Inside century citypublication_finalprint%20no%20crop%2017%2002%2015

CONTENTS
Building a city, creating a community 2
Century City in numbers 4
Contributing to the economy 6
Connecting to Cape Town 8
Choosing a new place to call home 10
Turning green into gold 12
Intaka Island – a natural asset 14
A home for business at Century City 16
A hub for business 18
Living the shopper’s dream 20
A new model of urban management 22
Breathing life into a new development 26
Reaching out to neighbouring communities 32
Acknowledgements 33
What is Century City?
In the mid-1990s the vision was born for a major mixed-use development in
Cape Town that would bring together international and national corporate
offices and leading consultancies in a sought-after, convenient and well-
connected business node, with residential, retail and recreational facilities
that offer safe and secure, well-managed lifestyle choices to discerning
property owners and tenants. So began the rise of Century City as a smart-
choice living, working and investment destination, with a new wave of
development now set to take this ‘city within a city’ to new heights.
Inside_CenturyCityPublication_FinalPrint 10 12 14.indd 1 10/12/14 03:49:11 PM

I
n a decade, a forward-thinking property
development company, Rabie Property
Group, has built a ‘city within a city’ on
a greenfield site adjacent to Cape Town’s
busiest highway, the N1. Well located
between the northern and southern suburbs,
with no historical baggage, Century City is
now a sought-after destination offering a
wide range of opportunities to live, work and
play in a safe and secure environment to a
new generation of South Africans.
The success of this R21 billion development
is testament to a unique set of circumstances
– from the existence of several ephemeral
(seasonal) pans, or small bodies of water,
that had made the site seem an unlikely
opportunity – to a sophisticated approach to
land-use rights used flexibly and creatively by
a developer with a long-term view and a keen
sense of what the market wants.
In 2004, Century City was home to a handful
of office blocks, Cape Town’s only theme park
Ratanga Junction and Canal Walk Shopping
Centre, which at the time was South
Africa’s largest. Under the administration
of the banks, the site represented a unique
development opportunity for the mix of
residential and commercial property for which
Rabie had become known.
John Chapman, a director of Rabie, recalls
the weekend the first residential properties
went on sale in the Island Club, when eager
buyers snapped up 120 units over two days.
This was the first of a series of relatively
high-density residential developments that
have seen about 3 500 new front doors
opening to middle-income South Africans,
ranging from single professionals, to young
couples, families and retirees.
“The principle here is based on new
urbanism, but rather than an academic
concept, the approach is to adapt and
respond to what buyers want,” he says.
Allied to this is solid, professional city
management through the Century City
Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA)
Building a city,
2
VISION
John Chapman, Director of Rabie Property
Group.

which has put in place the governance and
administration of a model municipality.
“We have moved far beyond bricks and mortar
into building a model city for a community
– with pocket parks, landscaped pedestrian
paths, a nature reserve, schools, churches,
sporting facilities, public transport and more,”
says CCPOA CEO Chris Blackshaw, who
heads up the management team. “And it’s
safe and secure, clean and tidy, which is
what residents, commercial property owners
and tenants really value. Century City now
offers all the goods and services a community
requires – for young, single people, growing
families and retirees – in a well-managed and
maintained environment.”
The story of Century City is far from
over, with a new wave of development in
progress, which will see further investment
of more than R4 billion in the short term. This
includes expanding the green commercial
precinct that has attracted many corporate
headquarters and an Urban Square linked to
a 900-seater conference venue, a 125-room
hotel and restaurants geared to complement
the growing international success of Cape
Town’s conference offering.
“One of the benefits has been the granting
of a basket of rights for the entire property,
which allows Rabie Property Group the
flexibility to develop pockets as complete
neighbourhoods in response to demand,”
says Chapman. “This is part of what
makes Century City a continuing source of
fascination for developers and government
delegations from many parts of South Africa,
Africa and the world.”
Blackshaw says Century City is making,
and will continue to make, a significant
contribution to the economy, spatial fabric
and life of Cape Town, alongside and not
in competition with the CBD and other
business and residential nodes. “2004
to 2014 has been an exciting decade for
Century City. We are looking forward to the
next 10 years,” he says.
3
creating a community
VISIONVISION
Chris Blackshaw, CEO of Century City
Property Owners’ Association.

