good for the environment or for the liveability of the city. Livea-bility is one of the key success fac-tors of Cape Town – and to ensure that this continues to be the case, we need to stop that huge shift to private vehicles.”
Bus rapid transport (BRT) was chosen for Cape Town over the expansion of the rail system for a number of reasons: Although buses have the same headway advantage as rail – meaning that they run on a dedicated track – BRT makes use of existing roads and infrastructure. As such, Cape Town didn’t have the delay and added cost of needing to acquire new land.
In preparation for hosting the 2010 World Cup, national govern-ment made a huge push towards BRT, and provided most of the
funding: “Implementing BRT meant that the City of Cape Town gained access to a huge capital in-vestment, which in turn stimulat-ed the local economy – connecting people to economic opportunities and new growth corridors, and ultimately pumping R5-billion into the local economy over a fi ve-year period,” Brett explains.
The phase 1 rollout of MyCiTi – including Hout Bay, the inner city, Woodstock, Paarden Eiland, Milnerton, Montague Gardens, Century City, Dunoon, Table View, Melkbos, Atlantis and Mamre – started in 2009. This corridor fac-es some of the worst peak-period congestion levels, especially to the south and east of the bridges over Diep River.
The total budget for this phase is around R4.5-billion, including operating costs. The majority of the budget is capital expenditure on infrastructure: Preparing road-ways; building stations, buses and bus depots; and implementing a card payment system made up the bulk of infrastructure spend.
“The system and investment in it is heavily biased towards hard infrastructure – which ties into the infrastructure-led develop-ment philosophy that the City gov-ernment is pursuing,” Brett says. “We’re stimulating economic de-velopment through infrastructure development.”
The physical upgrades — such as improved sidewalks, landscaping and dignifi ed transit spaces, as well as new traffi c signals — are visible throughout the city. Private inves-tors are now realising that these up-grades – and proximity to transport systems – makes a location more desirable for residential and com-
mercial developments, resulting in secondary economic investments.
“We are seeing the economic impact on the West Coast: Almost every property development along this corridor uses its strate-gic location as a selling point. In Atlantis, where we are putting up the main station, the investment has catalysed other private devel-opment around it.”
Brett argues that there is a lot more to be done in drafting a transit-orientated development policy: “We need to fi nd a strat-egy for stimulating development along and around trunk routes and stations. This will allow us to bring opportunities to the people instead of trying to bring people to the opportunities. We can spread the opportunities around. High density and mixed land use along transport corridors supports the transport system in turn. We need transport corridors to be activity corridors.”
The increased desirability of the public transport system over time will hopefully result in continued expansion of the MyCiTi network. “The idea is not just to satisfy the current demand with a different mode of transport but rather to grow the desire for it, creating more investment opportunities with resulting opportunities for operators and employment.”
Your investment counts too: Every time you make use of public transport instead of a private car, you contribute to the sustainability of the public transport system, and to the economies that surround it.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Investing in
“Implementing BRT meant that the City of Cape
Town gained access to a huge capital
investment, which in turn stimulated the local economy
– connecting people to economic
opportunities and new growth
corridors, and ultimately pumping R5-billion into the
local economy over a fi ve-year period.”
Brett Herron
Phot
os: L
isa
Bur
nell
A MyCiTi station on Riebeeck Street under construction
The 2012 State of the Cape Town Central City Report was launched by the CCID in September, and contained some key facts and fi gures about what moves the Central City.
Did you know that:
88%88%
77.177.1 %%
of businesses interviewed believe
that MyCiTi makes the Central City a more
accessible place
2.6-millionMyCiTi has recorded over
2.6-millionpassenger trips on its routessince its launch in mid-2011
of pedestrians coming into the Central City use
public transport
Cape Town’s container terminal is the second largest container port in South Africa
8.5-million Nearly
8.5-million passengers passed through the Cape Town International Airport in 2011 on 21 different airlines
TRANSIT STATS
mobility
about town 4 CityViews October 2012
From Minneapolis to On-tario, Bogota to New York City, citizens are claiming
their streets in an unexpected way. On a regular basis – in the case of Bogota as often as every second Sunday – they’re closing key streets to motorised traffi c and opening them up as walk-ways, bike routes and commu-nity spaces.
During October the status quo of Cape Town streets will be simi-larly challenged, with an Open Streets initiative that will see roads closed to vehicular traf-fi c and opened to pedestrians, cyclists, joggers, skateboarders and more.
“The City of Cape Town really wants to promote the notion of sharing the road. Streets are not just for motorists – we want to en-courage people to take ownership and start enjoying streets as pub-lic spaces,” explains Councillor
Brett Herron. “We are using the initiative in transport month as a kind of test run to see if this is something that we can do on a more reg-
ular monthly basis. As a start, on Sunday 21 October, Victoria Road in Grassy Park between 5th Av-enue and Klip Road will be closed from 09h00 to 14h00 for a day of activities – in collaboration with organisations such as the Bicycle Empowerment Network, Pedal Power Association and Bicycle Cape Town.”
If the launch event is a success, Open Streets will become a regu-lar event, growing to connect more parts of Cape Town such as Woodstock and the Central City.
Towards greater transport integrationAnother highlight of transport month is the launch of the Trans-port Authority: “This is a major step for the City of Cape Town to say we’re the authority over all land-based transport in the city,” says Brett. “The Transport Au-thority’s mandate will be to en-sure that we have an integrated, seamless, intelligent and afford-able public transport network that is multi-nodal.”
He explains that MyCiTi has en-joyed a lot of attention because it is new and sexy, but the reality is that it is only one mode of trans-port – as such, the City is extend-ing their focus to rail as well as
the Golden Arrow Bus Service: “We are applying to national government for the contracting authority functions over Golden Arrow and Metrorail to be taken over by the City. Ridding the city of a fragmented public transport system is important and the vi-sion is that we will eventually be able to integrate timetables and ticketing, making sure that there are intelligent links at transport hubs, as well as setting stand-ards of service delivery and monitoring it.”
