Hello Lower Gardens community and welcome to our very first edition of the Lower Gardens CID newsletter. Our newsletter is designed to keep you informed about our progress and plans for a safer, cleaner precinct. We are excited to start this journey with you and look forward to building a strong, vibrant community together.

Chairperson's Message: August 2025

Dear Lower Gardens Community,
As the chairperson of the Lower Gardens City Improvement District (LGCID), I'm pleased to share my first message with you. This newsletter marks a new chapter for our community, and I am excited for what we can achieve together.

First and foremost, I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to the steering committee and all the volunteers who supported us throughout the LGCID voting process. Your tireless work and dedication was instrumental in achieving the 60% property owner vote that established the LGCID. To all the property owners who voted in support of establishing the LGCID, a big thank you! Your vote of confidence has laid the foundation for a safer, cleaner, and more vibrant Lower Gardens.

I also want to recognize the immense contribution of the LGCID interim board: Michael Power, Dagmar Timler, Jacques Weber, and Matthew Jantjies-Green. These individuals are volunteering their time and expertise to ensure that the LGCID becomes fully operational. Their commitment is invaluable to our success.

It is with great pleasure that I officially welcome our new LGCID Manager, Rorisang Sojane , who joined us on August 1st. Rorisang’s leadership will be crucial in guiding our daily operations and realizing our collective vision for the community.

We are making significant progress on the implementation of the LGCID. The process, which is strictly monitored by the City of Cape Town, is well underway. Key milestones to date include the approval of the LGCID submission by the City Council in March 2025, the registration of the LGCID as a Non-Profit Company in April 2025 and our public safety and cleaning teams starting work on the 1st August 2025. You can find more details on our progress by visiting the LGCID implementation process. 

Sincerely, Ryan Paterson
Chairperson

Message from CID Manager

Hello, Lower Gardens!

As the newly appointed CID manager, I am thrilled to introduce myself and our very first newsletter. On behalf of the entire CID team, we are excited to be a part of this community and to officially be up and running.

Our work has already begun, and much of it is happening in the background. We are focused on building a solid foundation by meticulously logging and documenting every issue—from security incidents to service delivery problems. This crucial, data-driven work provides us with the information we need to engage effectively with the City of Cape Town on your behalf.

We see ourselves as your voice, and we are actively building the right networks within the municipality to ensure your concerns are not just heard but acted upon.

We look forward to a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant Lower Gardens.

Sincerely,  Rorisang Sojane
CID Manager 

Urban Management Update
The CID facilitates this essential work by acting as the key point of contact between you, the community, and the City of Cape Town.  We believe in transparency and want you to see the tangible results of our efforts. Our role is to report and escalate these issues with the respective municipal entities. The data we collect—such as calls logged and issues resolved—is a direct measure of our effectiveness in driving positive change and ensuring the City addresses our needs.

 
Public Safety Update
We are pleased to introduce our public safety service provider, Byers Security Solutions, a company with extensive experience in City Improvement District security. Their team's primary focus is to ensure the Lower Gardens is a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone.

The on-the-ground team is led by Shea Manual, a highly experienced professional who previously worked with the Voortrekker Road City Improvement District and has a strong background in law enforcement. Shea and his team are dedicated to managing by-law issues in close collaboration with our dedicated City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Officer.

We've already seen some early successes, with our team making five arrests to date. While this is encouraging, we want to highlight that we have experienced four criminal incidents in our area, but only two of these were officially reported. We want to strongly encourage all victims of crime to report incidents directly to the South African Police Service (SAPS). A case number is crucial as it legally empowers our security team to carry out arrests when they come across a suspect, allowing us to take effective action.

Notable Incidents
A bench, suspected of being stolen, was recovered from two men in St. Johns Street (Zone 1 of the Lower Gardens CID). The suspects admitted to taking the bench from De Waal Park near the Gardens Centre with the intent to sell it. The CID security team and Law Enforcement officer arrested the two individuals and transported them to the police station. The bench was handed over to the police.

Following a break-in and theft from a motor vehicle on St. Johns Road (Zone 1 of Lower Gardens CID), two suspects were arrested. The Lower Gardens City Improvement District (LGCID) team observed the suspects loading an Uber with possessions. When confronted, they could not provide proof of ownership for the items. The CID team then apprehended the suspects and called the South African Police Service (SAPS). The victim was able to identify their stolen possessions, and all items were recovered.

Our goal is to create a secure environment where every resident, business, and visitor feels safe. Your cooperation is vital to our success.

Cleaning & Maintenance Update
We are proud to partner with Essential, our dedicated service provider, which has the primary responsibility of ensuring our precinct is clean. The on-the-ground team is led by Likhanyise who manages a dedicated team of eight cleaners who are on the streets daily, actively working on tasks like street sweeping and the removal of weeds.


Beyond these visible duties, our cleaning team also serves as an extra pair of eyes and ears on the street. They are trained to report any service delivery issues they spot—from broken streetlights to illegal dumping—directly to the CID.

This partnership allows us to be proactive in addressing issues and helps to keep the Lower Gardens looking its best.

Social Services Update 
While our immediate focus is on security and urban management, we are actively working to appoint a social services provider. Our social services provider will have the vital responsibility of working closely with the homeless population in our area. Their core mission will be to implement programmes that aim to uplift them, addressing the complex issues they face and helping them get back on their feet.  We want to ensure we partner with the right professionals to deliver the best possible results for our community.

Parks Recreation Update
While our immediate focus is on security and urban management, we are actively working to appoint a parks service provider.  When our parks initiative is active, our dedicated park wardens and staff will be solely responsible for the daily maintenance and management of our public green spaces more specifically Tuin Plein, Maynard Park and Jutland Park. The CID will play a supporting role, assisting with activations and activities to encourage better use of these parks by the entire community. Our goal is to transform them into welcoming, vibrant hubs for everyone to enjoy. As a newly established CID, we are committed to building a solid foundation for all of our services.

Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, I am pleased to confirm that our first Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on November 18th at 18:00. The venue is still to be confirmed, and we will communicate details as soon as possible. Please remember that only registered LGCID members can vote on the LGCID budget and other important matters, so I urge all property owners to sign up as members via links below.

• Sign up as Juristic Person
• Sign up as Natural Person
  

The interim board has set an ambitious but achievable goal: to establish Lower Gardens as the best inner-city suburb in South Africa. This is a goal we cannot achieve alone. It requires the support, engagement, and involvement of every stakeholder in Lower Gardens. We look forward to working with you to make our shared vision a reality.

Measuring Our Success Together
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. The second phase of our control room implementation includes WhatsApp integration, followed by precinct-wide CCTV monitoring, which will further enhance our ability to serve you.

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

Email: cidmanager@lowergardenscid.co.za
Office Phone: 021 891 0483
Website: www.lowergardenscid.co.za
Physical Address: Lower Gardens City Improvement, Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, South Africa 

Lower Gardens City Improvement District