CENTURY CITY
Ratanga Junction
16 hectares of beautiful gardens
More than 25 rides and attractions
250 000 visitors per year
Transport
15 410 people use pedestrian walkway
and Century City Station daily
2 215 Golden Arrow users
7 750 North Bank Lane daily users
Sports clubs
and leagues
Touch rugby
SUP
Cycling
Canoeing
Running
Fives Futbol
Canal Walk
136 restaurants
21 million visitors per year
150 000m2
of retail space
10 000m2
of ofﬁce space
8 000 parking bays
400 stores
Green Precinct
150 000m2
once completed
More than R4.3 billion
earmarked for further expansion
Hotels/conferencing
5 hotels, 6th
coming
570 hotel rooms
5 conference venues
New 900-seater conference
centre opening in 2016
Central Park
4 500m2
250 hectares
550 businesses
R21 billion investment
55 000-strong community

Commercial
550 businesses
260 000m2
of office space
Surrounds
79 000m2
lawn
1 500 trees
11km roads
1 000 street lights
70 benches
6 drinking fountains
10km irrigation line
62,5 million litres recycled water
used to irrigate per year
Benefits
Convenient, central location
Safe and secure
Clean, neat and well maintained
High speed broadband connectivity
World-class amenities in easy walking distance
Car dealerships
BMW-SMG
Mercedes-Benz
Jeep
Porsche
Leisure and cultural activities
Virgin Active gym
4 churches
Neighbourhood restaurants
Convenience retailing
Award-winning beauty and
wellness spass
s
ark
Residential
3 500 front doors
10 000 residents
Studio, one, two and three
bedroom apartments
Free-standing homes
Luxury retirement resorts
Schools
4 schools from
pre-school to matric
Security
120 CCTV cameras
2 metro law
enforcement officers
1 traffic officer
Intaka Island
120 bird species
213 plant species
25 000 visitors in 2013
Educational eco-centre

Contributing
to the economy
55 000
PEOPLE LIVING AND WORKING
550
businesses
R20.33 billion
MARKET VALUE
R138 million
ANNUAL RATES CONTRIBUTION
6

C
entury City is the third largest
business node in Cape Town, and
is leading the way in creating a true
mixed-use environment where the live,
work, play lifestyle is possible for between
55 000 and 60 000 people. Cranes are
an almost permanent fixture in Century
City, as commercial and residential
development powers ahead. This is likely to
continue across the 250 hectare precinct,
which is approaching just 70% of its full
development potential.
The market value of commercial and
residential property forming part of the
Century City Property Owners’ Association
in 2014 amounts to R20.3 billion, with a
combined contribution to the rates base of
the City of Cape Town of R138 million a year
based on the 2012 valuations.
In 2013 and 2014, and continuing into 2015,
major commercial nodes in Cape Town – the
CBD’s north-west area, the V&A Waterfront
Silo precinct and Century City’s Bridgeway
precinct – are benefiting from an investment
boom in state-of-the-art new commercial
space, running into billions of rands. Each
one of these areas has distinct competitive
advantages for corporate property owners
and tenants.
Added to this, is the investment across Cape
Town which is expanding the offering in the
international and domestic conferencing
markets. The new 900-seater Century
City Conference Centre will precede and
complement the expansion of the central
city’s Cape Town International Convention
Centre (CTICC). Since the first phase of the
CTICC opened in 2003 it has contributed an
estimated R22.4 billion to the country’s GDP,
and grown Cape Town’s international image
as a conferencing destination.
Century City’s unique advantage lies in it being
a greenfields development, which means bulk
infrastructure and services are relatively new
and will be maintained to a high standard now
and into the future. The City of Cape Town
has a sophisticated system that maps data
relating to property trends, connectivity and
infrastructure to rank the city’s 70 commercial
nodes in terms of their performance and
potential. Century City ranks at the top on all
measures on the system.
Challenges being faced in terms of the
bulk electricity supply and peak hour traffic
congestion are being addressed by the City
of Cape Town, Eskom, Rabie Property Group
and the CCPOA. A new substation has been
commissioned to meet growing energy
requirements while sophisticated traffic
management, improved public transport
services and the long-term development of
further road links is planned, including the
upgrade of Sable Road which will create
two additional lanes in 2015. However, in all
urban contexts peak-hour traffic congestion
is a fact of life, and in this regard Century
City is no different.
“Congestion is a sign of success, and having a
morning and evening peak hour was inevitable
as the precinct has grown,” says CCPOA Chris
Blackshaw. The corporate and investment
sectors’ confidence in Century City is shown
by the list of major companies it houses and in
the number of leading property growth funds
that have invested in the precinct.
INVESTMENT
7
Century City is home to
many leading national and
global companies including:
AIG
Aurecon
Auditor General
BASF
BCX
BMW (SMG)
Business Centre
Citibank
Chevron
Curro
DeVere
Discovery Health
Hi Sense
IBM
Itec
Fusion
Lesedi Nuclear
Liberty Life
Mazars
Mercedes-Benz
Moore Stephens
MTN
Nashua
Old Mutual Private Wealth
Philip Morris
Porsche
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
Regus
Samsung
SAP
Softline
Sony
Spur
Verisign
Virgin Active
Vodacom