The change element Brett is also adamant that public transport can act as a catalyst for change in our city – that if Cape Town can begin to move in a more integrated manner, society can overcome its social and economic
barriers. Transport is absolutely es-sential to improving the quality of life for all citizens.
That’s why he’s eager to see a lot of work done on the integration of various transport modes by 2014 and would also like to see the infra-structure itself providing dignifi ed spaces where the people can con-nect. “Once we have created a de-sirable public transport system, we can begin to explore how we move people from private cars onto the system.”
Brett's also excited about how public transport will start to change his own life: “The MyCiTi feeder service will be running through Woodstock, where I live, in the coming months, and already, when I think about how it is going to change my own life, it is amaz-ing. I talk about this all the time and now 200 metres from my own house there will be a stop. Sudden-ly I can walk to the end of the street and I can get to Hout Bay and Blou-berg and the Waterfront without taking my car. I can go out at night and have a glass of wine without worrying about driving. It really is going to change my life and so I can only imagine how it’s going to change the lives of people who are captive users, who don’t have access to a car.”
Moonlight Mass is a monthly full moon cycle that takes place on the streets of Cape Town. Started by Daniel Graham and Elad Kirshenbaum, Moonlight Mass has quickly grown into a popular social outing. The next ride takes place on 29 October. See you at the Green Point circle at 21h00. www.moonlightmass.co.za
Critical Mass is a global movement with a local following: On the last Friday of every month cyclists gather en masse – at the Baxter theatre at 06h45, at the Salt River Circle at 07h00 and at the CTICC at 07h15 — for a casual cycle across Cape Town. www.ctbicyclecommuter.org
Crowd commuting is for cyclists in the Southern Suburbs who want to commute into the City Bowl
but need a little mutual support. Every Friday, the ride leaves at 07h00 from Main Road and Camp-ground in Claremont and cyclists can join in at vari-ous checkpoints along the way. The offi cial fi nish is the Cape Town Station, from which point you can disperse to your offi ce. The pace is easy and the ride is pretty fl at so there’s no need to feel intimidated. www.ctbicyclecommuter.org
The World Naked Bike Ride Cape Town is an annual cycle that takes place the day before the Cape Argus cycle tour (set for 10 March 2013) – and happens in varying state of undress as a way of highlighting the vulnerability of cyclists on the road. Go as bare as you dare.www.wnbr.co.za
October is transport month and City Views
spoke to mayoral committee member for
transport, roads and storm water, Councillor
Brett Herron about the notion of complete
streets, the launch of the Transport Authority and
why he is excited about MyCiTi.
By: Alma Viviers
“Streets are not just for motorists – we want to encourage
people to take ownership and start enjoying streets as
public spaces.”Brett Herron
Cycle city
The afternoon bus commute is part of many Capetonians' daily lives
Mass actions help create an awareness of cycling as a legitimate part of our everyday transport system
A city on the move
Phot
o: Ja
cque
s M
arai
s M
edia
Phot
o: Ju
stin
Pat
rick
5 about town October 2012 CityViews
Cities tend to reveal themselves best when you walk them. Whether it is the brisk march of a commuter or the slow saunter of a sightseeing tourist, navigating the city streets on foot holds the possibility of surprise encounters, urban adventures and meaningful connections.
If the City Council think the ex-periment went well, the parklet might be allowed to be re-erected from November to March 2013. Watch this space:
Clarke’s Diner 133 Bree Street T: 021 424 7648.www.clarkesdining.co.za
The pedestrian life
Phot
o: L
isa
Bur
nell
Zoom FootwearStep out in style with fashionable footwear from the Zoom outlet store, opening its doors at 2 Long Street.
T: 021 418 3966www.zoomfootwear.co.za
Ou Meul BakkeryPassers-by will be seduced by the smell of fresh pies and baking bread at the newly opened Ou Meul bakery on the corner of Long and Riebeeck Streets. This bakery forms part of the Ou Meul bakery group originally from Riviersonderend. “After years of having customers driving out on the N2 urging me to open a shop in the city, I fi nally did it. I married and moved to Cape Town and my wife literally works down the road, which is very convenient,” says owner Antonie Basson.
T: 082 374 6275www.oumeul.co.za
Merchants CaféMerchants on Long is expanding. The retailer is now opening the Merchants Café across the road at 33 Long Street, offering a variety of African cuisine from Ethiopian to Ghanaian for take-away and also hosting pop-up evening restaurants. “Our customers will not only be able to shop for great goods from Africa but also get a taste of the continent right here,” says Tammy Gibson. Merchants Café will open at the end of October.
T: 021 422 2828 www.merchantsonlong.com
Nedbank Nedbank has opened a new branch in the Central City at 148 Long Street next to Cape Gateway.
T: 021 480 3180www.nedbank.co.za
Love on Long
Love on Long is a coffee shop turned cocktail bar and lounge. Now you can sip you favourite classic cocktail at 210 on Long and fall in love with this great spot all over again.
T: 073 158 0354www.210onlong.co.za
Nova Initia Nova Initia is a new bistro-style coffee shop open at 210 on Long. “Opening a coffee shop has been a lifelong dream of mine,” says owner Hashemayah Hendricks. “Nova Initia means ‘new beginnings’ in Latin and really is a new and exciting venture for me.” You can expect affordable gourmet sandwiches and salads from this fully halal kitchen. Hashemayah, who comes from the catering industry, also offers take-away dinners and catering for functions.
T: 021 827 [email protected]
Jimmy Jimalo Bar & GrillStop by for a steak at the new Jimmy Jimalo Bar & Grill on Vredenburg Lane, just off Long Street. The relaxed spot will soon have couches and fl at screen TVs where you can catch your favourite sporting event. “This is a prime spot for a business like ours to be in,” says owner James Macadam. “The potential of the area and the good energy complements our fun new venture.”
