Dear Property Owners and Interested Parties

As we hit the halfway mark of 2026, our operations teams have been braving the winter weather to keep our community safe, clean, and functioning smoothly. June has been an incredibly productive month on all fronts. We are pleased to report a noticeable downward trend in both general incidents and crime across the precinct, alongside a massive boost in our municipal service resolution rates. The City of Cape Town Parks and Recreation contractors have been hard at work driving the intensive physical rehabilitation of Tuin Plein Park. We urge everyone to remain vigilant against opportunistic vehicle crime, and bogus municipal officials attempting to gain access to properties.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Important Notices from the Lower Gardens CID

Local Government elections

Please note a significant change affecting all stakeholders who reside in Lower Gardens. Following recent boundary adjustments, our community will now solely fall under Ward 115. Previously, Lower Gardens was split between Ward 77 and Ward 115. Due to this consolidation, all residents are required to re-register ahead of the upcoming elections.

• New Voting District / Station: St Mary’s Primary School, located at 12 Tuin Plein (directly opposite Tuin Plein Park).

1. • In-Person: Visit the St Mary's Primary School voting station during the official registration weekend on 1 & 2 August.
   • Online (Anytime): Skip the queues by visiting the official IEC Website: registertovote.elections.org.za and clicking the "Get Started" button under the Register to Vote section. 

General Incidents Update

For the month of June our total recorded incidents dropped from 13 in May down to 10 in June. Based on the metrics tracked, the biggest shift was that of traffic accidents recorded which decreased from 7 to 3 incidents. As we head further into the busy winter season, please continue to drive defensively, watch your speed, and keep an eye out for changing road conditions. 

Public safety team assisting with jump starting a vehicle on Hope Street.

Fire department on scene assisting with a vehicle on fire on Glynn Street.

City of Cape Town Update

The number of C3 requests logged decreased 38 to 33 however our resolution rate increased from 8 to 27. The majority of our municipal entities maintained an impressively quick turnaround time this month, ensuring that issues were addressed shortly after being reported.

Water department on Harrington Street attending to a water reinstatement.

Thank you to the Roads Department this month who were proactive in swiftly attending to minor pavement defects, ensuring our walkways remain safe and accessible.

A defect in the pavement along Wesley Street resolved by the Roads and Infrastructure Management team.

A defect in the road along Wesley Street resolved by the Roads and Infrastructure Management team.

You can contact us on WhatsApp  to report any service delivery issues you see in the Lower Gardens CID. This is the most effective way in assisting us address outstanding service delivery concerns in the neighbourhood.

Our law enforcement officer has had an active month, resulting in a noticeable increase in notices issued across the board. This rise reflects our intensified presence in priority problem areas and a zero-tolerance approach to public misconduct. Notice issuance breakdown:

• Section 56 Notices (Direct Fines/Summonses): Increased from 194 in May to 200 in June.

• Section 341 Notices (Traffic/Parking Violations): Increased from 383 in May to 390 in June.

Law enforcement officer issuing a section 56 fine for public drinking along Jutland Avenue.

Law enforcement officer issuing a section 56 notice for people taking water out a manhole along Hope Street.

 
Public Safety Update

We have noted a visible increase in rough sleeping across the neighborhood over the winter season. Public Space Interventions increased from 505 in May to 547 in June.

This trend is further evidenced by a rise in individuals targeting unoccupied buildings to set up temporary shelters. Our officers are actively monitoring these vulnerable sites and moving individuals along as they attempt to settle there, balancing public safety with necessary enforcement.

We need the community's eyes and ears to manage this effectively. If you live near a vacant or unoccupied property, please stay vigilant. We urge all residents to immediately report any suspicious activity, trespassing, or attempts to occupy vacant structures to our security channels. Early reporting allows our officers to intervene before a location becomes a long-term safety hazard.

SAPS responding to an incident in a vacant building after LGCID control room informed them about trespassing.

Our proactive policing strategies continue to shape the safety landscape of our neighborhood, leading to a shift in our operational numbers this month. Stop and searches decreased from 10 to 6. This decrease is a direct result of our officers maintaining high visibility in key areas, which has successfully deterred criminal elements. Because of this strong presence, there were fewer suspicious characters detected within the space during the last month.  

Public safety team confiscating a trolley (belonging to Gardens Centre Pick n' Pay) along Jutland Avenue.

Reported criminal incidents decreased this month from 10 down to just 2 in June with no arrests carried out. Opportunistic crime remains our biggest challenge. Never leave bags, laptops, phones, loose change, or shopping items visible on your seats.

Public Safety Notice

We urge all residents and business owners to never allow individuals into your property who claim they are from the City of Cape Town without verification. Criminals frequently impersonate municipal workers (such as water, electricity, or solid waste inspectors) to gain access to homes and premises. As the CID, we maintain an extensive, real-time list of all active C3 service requests logged for our area. If an official knocks on your door claiming they are there to attend to a municipal issue:

1. Keep your gates/doors locked.
2. Contact the CID office immediately to verify if a legitimate service request has been dispatched to your address. If we cannot verify the request or the official, we will dispatch our security teams straight away. 
   

Public safety team responding to an attempted cell phone snatching along Scott Street.