Connecting with
Cape Town
Cape Town’s new MyCiTi bus service began operating in Century City in 2013 with further routes into the surrounding areas planned for 2015.
8

ACCESS
L
ocation is a key factor in the success
story of Century City, situated as
it is right on the N1 freeway that
connects the Cape Town CBD to the
northern suburbs. Century City is also the
gateway to the West Coast along the N7,
the city’s fastest-growing area with a mix of
commercial and residential development.
Initially, Century City was something of an
island, with undeveloped linkages into the
surrounding suburbs. Canal Walk Shopping
Centre, with 8 000 parking bays alone,
consolidated the notion that this was a car-
driven destination.
This has changed in recent years. In 2010
the hosting of the Football World Cup in
Cape Town was the catalyst for the building
of a new railway station across the N1 from
Connecting with the world
Accessibility is about more than physical connection, as access to fast, reliable
broadband and multimedia services have become essential for business and
residents. Century City Connect has installed an open-access fibre optic
network, over which 17 accredited internet service providers offer world-class
broadband and multimedia services to those living and working in Century City.
Specifically designed competitive packages are offered, allowing businesses
and residents to select the services, cost and speed that best suits their needs.
See www.centurycityconnect.com
15 410
PEOPLE USING station and
Pedestrian walkway
6 170
PEOPLE USING MINIBUS TAXIS
2 215
GOLDEN ARROW BUS USERS
7 750
NORTH BANK LANE
PEDESTRIAN DAILY USERS
1 650
myciti feeder service
1 100
E-PARKING
Century City, with upgraded pedestrian
links, for use as a park and ride facility. The
management and development team actively
promote public transport, with buses, minibus
taxis and metered taxis all servicing the area.
“Century City has some of the best regulated
and managed public transport interchanges,”
says CEO of the CCPOA Chris Blackshaw.
A major development has been the
extension of the City of Cape Town’s modern
integrated rapid transit system, MyCiTi, to
Century City. In November 2013 the MyCiTi
bus service replaced the privately contracted
shuttle service that had operated along the
main routes through Century City. Work is
underway on a further MyCiTi trunk route
with a station on Ratanga Road, which will
greatly expand the links between Century
City and the surrounding suburbs.
There is also the possibility of further
integrating Century City through a link to the
south across the rail corridor.
An estimated 55 000 people live and work in
Century City. Testament to this popularity is
that the access roads, especially Sable Road,
now experience peak-hour congestion. The
CCPOA and the developer, Rabie Property
Group, strive to maintain a free flow of traffic
within and around the precinct. The use of
CCTV cameras, the timing of traffic signals,
traffic guidance and vehicle messaging are
some of the ways congestion is mitigated.
Other measures include the planned upgrade
of Sable Road in mid-2015, which will create
two extra traffic lanes.
Century City has the dedicated services of a
traffic officer from the City of Cape Town and
two pointsmen from Outsurance are deployed
to assist. There is also agreement in principle
with the City’s Traffic Management Centre
(TMC) to have controlled access to each
other’s CCTV networks. This will enable the
CCPOA control room to view the adjacent
national and main arterial roads in real time
and the TMC to view Century City roads.
In recent years, a public transport and
pedestrian survey has been conducted with
the assistance of the City of Cape Town’s
public transport department. The results are a
clear indication of the increasing accessibility
of the precinct and are related to Century
City’s initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint.
For those travelling to Century City by car,
e-parking offers companies based in Century
City additional monthly parking bays at a
competitive price. There are four convenient
e-parking sites with over 1 100 parking bays,
within 500m of everyone’s place of work.
With the improvement in public transport
services, the City of Cape Town has zoned
Century City a P2 area. This means that
for new commercial developments, the
developer is required to provide one parking
bay per 100m2
of office space, as opposed
to four per 100m2
previously required.
9

Choosing a new place
to call home
Waterstone Isles, award-winning residential complex.
10