T: 021 426 5338 www.facebook.com/JimmyJimaloRestaurantBar
The Long walk Long Street is the location of choice for several new retailers and restaurants in the Central City. By simply walking the length of the street you can shop for shoes, sample some of the best pies in town, have a cocktail and even do some banking.
WALKABLE CITY
Footsteps to Freedom offers a city walking tour that explores the dramatic history of Cape Town, using the bustling streets, old buildings, people and places as props for a story that includes Dutch and British rule, slavery and apartheid, freedom and democracy. T: 021 671 6878www.footstepstofreedom.co.za
Travel on foot
Park here
When last did you take a walking tour of Cape Town? You might just learn something new about old places and discover spots you never knew existed.
Parklets popped up all over Cape Town during Creative Week in September 2012. These temporary public spaces occupy a parking bay, making a strong statement about citizens reclaiming their streets from cars. City Views spoke to Lyndall Maunder, owner of popular Central City eatery Clarke’s, about why she chose to put up a parklet.
Why not host a personal walk-ing tour of the Central City for friends and family, and share some of your own discoveries and favourite spots in the city.
Walking is free and good for your health too
The experimental parklet at Clarke's might help pave the way for future parklets in the city
“We thought that the space in front of Clarke’s would be great for a parklet. The space isn’t actually a parking bay or load-ing zone but just this dead area that used to be part of the driveway of the bike shop that was here previously. So we cre-ated a public space where there wasn’t one before. It was very much about bringing people out onto the streets.”
Cape Town on Foot takes you on a 2.5-hour tour of a 17th century water reservoir and the historic Grand Parade via some incredible city architecture, murals, markets and landmarks, ending in the Bo-Kaap.T: 021 462 4252www.wanderlust.co.za
Coffeebeans Routes creates experi-ences around the stories of Cape Town, and offers a half-day inner city tour that includes new city developments, the Camissa Rivers, District Six Museum and the Bo-Kaap, with several local tasters along the way. T: 021 424 3572www.coffeebeansroutes.com
Phot
o: Ju
stin
Pat
rick
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green point
gardens
foreshore
central city
district six
vredehoek
the fringe
oranjezicht
bo-kaap
tamboerskloof
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1
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4
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RA
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SEARLE
SELWYN
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BASKET
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BROOK
FRANCISCHAPEL
ROGERHYDE
PONTAC
ASPELING
MOUNTAIN
WOODLANDS
PINE
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CAVENDISH
PLEIN
ABERDEEN
ADELAID
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VICTORIA WALK
HIGH
WARW
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EARL
NERINA
VICTORIA
M4
MELBOURNE
RAVENSCRAIG
CHURCH
CHURCH
NELSON M
ANDELA BOULEVARD
HELEN
SUZMAN BOULEVA
RD
green point
gardens
foreshore
central city
district six
vredehoek
the fringe
oranjezicht
bo-kaap
tamboerskloof
woodstock
MAPLE
GRANGER BAY BLVD
BREAKWATER BLVD
DE LO
RENTZ
STEP
HEN
HO
FMEY
ER8
DorpBloemBuitensingel
Dorp
Bloem
5
MichaelisMichaelis
10 Buitensingel
Government Avenue
Government Avenue
1916
Longmarket
4
18
on the town 6 CityViews October 2012
Going placesThere are so many ways to navigate your city — and means to get from A to B while still having time to explore C, D, E and F.
By RAIL 1 Shosholoza Meyl
The Shosholoza Meyl is an inter-city pas-senger service that departs from Cape Town Station. From here you can travel to Johannesburg, Kimberley, Bloemfontein, Durban, Pietermartizburg, East London, Port Elizabeth, George and Oudtshoorn.
T: 0860 00 88 88 www.shosholozameyl.co.za
Metrorail From Cape Town Station, Metrorail operate four lines, all of which originate in Cape Town: the Southern line via the Southern Suburbs to Simon’s Town; the Cape Flats line via Athlone to Retreat; the Central line via Langa to Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha and Bellville; and the Northern line via Bellville to Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West.
Cape Town Station, cornerof Adderley and Strand StreetT: 0800 65 64 63 www.metrorail.co.za
Blue Train The Blue Train is an iconic South African tourist train travelling between Pretoria and Cape Town. The name refers to the colour of the painted steel carriages and is now synonymous with travelling in the lap of luxury. The service departs from the Cape Town Station Blue Train lounge.
T: 021 449 2672www.bluetrain.co.za
Rovos Rail Rovos Rail, a luxury tourist train, has a regular route to Cape Town from Pretoria.
T: 012 315 8242www.rovos.com
By ROAD 1 Golden Arrow
The Golden Arrow Bus Service sets out from the Grand Parade and covers a total area of approximately 2 460km² in metropolitan Cape Town.www.gabs.co.za
2 Metered sedan taxisYou can catch a metered sedan taxi at the following three spots• Bloem Street (between Loop and Long
Street)• Adderley Street (opposite the Cape Town
Rail Station and opposite the old Standard Bank, but soon to be moved between Rie-beeck Street and Hans Strijdom Avenue)
• Civic Centre MyCiTi station, DF Malan Street
3 Minibus taxis Minibus taxis congregate at the Cape Town Station and ferry commuters on dedicated routes throughout the Central City. Simply wait at the side of the road along the routes and hail a taxi travelling to your destination. Ticket prices are determined by distance travelled but start from approximately R5 to R6 per trip.
4 Cycle routesR83-million has been allocated in the city’s transportation budget for more pedestrian lanes and the expansion of bicycle lanes. Dedicated and segregated lanes are helping to make Cape Town a cycle-friendly city.
Get on THE BUS
The Central City circular route (F1) of the MyCiTi bus service runs from Gardens to the Civic Centre and from there loops into the V&A Waterfront.
