Let’s take action! – A call from the Somerset West City Improvement District (SWCID)
When Michelle Stander was thirteen years old, she peered out the window of her parents’ family car as they summited Sir Lowry’s Pass, and for the first time, she smiled at the homecoming view that Somerset West residents know all too well. The beach, the mountains, the short escape route to Cape Town – what more could you want?
That was the year that Somerset West became Michelle’s home. Years later, the town is still what she calls “her little haven”, where she is now raising her own daughter and chairing the Somerset West City Improvement District (SWCID) – a group of residents and property owners working together to make Somerset West clean and safe again.
The story behind the SWCID
Ten years back, Michelle was thinking about closing her offices in the CBD of Somerset West due to not feeling safe. She says “Things were icky – the grime, the general feeling you get as a female walking in town with a handbag, the shops were moving out”. She chose to stay and be part of the solution, taking hands with other property owners and starting the SWCID with the aim of restoring the town. The dream of being able to walk around the CBD freely, enjoying a coffee with friends without thinking twice about her purse’s whereabouts is now much closer to becoming a reality.
What is the SWCID doing to improve Somerset West?
The Somerset West City Improvement District (SWCID) represents a group of local property owners who have joined hands to restore a sense of community, safety and vibrancy in the CBD. So how does it work? All stakeholders contribute a fraction towards the cause, the money gets pooled, and then used to implement the business plan set up via public consultation.
The initial survey put out to the residents of Somerset West illuminated a resounding call to improve the standard of cleanliness and security in the CBD. There are two primary ways they’re tackling these problems.
Firstly, they have established ongoing communication with the City of Cape Town to ensure the municipality delivers basic services. “We make them do their job - that’s a very important bit,” she says, “we keep them accountable to do the basic things that ratepayers pay for.”
Additionally, they put together their own security team and cleansing team that provide top-up services for the municipality, taking things a little bit further than the basics. These teams take to the streets to identify problems and solve them. When there’s a dead zone that has started collecting old cigarette buds and illegal rubbish, they clean it up before it can start attracting crime. Where there are untoward loiterers deterring shoppers, they send their security teams to create a safer experience. Where there are trees and flowers dying, their teams will water and replant as needed.
Let’s take action, Somerset West. Let’s take hands.
The key to truly seeing Somerset West thrive again is not simply establishing a SWCID, however. The key to reviving the heart of our village is for every resident of Somerset West to be active citizens and to take hands with institutions like the SWCID and the Village Collective and to take the heart of our Village back.
Stander echos this call with these words, “We’ve got the skills, we just need you to be our eyes and ears. If you see something that’s not up to standard, let us know and we will do something about it. We will go out and clean up, plant the tree, fix the curb and put the stop sign right. Between all of us, we need to keep the communication flowing. Even if we have our own things going on – our own businesses, NPOS, street events – please reach out and let’s see how we can all work together. Together, we can create the space that we all want to live, play and work in.”
So next time you drive over a hole in the road that needs to be filled or have an idea to improve the security or cleanliness of the CBD, don’t wait – reach out immediately and be part of the change. The SWCID is ready and waiting to help coordinate rapid action.
If you have any immediate suggestions, please get in touch today at:
Email: info@geocentric.co.za
Call: 074 314 8302/ 021 565 0901
