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Spring Update & AGM 2025 – Save the Date

As the seasons shift from winter to spring, the Strand Business Improvement District continues its work to keep our urban environment clean, safe and well maintained. This is also the time when we prepare for our Annual General Meeting (AGM 2025), where we reflect on the year’s achievements and look ahead to 2025/26.

We invite all stakeholders to join us for our AGM – an important opportunity to participate in shaping the future of our community. Full details are provided below.

AGM 2025

Save the Date!

An important event on our annual agenda, the Strand BID invites all stakeholders to its AGM on Tuesday, 7 October 2025 at 10:00 at Friedman & Cohen, Corner of Main and Wesley Street, Strand, 7140. Resolutions can only be voted on by bona fide members. Non-members must be registered before Friday, 26 September 2025.

RSVP to info@strandbid.co.za.

Become a Member

To become a member there are a few documents that need to be filled out. Under the Companies Act, the Members’ Register must contain the following information in respect of each member:
(a) name; (b) business, residential or postal address; (c) email address (unless person has declined to provide an email address); and (d) an identifying number unique to that person (e.g. a RSA ID number).

Find these application forms here.

Greening & Urban Maintenance

Over the past months, our teams have been hard at work maintaining and refreshing the Strand area. These projects are aimed at improving the quality of the public environment for all who live, work and visit here.

cleaning gutters – before, during & after
Drain cleaning and clearing illegal dumping

Our focus has included:

  • Urban cleaning and maintenance – tackling illegal dumping, graffiti removal, gutter and drain cleaning, poster removal and high-pressure sanitising.
  • Greening initiatives – planting, landscaping and maintaining public spaces to create a more welcoming and environmentally friendly urban landscape.
  • Ongoing upgrades – responding to service requests, addressing problem areas and ensuring that seasonal changes don’t compromise the safety or cleanliness of our streets.
Deweeding
Grass cutting

Together, these efforts lay the foundation for a brighter, cleaner and greener spring season.

Beach Road Circle project update

City Updates

Switch to eBilling before 31 December 2025

The City of Cape Town is phasing out paper bills, with all municipal accounts to be sent by email from 1 January 2026. To switch to eBilling, simply send your account number and email address to Revenue.Eservices@capetown.gov.za or via SMS to 31223. More than 475 000 residents have already made the move, enjoying faster, more efficient and environmentally friendly billing. Customers without email access can still receive paper bills by contacting the City’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089 for assistance.

Building a Cleaner, Greener Cape Town – The City’s New Waste Strategy

The City of Cape Town has launched its new Waste Strategy, a long-term roadmap to deliver sustainable, affordable and future-fit waste services for all residents and businesses. With illegal dumping, landfill reliance and growing urban waste challenges, the strategy sets out clear goals to improve data and technology use, drive behaviour change, strengthen partnerships and close service gaps.

Centred on three pillars – optimising existing services, minimising waste to landfill, and maximising service offerings – the strategy calls on everyone to play their part in building a cleaner, greener Cape Town.

Download the full Waste Strategy

Electricity Tariff Reform – What’s New

From 1 July 2025, as part of the new municipal financial year, customers may notice changes to electricity tariffs and the way items appear on their municipal accounts. These reforms are designed to ensure sustainable service delivery into the future while continuing to provide price relief where possible.

For more information, please see the City’s electricity price relief overview pamphlet.

View the Pamphlet

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Staying Safe and Warm This Winter: How We Prepare and Support Our Communities

As temperatures drop and the rains return, winter in Cape Town brings with it both seasonal challenges and the opportunity for communities to come together. For residents and businesses, preparation is key to ensuring safety and continuity. At the same time, the City of Cape Town is stepping up support for our most vulnerable residents through its strengthened Winter Readiness Programme.

This season, we share practical tips on how to prepare your property for winter, and we highlight the ways the City is working with shelters and non-profit organisations to offer care and dignity to those most in need.

Read more
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Update: The City of Cape Town Draft Budget 2025-2026 comment period is open until 13 June

The City of Cape Town Draft Budget 2025-2026 comment period is open

June 2025 update:

NOTICE OF EXTENSION: DRAFT BUDGET 2025/26 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD

Following thorough consideration of all inputs received, the City has proposed several key amendments. Interested parties may view the draft budget in full and comment on the amendments between 28 May and 13 June 2025. Should any comments made during the initial public participation period not have been addressed, you are welcome to comment again. Please visit www.capetown.gov.za for the full amended draft budget documents and any supporting material. The residential calculator has also been updated to reflect the proposed amendments.

Visit www.capetown.gov.za/HaveYourSay to comment

April 2025 article:

The City of Cape Town Draft Budget 2025-2026 is available for comment until 16:30 on Friday, 2 May 2025; and until Thursday, 17 April 2025 for the proposed amendments to the 2022-2027 Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

Total Budget – R84,1 bn for 2025/26

A budget of R84,1 billion will be spent in the metropolitan area to ensure that services are maintained, improved and expanded, that capital projects are rolled out and that the IDP is implemented.

Budget Summary & Documentation

The City of Cape Town’s budget reflects its key policy decisions and priorities, determines rates increases and indicates where money will be spent on programmes and services. View the full Draft Budget 2025/26 with associated documentation on the City’s website. For a summary of the budget, see the presentation and the advert (English | Afrikaans | isiXhosa).

The documents can also be accessed on the City website from 28 March 2025 at www.capetown.gov.za/budget.

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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 Strand Business 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 Strand Business 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.

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. 

Renewal of the Strand Business Improvement District

Great news for Strand! The City of Cape Town Council has approved the renewal of the Strand Business Improvement District for the next five years. This renewal signifies the continued commitment to enhancing the area’s safety, cleanliness and overall prosperity.