• Civic Centre interchange
• Adderley
• St George’s Mall
• Castle
• Longmarket
• Dorp Street
• Bloem
• Buitensingel
• Michaelis
• Government Avenue
• Gardens
• Government Avenue
• Michaelis
• Buitensingel
• Bloem
• Dorp Street
• Longmarket
• Castle
• Adderley
• Thibault Square
• Stadium
• Granger Bay
• Breakwater
• Waterfront
TopUP HERE
The MyCiTi system is a card-based system. Each individual passenger needs a myconnect card, available for R23 from MyCiTi stations and selected retail outlets. Load money onto the card and tap it against the validator when you enter the bus or station. The correct fee will automatically be deducted from the balance. Single trips on the F1 route cost R5.30 per trip.
1 Silver Craft
178 Bree StT: 021 423 4463
2 Brew Cafe
2 Long St T: 021 788 9253
3 City Limits
Marine Drive (close to circle in Adderley Street)T: 086 055 6677
4 Grand Parade Centre
16A President HouseBarrack StT: 021 461 9202
6
2
BARNHAM
CTICC
THIBAULT SQ
CITYHALL
CAPE TOWN STATION
BUITENGRACHT
KLOOF NEK
KLOOF STREET
KLOOF STREET
BU
ITEN
SIN
GEL
AN
NA
ND
ALE
JUTLAND
DE WAAL
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LONG LONG
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ND
RO
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CHURCH SQ
RIEBEECK SQ
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BREE BREE
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BUITENKANT
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ASPELING
MOUNTAIN
WOODLANDS
PINE
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ABERDEEN
ADELAID
E
VICTORIA WALK
HIGH
WARW
ICK
EARL
NERINA
VICTORIA
M4
MELBOURNE
RAVENSCRAIG
CHURCH
CHURCH
NELSON MANDELA BOULEVARD
NEW CHURCH
MILITARY
green point
gardens
foreshore
central city
district six
vredehoek
the fringe
oranjezicht
bo-kaap
tamboerskloof
woodstock
Thibault Square
Adderley
St George’s
2
5 11
13
1 23
12
3
4
7
Adderley
St George’s
Castle
Longmarket
14
Civic Centre
4
4
Castle
9
2
7 on the town October 2012 CityViews
If you have any transport-related questions, call the City of Cape Town’s toll-free, 24/7 Transport Information Centre number:
0800 65 64 63
• Signage throughout the city points to landmarks, so look out for the navy and white signs
• Sun protection, such as a hat, sunglasses and sunblock are important
• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
• If you do lose you way, ask one of CCID security offi cers, stationed throughout the Central City, to point you in the right direction
CITY IN SUMMER
HANDY TIPS WHEN
WALKING IN THE
1 Silver Craft
178 Bree StT: 021 423 4463
2 Brew Cafe
2 Long St T: 021 788 9253
3 City Limits
Marine Drive (close to circle in Adderley Street)T: 086 055 6677
4 Grand Parade Centre
16A President HouseBarrack StT: 021 461 9202
5 Sandwich Baron
Triangle House22 Riebeeck StT: 021 418 4983
6 Gypsy
285A Long St T: 021 424 2994
7 Escape Café
130 Bree Street T: 021 422 1325
8 Liquorice & Lime
162 Kloof StT: 021 423 6921
9 Silver Moon Deli
Corner Bree and Waterkant StT: 021 4210788
10 One World Travellers
309 Long st (next to Long St Baths) T: 021 423 0777
11 SA Safe Signs & Plates
Corner of Mechau & Loop StT: 021 419 2612
12 Van Riebeeck Liquors
57 Harrington StT: 021 461 2891
13 Vista Cafe
44 Hertzog Boulevard (opposite Civic Centre Station)T: 021 422 1577
14 Civic Centre Station kiosk
DF Malan StT: 0800 65 64 63
15 Spar
Kloof St(near upper Long Street )T: 021 422 1577
16 Wizards
Corner of Mill andBuitenkant St, Gardens Centre T: 021 461 9334
17 Ashanti
11 Hof StT: 021 4238721
18 Caltex Fresh Stop
Orange Street T: 021 422 0549
19 Oxford Books
Gardens Centre T: 021 465 7654
WalkTHE CITY
The CDB is only 1.6km² so you can easily traverse it on foot. We’ve plotted a straight route all the way from The Fringe to the Bo-Kaap on Longmarket Street, highlighting seven treasures along the way:
1 Cape Town Central Library in the old Drill Hall is used by 3 100 people per day and is open 63 hours each week.
Corner of Longmarket and Darling StreetT: 021 467 1567
2 The Cissie Gool memorial consists of 17 concrete bollards by artist Ruth Sacks, commemorating 17 laws that were passed because of the "Jewel of District Six" Cissie Gool’s actions.
3 Eastern Food Bazaar — located in the old Wellington Fruit Growers Building – serves fast, affordable, good food.
96 Longmarket StreetT: 021 461 2458
4 The Old Town House situated on the north-facing edge of Greenmarket Square was built in 1755 as a Burger Watch House during Dutch colonial rule. The building was restored in the 1920s by architect JM Solomon (who designed UCT campus) in order to house the Michaelis art collection.
Greenmarket SquareT: 021 481 3933
5 Dear Me is an all-day brasserie, pantry and events space just off the bustle of Long Street. Stop in for a gourmet sandwich.
165 Longmarket StreetT: 021 422 4920
6 Barnet Fair is the place to stop if you’re a gentleman: This barber shop offering traditional hot towel shaves, head shaves, beard maintenance, and haircuts. It’s also located in the oldest theatre building in
Cape Town, which was later purchased and used as a church for ex-slaves.
98 Bree Street St Stephen's Church Riebeeck SquareT: 021 424 1302
7 Masjid Boorhaanol Islam was built in 1884. Originally known as the Pilgrim Mosque, this was where the fi rst minaret was built in Cape Town, and it was made out of wood. After the minaret blew off in a storm in the late 1930s, it was replaced by a concrete structure.
