Clad in green and yellow, they’re a familiar sight in downtown Cape Town. Every single day, armed with their equipment and their trusty trolleys, they monitor the wear and tear of the Central City when it comes to road infrastructure. Recently, the CCID’s Straatwerk Road Maintenance Team celebrated its 10th anniversary. We ask them to take a well-deserved bow.
They've built up an impressive record over the past decade: they’ve cleaned the CBD’s stormwater drains 34 860 times; removed approximately 242 tons of waste from these and other municipal drains; undertaken 9 335 road maintenance repairs; painted 5 200 road markings; installed over 350 bollards and replaced over 1 800 drain covers.
Welcome to the world of the CCID’s Straatwerk Road Maintenance Team – formed in November 2000 and made up of individuals from the CCID’s partner NGO Straatwerk – which has transformed the streets of the Central City, diligently and efficiently.
CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos says the team is a success story that “speaks to the art of collaboration. And it is also a success story that has transformed the streets of the CBD”.
He was speaking at a recent function at the CCID's container depot in the Company’s Garden to honour and celebrate the team’s first decade, which was attended by various dignitaries, including several City of Cape Town officials, who have been instrumental in its establishment and training.
The team, which falls under the auspices of the CCID’s Urban Management department, has made its mark over the years, says Urban Management manager Richard Beesley. “We are all incredibly proud of the work they do, often under difficult circumstances. They filled a gap at the time and, even today, they do far more than we all bargained for,” Richard says.
DEDICATED TEAM TO ADDRESS DEFECTS
The idea of a small, dedicated maintenance team to address minor road maintenance issues was born when the CCID became concerned about the general response time by the City of Cape Town’s Roads Department to problems such as minor potholes and paving defects.
The City was able to address major issues like missing drain covers but, due to limited resources and budget constraints, months would pass before minor defects were seen to. To deal with this, the CCID proposed to fund a team, trained by the City, to work on the streets of the CBD.
The idea became a reality in 2009, with the City’s Roads Department providing extensive training to the first team members to repair damaged pavement surfaces, minor potholes, paving and damaged signage, replace missing drain covers, clean channels and stormwater outlets and paint road markings across the CCID’s four precincts.
Today, the Straatwerk Road Maintenance Team is still supported by the City, which offers specialised training when and if needed.
MAKING THEIR MARK
In his address, Tasso congratulated the team’s members, namely Obey Togarepi (Operations Supervisor), Reward Vaki (Foreman), Gaylord Mabaya (Foreman), Peter Mooketsi, Norman Letsatsi, Christopher Gabaathlole and Zakhele Mlata. He singled out Obey and Reward, who have been with the unit since its inception 10 years ago. “This is nothing short of remarkable, and I applaud their dedication."
Richard Beesley also praised the team’s Operations and Training Manager, James Mandean, who is out and about every morning at the crack of dawn, noting “what needs to be fixed before people come into the CBD to work”.
Commenting on his decade with the unit, Obey says: “This is an achievement to celebrate. If you start something and it becomes a success, you must celebrate. I remember when we started out, we had very few resources and people thought we were a joke. They didn’t understand the dream. But 10 years later, we are here and have proper tools and a system that runs smoothly to ensure we attend to our work well.”
The CCID’s Straatwerk Road Maintenance Team. Front row, from left to right: Christopher Gabaathlole, Gaylord Mabaya (Foreman) and Reward Vaki (Foreman); Back row, from left to right: Zakhele Mlata, Peter Mooketsi, James Mandean (Operations and Training Manager), Norman Letsatsi and Obey Togarepi (Operations Supervisor).
MORE THAN JUST MANICURISTS
CCID head of Safety & Security, Muneeb “Mo” Hendricks says the Road Maintenance Team is unique because “it is the only team whose work covers all the aspects of the CCID’s operational departments, namely Urban Management, Safety & Security and Social Development.
“Aside from the team being the ‘manicurists’ of the CBD, there’s a social development aspect to the team as they are formed from an NGO that provides work for the homeless, and from a safety and security point of view, this team has become our eyes and ears on the ground and help us a great deal when it comes to reporting safety issues,” says Mo.
He adds that the success of this team is further proof of what can be achieved: "When we pull together, we can do amazing things”.
Tasso says it is crucial for the team's journey to continue so that “skills within the team are passed to new members”. He points out that team members, who were all previously disadvantaged, are now skilled to the point that they can ply their trade anywhere.
“This is a model that has proven to be effective and one that could be adopted into other communities to upskill people so they’re able to take ownership of their surroundings”.
IMAGES: CCID