I
n 2004, the idea of living next to Canal
Walk Shopping Centre was a novel one,
yet the first residential development, the
Island Club, with 450-unit luxury apartments,
quickly sold out to buyers who recognised
the attractions of living in a central location
with easy access to the entire Cape Town
metropole. The development, which was
completed in late 2005, has its own private
waterways and recreation zones and adjoins
a public promenade with piazza spaces
along the Grand Canal with a pedestrian
bridge linking into Canal Walk.
The Island Club won the prestigious SAPOA
national award for the top residential
development for 2005. This put Century City,
an area without any of the political history or
labels of other Cape Town neighbourhoods,
firmly on the map. The early confidence has
paid off for buyers, with a capital appreciation
of an average 134% in less than 10 years.
In the last decade the range of residential
options has grown steadily, with most in the
R1 million to R2.5 million category, but around
10% in the R3 million to R14 million range
catering for the higher end of the market.
Today Century City offers modern, secure
homes covering the whole lifestyle cycle,
from first-time homeowners to single yuppie
pads, young couples, families and empty
nesters, even retirees. There are studios
or one, two or three bedroom apartments,
townhouses and freestanding villas, many
with water frontage, amazing views of Table
Mountain or looking onto Intaka Island and
the creeks, canals and wetlands.
No matter what the choice of home, Century
City offers security and substantial return on
investment in the form of capital appreciation
and rental income. But perhaps the best
value is to be gained from the quality of life
and sense of belonging amid diversity that is
becoming a feature of living in Century City.
The single developer model ensures that the
urban fabric that links one development to
another is well developed and maintained,
with a network of pedestrian walkways
and cycle paths and lush landscaping. The
efficient, unobtrusive urban management
model and the growing number of community
facilities, including schools, places of
worship, a clinic, sports clubs, and a range
of community events underpins this sense
of place.
LIVE
3 500
134%
homes
Average capital gain
Setting the standard
Residential developments at Century City have won
numerous awards, including:
3 x Winner SAPOA Best Residential Development of the Year (2006, 2009,
2010)
2 x Finalist SAPOA Best Residential Development of the Year (2008, 2009)
1 x SALI Gold Award for Landscape and Turf Maintenance (2008)
2 x SALI Gold Award for Construction and Design (2008)
1 x SALI Silver Award for Landscape and Turf Maintenance (2008)
1x Best Residential Development in South Africa (International Property
Awards) (2006)
1 x Best Retirement Development in South Africa (European Property Awards)
(2008)
1 x Rated SA’s best middle class suburb in 2008 by Finweek
Above: Award-winning Bougain Villas. Below: Palm Royale Oasis Luxury Retirement development.
11

Turning green
into gold
Aurecon, South Africa’s first 5 star Green Star rated building.
12

A
competitive advantage that Century
City has over older business nodes is
that it offers large corporates a way
to make a commitment to environmental
sustainability and a reduced carbon
footprint.
Century City is home to Aurecon, South
Africa’s first 5 star Green Star rated building.
The building, which was developed by Rabie
Property Group on a site overlooking Intaka
Island and rated by the Green Building
Council of South Africa, serves as the
regional offices of the global engineering
group Aurecon.
Century City is also home to Bridgeways
precinct, which when completed is expected
to be the country’s largest all-green business
precinct. Bridgeways is already home to
Chevron – the second 5 star Green Star
rated building at Century City and two 4
star Green Star rated buildings occupied by
Phillip Morris and The Business Centre. Also
under construction in the precinct is the 18
000m2
Bridge Park office development being
undertaken in a joint venture by Rabie and
Growthpoint Properties at a cost of R450
million and the Century City Urban Square
where a further
R1 billion of development including a
900-seater conference centre, a 125-room
hotel, offices, parking, showrooms, restaurants
and apartments are under construction.
Looking forward, several other buildings
are vying for Green Star status, which will
consolidate Century City as a premier
destination for companies committed to
improving their environmental scorecard.
SUSTAINABILITY
A green light for walkways
The CCPOA has replaced halogen lamps with LED lighting. The 70 watt
halogen lights have been replaced with 30 watt LED lamps, which use 74%
less electricity. This will see the lighting system paying for itself over the
next two years. After a successful pilot project in which 58 lamps over a
kilometre were converted, there are plans to install LED lighting on all the
walkways and throughout the green Bridgeways precinct.
Going green contributes to multinational
low-carbon scorecards.
13

Intaka Island –
a natural asset
The multi-use venues on Intaka Island play host to a range of events and gatherings.
14

ENVIRONMENT
A
wetlands area and a series of
ephemeral pans has become
an award-winning green lung,
home to 125 species of the birds after
which Intaka Island is named. When
the initial environmental impact report
recommended that part of the wetland
area be retained, it was embraced as an
opportunity to create something special.
Intaka, meaning bird in isiXhosa, is
constructed from several man-made cells
and the surrounding restored wetlands,
which feed the 8km of canals that run
through Century City. A magnet for a growing
number of bird species and 213 species
of indigenous plants, including 24 Red
Data species, it is now not only a space
where residents and visitors can reconnect
with nature and wildlife, but has become
the starting point for a birding route that
stretches to Namibia.
The Environmental Education Centre’s green
building is the point of arrival at Intaka and
was designed to be a multi-functional space.
Visitors can stroll along footpaths over a
2km route or ask for the guidance of a field
ranger, who will explain more about the
birdlife and fynbos vegetation. Boat rides on
the Century City ferry that navigate around
Intaka Island and down the Grand Canal are
also available.
The Eco-Centre is designed to showcase
sustainability, with solar panels, a wind
turbine, grey water recycling systems, rain
water harvesting, compost and worm farms,
and recycling. There is also an outdoor
classroom used by schools and other
groups.
The reserve offers several venues, including
the educational lapa, for hire for approved
Educating youth
Intaka Island offers the perfect
space to teach young people about
the environment. It has become
increasingly popular with school
groups, with 134 school groups
visiting in 2013 up from 100 in 2012.
Up to November 2014, 83 schools
were hosted compared with 77
and 45 for the same period in 2013
and 2012. Of the 25 000 visitors
to Intaka in 2013, just under 6 000
were learners attending with their
schools.
15
corporate and private events, including
launches, workshops and meetings.
Intaka Island is open to visitors and groups
every day except Christmas Day, from
07h30 to 17h30 in winter and until 19h00
in summer. For further details go to www.
intaka.co.za or telephone 021 552 6889.