192 Longmarket Street www.bokaap.co.za/mosques1
3
Towards Table Bay on the MyCiTi
F14/15/16 route
The MyCiTi route stretches all the way to the V&A Waterfront via the Helen Suzman Boulevard
around town 8 CityViews October 2012
CV What exactly does a senior state law adviser do? A senior state law adviser provides all or-gans of state with legal instruments, such as bills, regulations and proclamations, as well as legal advice on any question of law. I am primarily responsible for provid-ing the Executive and Parliament with a view on the constitutionality and quality of proposed laws before they are introduced in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. When an introduced law is being considered by Parliamentary Committees, a senior state law adviser is always present and available to assist. Legal opinions on any question of law are provided by my offi ce. This entails consideration of the Con-stitution, applicable and relevant laws and policies, case law and other domestic juris-prudence and comparative international law and jurisprudence.
CV You live in Kuilsriver, but work here in the Central City. How do you commute to work? I take a train from Kuilsriver but it is a massive suburb and the trains are often
packed. I’ve got my work bag and cane with me, making it impossi-
ble for me to get into over-crowded trains. It’s hap-pened that my bag gets stuck outside and so for my own safety I now take the business express train. It is nice because they’ve got security and I am assured of a seat but I have to cough up R748 a month. There are no transport concessions for disa-bled people.
CV How do you travel from the station to your
offi ce in Lower Burg Street?I am very mobile and independent. I also walk from there to Parliament using my cane. Parliament is another world though;
a sighted world. They don’t think about the fact that I can’t read hard copies. How do you convince or motivate an institution that has been there for eons, to change for one blind person? So they have recently ap-pointed a personal assistant that travels to Parliament with me and we work closely together.
CV Do you make use of other modes of public transport?The diffi culty with buses is that you can’t see them coming and they don’t have a cul-ture of stopping at every stop. I also need to use a placard to indicate where I want to go. Drivers need to be educated about how to handle visually impaired or blind passengers. If they see the white cane they should know to stop. Also, at the bus and train terminus there aren’t any marshals to assist us. Trains and buses only run during peak hours so if you need transport later at night there are very few options.
CV Do you make use of the Dial-a-Ride service? I had an assessment done when I fi rst be-came blind with Cape Town Society of the Blind and used the service when I didn’t have an alternative or in emergencies. Recently I had another assessment done and I was deregistered from the service which was tendered out and coordinated by the City. I have tried to query the rea-son for deregistration but haven’t received a response. Until our public transport in-frastructure is more accessible they can’t expect the service to cater for wheelchair-
bound people only. They need to get smaller vehicles that also cater for other handicaps.
CV Do you rely more on your other senses to get around? Acute listening is critical in orientating yourself. Blind people are creatures of hab-it. Once we gain an infrastructure we try to hold onto it because a change of infrastruc-ture is sometimes very diffi cult to deal with.
CV What devices make it easier for you to navigate the city? I use a white cane. I was taught how to use it in orientation and mobility training. You arch it from side to side at the width of your shoulder to determine your path. Us-ing this technique, I navigate the city. I can still discern light and dark contrast with my one eye. If there was higher contrast in our urban landscape, with things like stair treads and curbs painted in yellow or white, it would make it so much easier.
CV What do you do when you are not working?From 2007 until May this year I was the chairperson of Blind Cricket South Africa. I am now the vice-president and I am still an active provincial player. I enjoy the game and I enjoy seeing it develop and grow. We want people to see us as able as possible. But it is so diffi cult to get the opportunity to prove yourself.
Mobility in the city Advocate Alan Small works as a senior state law adviser in the offi ce of the chief state law adviser; he’s a cricket player, a father and a husband. Alan also has hereditary Leber’s optic atrophy which meant that 25-odd years ago he abruptly lost most of his vision. At the time he was working as an apprentice panel beater and this traumatic experience catapulted him into a long journey that has taken him all the way to Parliament. City Views' writer Alma Viviers spoke to him about mobility in the city.
INNER-CITY LIFE
Organisations like League of the Friends of the Blind, an NGO based in Grassy Park, provide a wide range of services to partially sighted and blind people in order to aid inde-pendence and mobility. Find out more about their work: League of the Friends of the BlindT: 021 705 3753www.lofob.org.za
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2
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UNIVERSAL DESIGN
The term “universal design” is applied to products, services and built environments that are usable to the greatest extent possible by all, regardless of age or physical ability. In the urban transit environment the following devices aid accessibility:
Light-on-dark visual contrast assists visually impaired people to distinguish signs. Rendering curbs, stair edges and devices like bollards in white or yellow helps distinguish these elements from the surrounding environment.
Tactile paving with truncated domes or elongated bars is detectable underfoot or by a long cane, warning blind or visually impaired pedestrians of an imminent interchange or road crossing.
Beeping signals as well as vibrating buttons at pedestrian crossings alert blind or visually impaired pedestrians when it is safe to cross.
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Beeping signals at pedestrian crossings and tactile paving have been in-stalled with the rollout of the MyCiTi routes
Alan Small near his offi ce in the Central City
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“At Blind Cricket South Africa, we want people to see us as able as possible. But it is so diffi cult to get the opportunity to prove
yourself.”Alan Small
9 around town October 2012 CityViews
R9 gets you a single Metro-Plus ticket at the counter. The 08h02 train rolls into
the station right on time and off we go. Sitting across from me at a window, Anton comments on how he often has to stand when the train gets full. He’s quick to point out that this is a relatively new carriage – its walls are relatively free of graffi ti.
Anton, who works at New Media Pub-lishing as the art director of décor, design and architecture magazine VISI, has been taking the train regularly for the past 12 years. As we roll along to the reassuring click-clack that is so synonymous with train travel, he explains why rail is his preferred mode of transport for his work commute.
“I fi rst started taking the train in 2000 as a student travelling to tech (CPUT) and have been doing so ever since,” he says. “It is really the most convenient mode of transport for me, so much so that I’ve decided where to live based on how close the house is to a station. Now it is about 8 minutes’ walk from my house to the station and about 5 minutes from the station to my offi ce in Bree Street.”
