Published in The Atlantic Sun
In July 2020, the Green Point City Improvement District (GPCID), one of the first City Improvement Districts in the City of Cape Town, celebrated its 19th birthday, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In these 19 years, the Green Point area has evolved from a combination of partially empty warehouses, small cottages and a mixed-use business community into a prime area for retail therapy, an attractive place to have a commercial interest in, and home to a strong core of residential offerings.
The development of the area has relied on billions of rands of investment. These have been attracted by the improvements brought about by the GPCID, local organisations, and the community itself.
For almost two decades the GPCID has worked to tackle crime and grime, build strong collaborations and support social projects to improve the lives of all in our society.
Each month, approximately seven tons of street refuse is collected and removed from the area by GPCID teams. Every street in the area is swept and maintained by the cleansing teams, ensuring everyone has a clean and attractive local area.
The GPCID also employs law enforcement officers who halt and inform members of the public who break the law. The aim of these encounters is to educate people so as to avoid repeat offences. Where citizens do not comply, however, GPCID Law Enforcement Officers issue fines. They have written a total of over R11 million in fines the past financial year alone.
Safety in the area is also protected by GPCID security staff. They are employed by the organisation and provide both a lock-up vehicle and patrol service. This acts as a deterrent, ensures people can access a visible authority figure if they feel unsafe, and also allows the GPCID to respond faster to reported incidences by having uniformed officers providing a 24/7 presence in the area in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies.
The GPCID also has strong working relationships with many charities and support services for those struggling in society. These relationships aim to provide meaningful help to pursue change, including programmes such as providing training, job opportunities, registering for ID cards, accessing medical assistance and exploring relocation possibilities.
CEO, Marc Truss has been instrumental to the GPCID’s success and is proud of all that his extended team has achieved in the last 19 years, and continues to be excited by the GPCID’s potential.