A home for business
at Century City
An aspirational, contemporary work environment contributes to productivity and the bottom-line.
16

W
hether it’s a cutting-edge green
building that houses a major
corporate, a self-contained set
of offices overlooking the water a few
steps away from a coffee shop or a fully
equipped temporary office suite, there’s a
business environment for everyone.
Century City has grown exponentially as
a place to do business and is now Cape
Town’s third largest commercial precinct.
Despite the financial downturn and
recessionary climate, commercial office
space has maintained a steady growth
trajectory, expanding from 80 000m2
to
264 000m2
in a decade. Over 550
businesses have offices in Century City.
There are many reasons for its success,
including its central location, easy
access to the freeway network, the Cape
Town CBD, the V&A Waterfront and the
Tygervalley business nodes, as well as to
the Cape Town International Airport. Within
the Century City area, an abundance
of parking and hospitality and small
conferencing facilities has encouraged
continued growth and variety in the
commercial mix. In addition, the retailers at
Canal Walk Shopping Centre provide just
about every type of product and service a
business needs.
Given the increasing dependence of
businesses and individuals on digital
access, there’s a major advantage to
COMMERCIAL
being based here. Century City Connect
has installed an open-access fibre optic
network that offers world-class broadband
and multimedia services to many businesses
and residential units. All future residential
and commercial properties will have direct
access to the network. With 17 major
accredited internet service providers, users
have a wide range of tailored packages to
choose from to suit their specific needs and
budgets. According to John Chapman of
Rabie Property Group, the aim has always
been for Century City to complement
other major business nodes, rather than
compete. However, in one respect Century
City does have an advantage – and that’s
in the opportunity for new buildings that
meet the standards for sustainability and
environmental impact set by some major
global companies for all their offices.
“It’s substantially more cost effective to
construct a green building than to retrofit
an older one in an established area like the
CBD, and Century City offers this,” he says.
There’s also a proven demand for small
office space from owner-managed
businesses and consultancies. Century City
has mixed-use developments that cater for
these non-corporate enterprises, including
owner-occupiers, which provide business
efficiency with a great lifestyle setting – the
opportunity for a leisurely creative session
over breakfast or a paddle along the 8kms of
navigable waterways in the late afternoon.
Investors in commercial property have
seen great returns. Investors across the
spectrum have received initial yields of
between 7% and 9% and increased returns
consistently thereafter.
17

A hub for business
The Century City Conference Centre and a new 125-room hotel, opening in 2016, will add significant life and business to the Bridgeway precinct.
18

C
entury City’s popularity as a hospitality
node has grown phenomenally in
recent years, in tandem with the growth
of the precinct which is now home to over 550
businesses.
Five hotels catering to different sectors of
the market are in demand from business
travellers to visitors with families, attracted
by the central location, safety and security
and attractions like Ratanga Junction theme
park and Canal Walk Shopping Centre.
The African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel
and Spa, the Colosseum Luxury Hotel,
Manhattan Suites, Island Club Hotel and the
Stay Easy Hotel offer a total of 451 rooms,
with a mix of rooms, suites and penthouses.
For longer stays, including family holidays,
there are a number of rental pools offering
furnished apartments, including Century
City Apartments, Island Letting and The
Residences Luxury Executive Apartments.
Century City’s growing status as a business
destination with some of the biggest
corporate names has led to a rising demand
for conferencing facilities. This is met to
some extent within the hotels, but there is
a gap in the market for facilities for events,
exhibitions and mid-size conferences.
The next phase of development for the
Rabie Property Group is the Bridgeways
precinct, adjacent to the hotels, with
convenient access from the N1 via Sable
Road. It already houses a number of green
buildings, one of which is The Business
Centre which offers furnished serviced
offices and a range of facilities, such as
video conferencing.
The hub of the node will be the Century City
Conference Centre, which is already under
construction and scheduled for completion
by early 2016. As part of the development,
a new hotel will offer 125 rooms around an
Urban Square designed to provide a vibey,
late-night venue with a variety of eateries.
The conference centre, in partnership with
Century City Connect, will offer delegates
world-class fibre optic and wireless
connectivity in every room. There will be
facilities to host 1 900 people in a total of
20 venues. This includes flexible configurations
with three adjoining halls with a capacity for
more than 900 delegates cinema style with
a fourth hall able to accommodate a further
480 delegates cinema style. The centre will
also have 12 meeting and breakaway rooms
and a business lounge.
“Cape Town is doing a great job in attracting
an increasing share of the international
conference market, and we believe that the
Century City Conference Centre will assist
by adding to the current offering,” says John
Chapman, from Rabie. “At the moment there
is the Cape Town International Convention
Centre and then smaller, niche venues. Our
conference centre will be aimed at mid-sized
events and will further stimulate business
for the hotels, hospitality and other service
providers and suppliers at Century City.”
The first conferences are expected to be
hosted early in 2016.
HOTELS AND CONFERENCING
5
hotels
451
ROOMS
1 900
TOTAL CAPACITY
people
20
venues
Century City Conference
Centre (2016)
African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa.
19
(+125 under
construction)
including 4 halls and
12 meeting rooms
(6th
under construction, due for
completion December 2015)