Although Anton owns a car, he is adamant that he simply can’t handle sitting in peak-hour traffi c: “I love driving but I am not a stop-start driver and prefer the open road. There is nothing more frustrating than sitting in traffi c;
it is not only mindless but people actually lose their minds and tend to drive irresponsibly because they are all stressed and want to get to work.”
Instead of stressing about traffi c, Anton – like many of his fellow passengers – likes to take the 30-minute journey to read a book or catch up on emails. He shares the carriage with other regulars, all of whom have their favourite seats.
Despite these pros, Anton is concerned by the hike in ticket prices: In just one year, tickets prices have increased from R128 to R200, and although taking the train is still cheaper than taking a taxi or driving, he is worried that rail is
becoming unaffordable for the broad spectrum of users.
Delays are also a reality and can be disruptive: “Maintenance is so important. If Metrorail doesn't ensure upkeep, delays become inevitable. Rail is integral to thousands of people who take the train to work daily. Strikes can be hard on business, but transport delays can disrupt business just as much. An unfortunate consequence of this is that train commuters are often branded as being unreliable in the workplace and employers have a negative association with them.”
Is safety on the trains an issue? “I have
never had a bad experience, although I generally only travel in peak hours and take my car or get a lift when I know that I am going to work late. I think you’ll probably have different experiences depending on which line you travel on as well as whether you are travelling in MetroPlus (fi rst class) or normal Metro (third class).”
The bell signalling our arrival at the Cape Town Station sounds and we pour out on the platform. Striding through the recently upgraded concourse, Anton remarks: “When Metrorail is on song it is the most reliable and safe transport for me.”
On a rain-splattered Thursday, City Views ventured into the Southern Suburbs to take the morning train from Plumstead to the Central City with regular commuter Anton Pietersen.By: Alma Viviers
DID YOU KNOW?
When last did you take the train? Special MetroPlus train tickets or tourist rail passes cost R30 for a one-day and R50 for a two-day pass, and allow unlimited train trips between Cape Town and Simon’s Town for the day of validity. Tickets are valid between 08h30 and 16h00 and can be purchased at any participating stations.
“It is really the most convenient mode of transport
for me, so much so that I’ve decided where to live based on how close the house is to a station. Now it is about 8
minutes’ walk from my house to the station and about 5
minutes from the station to my offi ce in Bree Street.”
Anton PietersenRather than sitting in traffi c, Anton Pietersen prefers to take the train to work
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trainTaking the
On the day of the interview, a car left the Plumstead station at the same time as the train, travelling via the M3: While the train rolled into the station 30 minutes after departure, the trip by car took an hour.
GoMetro is a free mobisite where you can get information on timetables, announcements, updates and information on Metrorail services. Go to www.gometro.co.za and register to use the service. You can also send Metrorail your feedback on Facebook (via the GoMetro app) and Twitter (@go_metro) or call the transport information centre on 0800 65 64 63 toll free.
According to the 2012 City of Cape Town Transport Survey, 64 983 people use Metrorail as their primary mode of transport into the Central City on a daily basis.
Cities that are famous for their rail transport include London for its underground, Johannesburg for the Gautrain and Japan for its speedy Shinkansen bullet trains.
A local blogger recently captured a moment of light relief on the train: Go to www.projectjennifer.wordpress.com and search for a video blog entitled “The Metrorail shuffl e”.
around town 10 CityViews October 2012
CV How did you become a taxi driver?I’ve only been a taxi driver for six months, but I have been in the industry for several years. Before I became a driver I worked as a guardtjie, operating the door. Now, because I have a driver’s license and professional driving permit,
as well as permission from the taxi association, I am working driv-ing one of a fl eet of 40 taxis, all of which are owned by one guy.
CV What does your day look like?I wake up at 03h00 and drive from Phillippi, where I live, to Wood-stock where I park the taxi over-night. By 05h00 I am in Sea Point, picking people up who are coming into the city for work. Firstly, it’s people like security guards and restaurant staff who need to get into the city for early shifts but later it’s all sorts of people: domes-tics, offi ce workers and school chil-dren too. I spend my day driving between the city and Sea Point, un-til 19h00 when I return the taxi to Woodstock. All in all, I work about 15 hours a day, seven days a week.
CV Who are your customers?When I take people from the Cen-tral City to Sea Point, it can be any-one: tourists, locals, old, young – all
sorts of people. My customers are very multi-racial. In fact, if you look in the back of this taxi, often you will see the whole rainbow na-tion, from Asians to Indians, white, black, and coloured people!
CV What music do you play in your taxi?Personally I like reggae and any music I can sing to, but my custom-ers like a very wide range, all dif-ferent kinds from gospel to house music. I have noticed that people of different ages like different mu-sic so now I always look to see who is in the back, then I choose what music I think they would like. If it’s old people I choose some R&B or some gospel maybe, if its young-sters I play house music.
CV Are you a safe driver?I think so, yes, but you know, as a taxi driver you have to keep time. Time is money. So sometimes you have passengers that say, “Please go faster, I am late!” but then at
other times you have people that say, “Slow down!” You have to be careful and listen to your custom-ers. But I don’t do four-four [the practice of seating four people in each of the four rows of seats in a taxi], my taxi is only 3, 3, 3, 4 – so it only fi ts 12 people.
CV Do you like working in Cape Town?I like almost everything about Cape Town. I like the infrastruc-ture, and it’s a beautiful city, right? And the people are lovely here. My favourite place in the city is Long Street. I love that place, especially at night when it is very vibey.