Notable Incidents

Theft out of Motor Vehicle

At 12:35 PM on the 15th of June, two suspects traveling in a Toyota Starlet, opened the boot of a Renault Kwid and stole a laptop out of the boot. Suspects were caught on camera with the victim encouraged to open a case at SAPS.

Cleaning & Maintenance Update

The volume of litter and waste cleared from our streets increased significantly this month. Waste bags collected increased from 1,040 bags in May to 1,198 bags in June. 

In addition to routine daily sweeping, our team tackled routine infrastructure cleaning to prevent blockages and maintain safety. The cleaning team completely cleared out one servitude this month, which alone resulted in 25 bags of accumulated waste being removed. Most of the waste removed were overgrown weeds. Routine stormwater maintenance occurred with our teams successfully clearing 39 stormwater drains to ensure proper drainage and mitigate local flooding risks.

 Help us stay ahead of the weather and please report any blocked drains via our WhatsApp channel. Our team will intervene where possible and ensure any issues requiring City suction equipment are logged promptly.

Social Services Update 

Our Work Readiness team has been incredibly busy this June, stepping up their efforts across our designated focus areas and delivering a massive boost to our local public spaces. The team's increased activity on the ground resulted in the amount of bags being collected from 68 to 117 bags in June! A large portion of this effort went toward stabilising and maintaining identified hotspot areas within our precinct. These zones fall under the team's direct responsibility and require significant attention to keep them clean and orderly.

Graffiti removal was highly prominent throughout June. The team was quick to paint over and remove illicit tagging, effectively combatting visual pollution and keeping our neighborhood looking its best.

Work readiness team undertaking graffiti removal along Hope Street.

 

In the month of June, client follow-ups decreased from 58 in May to 47 in June. While routine follow-ups were slightly lower, it was a direct result of our social workers dedicating extensive, focused time to high-need individuals. In the same reporting period, we recorded 2 successful placements in Safe Spaces. Moving individuals into designated Safe Spaces is a rigorous process that requires building deep trust over time. This achievement is a direct testament to the tireless, continued efforts of our social services team, who spend hours on the ground doing the hard work necessary to help people transition off the streets sustainably.

Parks Recreation Update

June saw a surge in general maintenance activity across all of our local parks. Our teams have been working hard to combat winter weed growth and keep our green spaces clean resulting in an increase in waste and organic matter removed. The significant increase at Tuin Plein Park reflects the intensive rehabilitation work highlighted in our Work Readiness update.

City of Cape Town contractors commencing with repairs at Tuin Plein park.

City of Cape Town contractors removing tar in preparation for a new surfacing for the childrens play area in Tuin Plein.

Announcements

Lower Gardens Business Survey

Over the next two months, our team will be launching an intensive door-to-door and email outreach campaign to connect directly with all local business operators in Lower Gardens. This project involves a comprehensive local business survey and audit. Through this initiative, we aim to:

• Map our commercial landscape by understanding the total number of businesses.

• Determine the types of industries operating in our area

This audit will allow us to evaluate the specific needs of our commercial sector and identify exactly how the LGCID can best support you moving forward. Your insight is vital to shaping a thriving local economy. We strongly encourage all approached members to participate in this upcoming survey, your feedback is highly appreciated, and we look forward to growing together.

 Sub-Council 16 Notices

As part of our commitment to keeping the community informed, we would like to highlight several matters currently before Subcouncil 16 that require public awareness or formal comment. Public participation is a vital tool for ensuring that the development of the Gardens and Lower Gardens area aligns with the needs of its residents and businesses. They can be found on the following links:

• 2026/27 Draft Budget And Draft Rates Policy
• Liquor Licence Application: Stagshead Hotel
• Liquor Licence Application: District Studios

Interactive Lower Gardens CID Dashboard

We continue to provide full transparency through our interactive dashboard, tracking all incidents and logs recorded by the CID since our inception. This platform remains central to how we analyse trends and share key insights that directly inform our daily operations. Used as our primary tool for weekly incident reporting, our ongoing goal is to keep you well-informed with real-time updates on our neighborhood's safety and maintenance. Monitor our updates in real-time:

• https://stats.lowergardenscid.co.za/

Your Eyes, Our Impact: See it, Share it

As we work to establish Lower Gardens as the best inner-city suburb in South Africa, we want to ensure our efforts are measured by clear data, not just opinion. The performance of the board, our operations team, and all our suppliers will be judged on concrete evidence of continued improvement across the precinct.

To make this possible, we need your active participation. Your feedback and reporting are vital. We ask that you report all incidents, report all crimes with SAPS and provide case numbers, log all service delivery requests, and provide constant feedback on the success of our operations. You can do this by calling our LGCID control room, which is operated 24/7, on 087 330 2177. Alternatively, you can contact us via our website at LGCID reporting.

We are happy to share that you use Whatsapp to report incidents via our LGCID Connect channel. This is our primary communication channel for staying updated on community matters and logging incidents directly to our control room. Please take note that should you WhatsApp call the Control Room, it will be declined and you will receive a call from our Control Room on 087 330 2177

Contact Us
For general inquiries, suggestions, or to report an issue, please contact us at:

Email: cidmanager@lowergardenscid.co.za
Office Phone: 087 330 2177
Website: www.lowergardenscid.co.za
Physical Address: Lower Gardens City Improvement, Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, South Africa 

Lower Gardens City Improvement District