A
decade ago Canal Walk was
synonymous with Century City. While
that has changed with the increasing
mixed-use character of the node, this
massive and iconic shopping centre remains
a major drawcard which has been visited by
more than 250 million shoppers.
Today Canal Walk is firmly entrenched as
a premier shopping destination, after its
acquisition in 2003 for R1.13 billion by Hyprop
Investments and Ellerine Bros. Following a
decade of growth and expansion – it now
has 160 000m2
of lettable space – its value
has grown to R7.4 billion, with a R4.8 billion
turnover in 2013.
The centre continues to grow in popularity
and significance meeting every shopper’s
need,” says Canal Walk CEO Gavin Wood.
“The incredible support from the community
and the many international and local visitors
have ensured Canal Walk’s status as the top
shopping destination in the Western Cape.
We continually improve the tenant mix by
introducing new brands and our negligible
vacancy rate is evidence of the great
demand for space.”
The centre has over 400 stores trading from
09h00 to 21h00 daily offering leading local
and global brands and the widest selection of
specialty stores in the Southern Hemisphere.
At its heart is a sophisticated promotions
court, with full stage facilities and state-of-the-
art sound and lighting infrastructure, which
draws large crowds. This is backed by Canal
Walk’s in-centre television station (CWTV)
with two giant screens and 32 plasma
screens to enhance the shopping experience.
Leisure opportunities include a 17-screen
cinema complex and dozens of restaurants
featuring food from across the globe.
Canal Walk has won many awards for
marketing and innovation. It was also the first
Living the
shopper’s dream
20

RETAIL
shopping centre in South Africa to launch its
own mobile phone app and offers shoppers
free Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the mall.
Like much of Century City, Canal Walk has
a focus on sustainability, with a recycling
programme and initiatives aimed at driving
down consumption of increasingly costly
electricity. Replacing more than 3 400
downlighters with LED and installing more
than 4kms of LED strip lighting has helped
achieve an 80% reduction in general lighting
electricity consumption.An automated air
conditioning and extraction system has cut
maximum electricity demand by 11% and
water-saving measures are in place too.
Once a car-only destination, expanding public
transport links through rail and the MyCiTi bus
system, are increasing the accessibility of the
centre.Add to this an estimated 55 000 people
now living and working in the area, and the
future for this mega retail paradise is bright.
There is also now an expanded retail offering
across Century City, with coffee shops,
convenience stores and services offered in
mixed-use nodes like the Colosseum and
various business parks.
21 million
shoppers a year
150 000m2
GROSS LETTABLE AREA
10 000
OFFICE SPACE
400
TOP RETAIL TENANTS
117 000
FACEBOOK FANS
500 000
800 000in December
CARS PER MONTH
21