Keeping Cape Town mobileWhat’s a day in the offi ce like for those whose business is on the road? City Views' writer Ambre Nicolson stopped by the Cape Town Station taxi rank and spoke to Mzi Phephani to fi nd out.Ph
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Close to 35 000 commuters take minibus taxis as their primary mode of transport in the Central City
Keeping the wheels of the Central City turningEveryday acts of kindness help transform Cape Town into a more liveable, caring city. City Views would like to recognise those individuals who don’t think twice about doing their part.City Views recently received an email from Charline Jantjies, whose car broke down in early September at the busy interchange of Christiaan Barnard Street and Table Bay Boulevard. CCID Deputy Security Manager Alec van de Rheede came to her rescue.“My car was giving me some problems and I was under tremendous stress – I didn’t know what to do. Within fi ve minutes of my incident one of the CCID employees, Alec van de Rheede, arrived at the scene where he offered
assistance. He then called in one of his other colleagues Clive Pietersen. He immediately looked at my car and offered to take me to the shop where I could get new parts to fi x my car. Within the hour my car was fi xed and I was back on the road. Both men kept me so calm and went out of their way to help me – they really went the extra mile. They are true professionals and a real asset to South Africa ... I am so thankful from the bottom of my heart, words can’t describe how I feel.”
While changing a tyre, pushing a car or giving lost tourists directions aren’t part of the CCID’s core function, Alec believes that these actions are part of creating a sense of community in the Central City.
“I believe in leading by example – consistent service and passion for our work is something that we want to in-stil in all our offi cers. Our commitment to go above and beyond the call of duty often takes people by surprise, but it leaves them feeling that we care.”
DID YOU KNOW?
150 000
R16.5billion
200 000
20 000
According to Arrive Alive, South Africa’s minibus taxi industry consists of approximately
150 000 vehicles with more than
20 000owners and
200 000 employees – with an estimated turnover of more than
R16.5billion
GRATITUDE ATTITUDE
A trip between Sea Point and the CBD by minibus taxi costs R6 (regardless of where you get off) and you can hop on and hop off pretty much anywhere along the major transit routes.
Taxi driver Mzi Phephani at work on his route on Strand Street
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Do you have a positive experiencewith someone in Cape Town? Send your story [email protected]
Alec van de Rheede doesn't think twice about going beyond the call of duty
11 around town October 2012 CityViews
but it’s quite open, whereas here I think our subculture is quite closed. So I think the question is how to make Cape Town’s default position more open. The easy way is for it to become a pseudo city, a shallow hotel-ridden international city with too many developments, but that’s just the openness of money. It could be open in a deeper way, and I think that’s the experiment of cities.
nise that there is a lot that is very valuable about Cape Town: the ways in which people have preserved it and grown up here over genera-tions and the specifi c rituals that accompany this. It’s hard to see how Cape Town’s future will unfold without undermining some of the things that make it special. Of course, it’s natural for places to go through transi-tions. If you look at America, there are all these problems
CV Part satire, part thought experiment, your new novel is set in an imagined Cape Town in which the Institute for Taxi Poetry trains young people to use taxis as canvases for poetry. What made you combine the different worlds of poetry and taxis in the book?I think the question really is why not taxis? They are such a paradoxical and unex-pected part of the new South Africa, and such a central feature of our society and yet they have never made it onto the page. I also think that our ordinary means of transport are actually very strange in this country. If you followed every person’s trans-port day, you would fi nd out a lot about people – just the route they take, where they come from, the connections they make – these facts are very revealing and interest-ing. When it comes to poetry, I’ve always had the feeling that imagination belongs to everybody. Perhaps you get people who are faster and slower, but I don’t think you get people who are more or less imaginative. I think im-agination is quite democratic and people have all sorts of expressive resources which are often invisible. So, in the case of the book, I invented a genre in which they would be visible. In fact, since I wrote the book, the Goethe Institute in Joburg has suggested run-
ning a competition to put po-etry on taxis. There are, after all, examples of transporta-tion poetry around the world: There’s an interesting book of South African railroad poet-ry, Pakistani taxis sometimes have religious verses written on them, and there is often poetry on the London under-ground and the New York subway.
CV The Cape Town in your novel is a one-party state in which Portuguese is the dominant language. What made you choose Portuguese?I suppose I wondered why we have all these countries next to us, some of them Por-tuguese speaking and quite different, yet our imagination tends to be quite national or neighbourhood based – as in the Kalk Bay novel or the Sea Point novel. Rather, I thought it would be interesting to im-agine Southern Africa as a cul-tural unit, and as a Portuguese speaking place. That would give a whole different feeling, to the names in the novel ... one of the curses of being a South African writer is that race is such a compelling problem, but there are not that many new ways into it imaginative-ly. The Portuguese-speaking Catholic countries, like Brazil, Mozambique and Angola, have different angles on this stuff and I thought it would be good to be more open to these things.
CV You were born in Durban and lived in the United States for over a decade. Do you now consider yourself a Capetonian?On one level writers only need a pen, or a nice laptop perhaps, but on another level there are places in South Africa where I think it would be hard to be a writer unless you were very self-reliant. Cape Town is not like that, it’s a city of culture. I think that’s why it’s an interesting place to write. I have lived here for a number of years but I still fi nd it quite odd ... I think that’s really key for writ-ers, to ask questions and be curious about things that other people consider too simple. When I fi rst ar-rived there were some ob-vious differences that set me apart from the locals. Capetonians spoke slower, they were generally hap-pier; they had a few close friends, rather than a huge social circle. I think I have become a lot more like that. I eat and talk slower, I like to be outside and I cycle these days. So yes, in some ways I am a Capetonian now.
CV Do you have a favourite place in Cape Town, somewhere you go for inspiration?I think there are too many places to choose from. I do think that it is truly wonder-ful how proximate and ac-cessible all these shockingly great places are, that you don’t have to drive two hours to be on Lion’s Head or the beach – everything is close and extraordinary. I also love to cycle; I think perhaps I should have written a book about bicycling in Cape Town. I think writers are natural cyclists: there is an affi nity between cycling and writing, something about the rhythm of sentences and cycling that go together. I do feel it is quite dangerous to cycle round Cape Town because of the traffi c but I believe that the more bicycles you have, the more novels you will have.
