If anyone is on a mission to keep the CBD clean, it’s the new manager of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Urban Management department.
The CCID has appointed Kally Benito to the position following the retirement of former manager Richard Beesley, who left in June 2020 after 14 years at the helm.
Benito is no stranger to the CCID, having held the position of assistant manager in the department since October 2017.
Over the past three years as assistant manager, she has been involved in coordinating Urban Management’s operations, planning its budget, compiling statistics, and contributing to campaign ideas. She also has experience in Business Management, Sales and Marketing and Operations. She combined the latter during her 19-year stint in children’s educational publishing and has travelled extensively both internationally and throughout Africa, enabling her passion for multi-cultural experiences and exposure to new ideas and innovations to enrich her knowledge and add value to her professional life.
Since Beesley’s departure, which coincided with the unprecedented Level 3 Lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, Benito has ably steered the Urban ship, working alongside precinct manager, Carlisle Marankey. Relishing the challenges that lie ahead, she says: “I am pleased and honoured to take on this position and understand how crucial the role is in the Cape Town CBD. I will continue to enhance the reputation of the Urban Management department.”
Benito says one of the rewards of the job is working with Urban’s dedicated, professional cleaning teams, contracted via J&M Cleaning Services, who work in the CBD seven days a week. “They keep it pristine for everyone to enjoy.” She also finds working with previously disadvantaged street sweepers and litter pickers from NGO Straatwerk gratifying.
“The monthly cleaning stats collected from both waste-to-landfill as well as cigarette butts from our cigarette butt bins, is phenomenal and the assistance of these teams in maintaining a clean CBD, while managing the waste and protecting the environment, is invaluable to us.”
Benito says that while they have succeeded in providing a clean, attractive and risk-reduced urban environment, this year has been challenging. “It has been a difficult year with several challenges created by the pandemic. However, my experience as assistant manager has enabled me to stay focused and implement strategies and services necessary to continue providing excellent service,” she says.
However, she says there is never a dull moment at Urban. “We are always striving to ensure that the CBD is kept clean and risk-free, and we enjoy feeling a sense of accomplishment when tasks have been fulfilled.”
- In the 2019-2020 financial year, Urban Management – which receives 11 % of the CCID’s budget – removed over 783 tonnes of litter and waste from the CBD.
IMAGES: Ed Suter