A new model of
urban management

Precinct Marker
Waterford Precinct
Century Gate Precinct
The Estuaries Precinct
Grand Central Precinct
Grand Moorings Precinct
Century View Precinct
Bridgeways Precinct
Mercantile Precinct
Intaka Precinct
Canal Walk Precinct
C
entury City has adopted a system of
urban management akin to that of a
municipality, with the emphasis on
good governance, efficiency and innovation.
The first impression of Century City is one of
a neat, clean and well-run space, which has
contributed a great deal to the confidence
shown by investors in both commercial and
residential property.
This is thanks to the Century City Property
Owners’ Association, which is responsible
for the governance and management of the
public areas. Heading up the management
team is an experienced former senior
executive manager from the City of Cape
Town, Chris Blackshaw.
“South Africa has a sound set of principles
underpinning the system of local government,
and at Century City we largely follow these
– but without the red tape and bureaucracy,
and with a high degree of accountability,”
he says.
The CCPOA is a not-for-profit company,
and all property owners automatically
become members. There is a system of
representation through precincts, similar
to municipal wards and in terms of the
memorandum of incorporation a director
is elected by property owners to represent
each of the precincts. These directors,
along with three directors nominated by the
developer, Rabie Property Group, serve as
the company’s board.
The company is funded through a monthly
levy system comprising a general levy
payable by all owners on a pro-rata basis
and certain special precinct levies where
property owners want additional services
such as extra security.
The CCPOA’s head office is centrally located
next to Central Park and the Century City
Clubhouse, which adds to the feeling of
a mini-municipal office accessible to all.
The management team is responsible for,
among other things, general safety and
security, emergency response and traffic
management, as well as ensuring that there
is safe and reliable public transport available
at the public transport interchanges.
Of major importance is the proper
management and maintenance of the
infrastructure, both above and below the
ground, such as stormwater systems,
roads, public walkways and perimeter
fencing, lighting and the abundant
landscaping in the public areas, which
includes running a nursery of indigenous
plants. The CCPOA also manages the
award-winning Intaka Island wetlands
conservation area, the water quality in the
canals and treats effluent water for use in
maintaining the landscaping throughout the
development.
Other functions mirroring those of a
functional urban administration include
budgeting, collection of levies, and
corporate governance, planning for
maintenance and working with the Design
Review Committee to ensure application of
an urban design framework, marketing and
communication and events management.
“It is like running a municipality, and we
maintain good relations with the City of
Cape Town, the Western Cape Government
and other public-sector agencies,” says
Blackshaw. “Within Century City we try to
fulfill our responsibilities in a cutting-edge
and cost-effective manner, responding to the
needs and expectations of our customers,
the property owners.”
Every year the CCPOA conducts a survey
to see how satisfied property owners and
residents are with the services provided, and
to pinpoint areas for future improvements.
The survey shows consistent satisfaction
levels into the 90% mark, which is a strong
vote of confidence in the management team.
MANAGEMENT
23

T
he Century City Property Owners’
Association conducts regular surveys
for insight into the priorities and
concerns of residents and commercial
tenants, and to monitor satisfaction with
services provided.
“The surveys are an important tool for
measuring how well the CCPOA is performing
in its day-to-day management and pinpoints
areas where more development and
improvement are needed,” says CEO Chris
Blackshaw. The results are a critical input
in strategic planning and budgeting and
help to strengthen relationships between
the CCPOA and the broader Century City
community and stakeholders.
The survey is administered online and
marketed through various internal marketing
mediums. The majority of respondents are
owners of residential units, but include
owners and tenants of commercial and retail
properties, residential tenants and workers.
The areas surveyed show consistent high
levels of satisfaction, but this isn’t cause
for complacency. “We hold ourselves to a
very high standard and as the development
grows and management becomes more
complex, maintaining satisfaction levels
at well over 90% becomes a challenge,”
he says, adding it’s a challenge that the
management team is up for.
Measuring
performance
Century City performance
survey results for 2014
MANAGEMENT
24
Infrastructure Environmental Management
and Amenities
Public Transport Safety and Security
51% 40%
5%
4%
Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Overall Satisfaction
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Don’t know
8%
3.5%
4.5%
28%56%
55% 67% 30%34%
10%
1%
47% 38%
8%7%
2%1%
Please tell us how satisfied or dissatisfied you
are with each of the following services:

O
ne of Century City’s greatest attractions
to those living and working here is that
it is safe and secure.
“While we can’t claim to be a 100% crime-
free zone, we do pride ourselves on our
comparatively low crime statistics, which is
in no small part a result of the zero tolerance
approach to crime that has been adopted,”
says CEO Chris Blackshaw. “Also, the
success rate in apprehending those who
commit crimes in Century City is well above
the norm.”
There are three levels of security. Firstly, the
Century City Property Owners’ Association
(CCPOA) is responsible for security in
the general public areas. Commercial
property owners, the body corporates and
home owners’ associations of residential
complexes are responsible for the security
of their development. Thirdly, individual
property owners are responsible for the
security of their individual units.
The strategy of using cutting-edge technology
combined with highly visible policing and
rapid emergency response has proven very
successful in curbing crime at Century City.
A fibre-based CCTV surveillance system
with a network of dome and fixed cameras
covers the gateway entrances and common
areas. More than 120 cameras are linked
to digital video recorders in the centralised
control centre, which is manned 24 hours a
day by a team of security officials. The state-
of-the-art control room is the nerve centre,
and is in contact with SAPS and municipal
emergency services, as well as with other
security officers operating in Century City.
The entire perimeter is walled or fenced,
and access is monitored through manned
security control points, surveillance cameras
and a licence plate recognition system.
Within the precinct, access to certain areas
is controlled by booms.
Visible policing is carried out by four easily
identifiable Century City branded vehicles,
together with bicycle and foot patrols.
They work closely with the local police.
Century City also has two dedicated Metro
Law Enforcement officers working with the
response team.
CCPOA security personnel, who are
normally first at the scene of an emergency
incident, are trained to provide emergency
first aid and a fire-fighting response as well
as traffic control until such time as the City
emergency services can get there.
There is a sophisticated disaster management
plan, which will be put into action immediately
if a major event occurs. Regular audits are
undertaken to ensure that the plans in place
within the premises of individual property
owners, including building evacuation plans,
are aligned and complement the overall
Century City plan.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Safeguarding quality of life
Century City Control Room
Tel: 021 202 1000
25