CV What do you imagine Cape Town to be like in the future?On the one hand as a writer I think you are a natural revo-lutionary: you want to sweep everything aside and start over, but in another way I think it’s important to recog-
Keeping Cape Town mobile
A tale of Cape Town’s taxisPoetry in motion
Cape Town-based writer, academic and author of The Institute for Taxi Poetry Imraan Coovadiatalks about transport and why Cape Townis a great city for writers.
“If you followed every person’s transport day, you would fi nd out a
lot about people – just the route they take, where they come from, the
connections they make – these facts are very revealing and interesting.”
Imraan Coovadia
Let The Institute for Taxi Poetry take you on a journey of an alternative Cape Town. Copies can be found at Central City bookstores, Clarke's and the Book Lounge, and at the Central Library on Darling Street.
nise that there is a lot that
to be on Lion’s Head or the beach – everything is close
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my town 12 CityViews October 2012
Ncedo Gomba went from living on the streets of Cape Town to ranking #2 in the world in kickboxing. Here’s his extraordinary story.
CV Ncedo, what’s your life story?I was born in Butterworth and moved to Cape Town with my mother, who was looking for work. I was about 4 years old. We lived with my grandmother in Gugu-lethu. There was trouble in the family and we moved in with my aunt and her husband. But I had problems with him. My mother left Cape Town to go back to But-terworth. She left me behind. She died in a fi re three days after she left.
CV What happened then?I ended up living with friends. I started sniffi ng glue and started smoking. We were in a gang and would steal money and goods from people. One day, my friend came to call me to do something that he had planned. I sensed that I shouldn’t go with him, so I stayed behind. Not long after that, the community found him and beat him in punishment for the things he had done. He died that day and I ran away because I was scared the same thing would hap-pen to me. I lived on the streets in Wynberg for three days until my friend’s father came to fi nd us. We went back to Gugs. But I dropped out of school and spent most of my days with my friends.
CV Is that how you ended up on the streets?I left Gugs and walked to Cape
Town. I met some new friends and felt free: no-one was shouting at me anymore. We became good friends. No-one talked about their stories – I think we were scared to, because we were worried about our families, but there were prob-lems in our communities. We were all different but we were there for each other all the time. I lived un-der bridges and at the taxi rank. We would beg at the traffi c lights, and got about R50 or R100 a day. We would buy food with the mon-ey. But I was still using glue and then started on marijuana. I lost interest in everything. I lived on the streets for fi ve years.
CV When did things start to change for you?At some point I met Gerald, from the Homestead. He made me real-ise that I can do something with my life. One day he asked me if I liked to play football. He invited me to come and stay at the Home-stead, to play football for their team. I went there the following week and joined the football team.
It was diffi cult at fi rst because I didn’t want peo-ple to tell me what to do. But Gerald is a good guy and so I want-ed to try my best for him. I will never forget how much he helped me. In 2007 I was sent to London to play in a football tournament with the Homestead. It was amazing! After two years at the Homestead in District Six, I moved to the home in Khayelit-sha, which is where the boys are sent to if they are well behaved. But I ran away back to my friends. I told them I was clean, but then I started to smoke marijuana again. Gerald found me and brought me back to the shelter. That was when I started doing kickboxing train-ing. I trained at the gym and after a week the coach got interested in me. I won my fi rst fi ght and took it from there.
CV What does kickboxing mean to you?The sport gave me discipline. I was very angry with life. It helped me forget about my past. I became a junior fi ghter and was chosen for the world championships in Thailand. It was an amazing time. I kept asking myself “What’s hap-pening with my life? Things are changing for me.” On my fi rst trip to Thailand, I placed number three in the world. I was very angry with myself for not winning, but
told myself, “Don’t give up.” The next year I was chosen for the world championships in Korea. I did very well, placed number two in the world. When I got back, I went to a new gym. I moved to Phoenix and I’m now a profes-sional fi ghter. People know me by name, in Joburg and in Cape Town. This experience helped me to forget about my past and life on the street.
CV Do you ever revisit your life on the street?I do go back sometimes to visit my friends there. I spend time with them, buy them food, and try to convince them to fi nd help. Some of my friends have also been able to fi nd success in their lives. One is a professional chef. Another has just graduated with an engineering degree. But it’s diffi cult. People need to trust you fi rst. They don’t trust people who haven’t lived on the street before. I’m different: I know what it’s like.
The right help at the right time put
Ncedo Gomba on the road to success
There are many factors that can help someone turn their life around, but it’s about more than small change. Give to organisations like the Homestead, who help people like Ncedo make big changes in their lives.
The Homestead 150 Strand StreetT: 021 461 9763www.homestead.org.za
My Cape TownNcedo Gomba
“At some point I metGerald, from the
Homestead. He mademe realise that I cando something with
my life.”Ncedo Gomba
Straatwerk has job rehabilitation
projects for men and women.
021 425 0140
Salesian Institute Youth Projects
provide education, skills training and rehabilita-
tion to vulnerable youth.
021 425 1450
The Haven’s vision is to get the homeless home.
021 425 4700
The Homestead provides residential care and family integration for boys.
021 461 7470
Ons Plek provides residential care while undertaking reunification process for girls.
021 465 4829
The Carpenters Shopprovides rehabilitation services and skills training for adults.
021 461 5508
Many children and young adults living on the streets have severe drug addic-tion problems. More often than not, the money they receive from begging is used to buy their next “fix”.
The CCID therefore requests that mem-bers of the public do not give money or handouts directly. If you would like to help, please contact one of the listed organisations mentioned.
Contact the Central City Im-provement District’s (CCID’s) Social Development Department for further information or as-sistance.
www.capetownpartnership.co.za
Pat 021 419 1881 | Dean 082 928 3862Headman Sirala-Rala 082 262 0113 Mark Williams 082 262 0112
CV What do you hope for your future?I want to keep boxing. I’m living with my foster mother in Wood-stock. My dream is to live in Thailand and train there for four years. One day I want to open my own gym and give free train-ing to kids who are living on the streets or in townships.
Photo: Lisa Burnell