You can expect to see the positive impacts of the renewal through initiatives such as:

Enhanced security: Continued investment in security measures and crime prevention programs will help to create a safer environment for everyone.

Increased cleanliness: Consistent cleaning services and beautification projects will ensure a well-maintained and attractive district.

Economic development: The improvement districts will continue to work towards attracting new businesses, fostering economic growth, and creating a thriving environment for existing businesses.

By working together, the Strand Business Improvement Districts and property owners can keep the area vibrant and thriving.

You can view the approval letter for the extended term here.

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City of Cape Town COVID-19 Business Impact Survey

Good day 

At the start of lock down, the City of Cape Town engaged businesses across the City on the impact that the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic was having on their businesses.  The inputs from that survey have been used to inform the City’s response to business support in the pandemic.  The economy is now gradually re-opening and people are returning to work.  This is not without its challenges.  In order to continue to support businesses in this time, we are undertaking another survey.

The purpose of this survey is to gather information to determine the impact of the current COVID-19 virus pandemic on businesses operating in the Cape Town/Western Cape region with the aim of directing those in distress to suitable institutions for assistance.  We would appreciate it if you could take ten minutes to complete the survey which can be found at the following web link:

https://forms.gle/pXe43oKALLH22sz37

The City of Cape Town will continue to support businesses in distress as we seek to minimize the economic impact of the pandemic.  Two useful online resources that can assist business returning to work and looking for government and private sector support can be found at:

  •  Return2work initiative: templates, processes and requirements for businesses bring staff back into the workplace –  https://www.return2work.co.za/

If you have any queries regarding the survey or your business requires assistance please contact:

Gerschwin Williams   Head: Investment Facilitation Unit (Atlantis) Gerschwin.Williams@capetown.gov.za Cell – 078 6733 997Makeya Karlie   Professional Officer: Investment Facilitation Unit (Atlantis) Makeya.Karlie@capetown.gov.za Cell – 079 518 0406  Winston Richards   Professional Officer: Investment Facilitation Unit (Atlantis) Winston.Richards@capetown.gov.za Cell – 072 902 1691  
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MEDIA RELEASE – Mayor Plato announces City’s move to Level 3 ‘recovery’ restrictions

  • From Saturday 1 December 2018, water restrictions and the associated tariffs will be lowered from Level 5 to Level 3 recovery restrictions, which includes increasing the daily usage from 70 litres per person per day to 105 litres per person per day; or from 500 million litres to 650 million litres of collective usage per day
  • Tariffs will also be lowered to Level 3. If for example residents use less than 6 000 litres per month (Step 1) they can expect to pay 35,5% less
  • This decision follows on from the National Department of Water and Sanitation’s latest water assessment
  • Restrictions remain on a fairly strict recovery level as a precaution to deal with rainfall uncertainty in 2019 and 2020
  • We encourage Cape Town’s water ambassadors to maintain their water-wise approach during the recovery phase and as the metro moves towards becoming a more water-sensitive city in the near future
  • The 40% restriction on water usage applicable to businesses has been removed but the sector is strongly encouraged to continue implementing and investigating the further efficient use of water in their operations

 

The City of Cape Town’s water users can expect a considerable reduction in the cost of water to be reflected in their municipal invoices from next month. This is due to the lowering of water restrictions from Level 5 to Level 3 recovery restrictions from Saturday1 December 2018.

 

The City views 2019 as a recovery year after having successfully emerged from the unprecedented drought.

 

This decision to lower restrictions comes after a meeting between the National Department of Water and Sanitation and the water users of the Western Cape Water Supply System, namely the agricultural sector, Western Cape Government, municipalities and the Cape Town metro regarding the water assessment for the year ahead.

 

Based on National Government’s assessment of the hydrological year, a saving of between 10% and 20% for urban water users has been proposed. However, the City has decided to implement a more cautious 30% saving to help with the recovery of the dams and to cater for the uncertainty that exists around rainfall volumes and frequency in 2019.

 

‘I want to thank all the residents, officials, and visitors to Cape Town who played their part in helping us get through one of the worst droughts this city has ever seen. While the drought is not yet over, we have seen that there is room to bring some relief to our residents. I know it has been tough and I hope that this reduction in tariffs will bring some comfort over the festive season. We will still need to be water-wise though, as we do not know what the next rainy season holds.

 

‘We are no longer in a period of extreme scarcity, but it does not mean that we should forego some of the great water-wise ways that we have made a part of our daily lives – and for which we have become world famous. We are situated in a water-scarce region and the water-wise efforts and ways to diversify and augment our water supply should and will continue.

 

‘If one looks at international drought experience, water restrictions are either implemented too late or lifted too early. Hence our decision to take a conservative approach to the recovery while we continue to monitor the situation,’ said the City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato.

 

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Informal Settlements, Water and Waste Services; and Energy, Councillor Xanthea Limberg added: ‘We see 2019 as a recovery year after having successfully emerged from the severe and unprecedented drought. Based on our own assessment, we are following a conservative approach in the light of rainfall uncertainty over the coming two years. These Level 3 recovery restrictions are also a measure to help support the great change we have seen in the relationship that we have with water while, at the same time, providing some financial relief to residents and businesses. This is not only a period of recovery for our dams, but also for our economy as a whole as well as for our residents and businesses who truly made huge sacrifices to help us get Cape Town through the drought.’

 

Due to the extreme economic and rural hardship that has been suffered as a result of the drought, the agricultural sector will only reduce water usage by 10% as it too enters a period of recovery. The City fully supports this move as the agricultural sector also supported the City as an urban water user during the height of the drought.

 

Please see the following links for information on:

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