Breathing life
into a new city
Outdoor markets are growing in popularity, not least
in Century City, where the Night Market and Natural
Goods Market draw large crowds.

COMMUNITY
2927
P
eople make places, and in recent
years, a sense of neighbourhood and
community has developed in Century
City making the vision of a safe, walkable,
people-friendly suburb a reality.
One of the risks of large-scale development
in new areas is the sense of being a
dormitory town, where residents still have
to travel outside the area for work, study
and play. That’s changing rapidly in Century
City, with the opening of schools, places
of worship, a gym and other sporting
facilities and clubs, and a busy calendar of
community events driven by the CCPOA
marketing team.
As CEO Chris Blackshaw puts it: “The bricks
and mortar are here; the CCPOA is adding
the soul.”
The great attraction of this kind of self-
contained lifestyle is that it reduces the
stress and cost of driving, time spent in
traffic and provides an environment where it
is possible to walk to work, take your young
child along the walkways to school or cycle
to the shops.
It’s a safe, secure and well-ordered lifestyle
that appeals to many middle-income
singles, couples and families from across
the spectrum, which makes for a racially and
culturally diverse community.
For people who live elsewhere in the
surrounding suburbs and work in Century
City, the growing number of educational
facilities, sporting clubs and amenities offer
greater convenience and quality of life too.
There’s also a flagship Virgin Active gym,
and a number of private gym facilities in
residential developments, while the walking
and running paths are well-used.
Century City is home to a variety of
sports clubs, including canoeing, stamd
up paddling and running, Fives Futbol
and touch rugby for those who enjoy a
competitive and social element to their
exercise routine.
Amid the hustle and bustle Central Park is a
breath of fresh air. Like a traditional village
green, the 4 500m² field is available to the
community of Century City for corporate
gatherings, sporting events or simply
for family fun. The multi-use clubhouse
bordering Central Park is the hub of this
community node and is available for rental
for meetings, training courses and events.
Every year Century City comes out to play,
with a busy calendar of annual events
that draw in residents and people from
surrounding areas and across Cape Town.
There’s an annual three-day Sports Festival
with nine different sporting activities,
including a 10km road race that attracts
around 2 000 runners, touch rugby,
soccer, junior cricket, dragon boat racing,
canoeing, stand up paddling, canoe polo
and kermesse cycling.

COMMUNITY
2.2 million
Favourite rides
Ratanga Junction
Cobra 44%
Monkey falls 37%
Slingshot 10%
Visitors SINCE JUNE 2005
28
In the second week of December, Century
City hosts an annual Carol Service on Central
Park Field, attended by thousands of people,
with participation from local churches and
children from the local Curro school.
Other events include a golf day, Women’s Day
lunch, Father’s Day adventure, Secretary’s
Day lunch, business breakfasts and dinner
club evenings.
For a relaxed afternoon, there’s the Century
City Natural Goods Market, held on the
last Sunday of every month from spring
to autumn on the Central Park Field. The
market offers fresh produce, organic goods
and home essentials, with plenty of child-
friendly activities. In winter, the Century City
Night Market is held indoors at the Intaka
Island eco-centre, where people can enjoy
live music, food and wine.
Ratanga Junction theme park covers 16 hectares and boasts more than 30 rides and
attractions. The theme park operates during school holiday, with corporate, function
and event facilities available year round. See www.ratanga.co.za
Century City recently formed an Arts
Foundation to curate its support
for the arts. This began on a small
scale some years ago with the
introduction of an Arts Trail around
Century City with a growing number
of exhibits.
More recently Art on The Island, held
at Intaka, was launched to coincide
with the Century City Natural Goods
Market, held on the last Sunday of
the month from spring to autumn,
with different exhibitors each month.
Going forward there are plans to
open a permanent gallery in the
new Century City Conference
Centre and the addition of more
works of art, including sculptures,
to the urban planning design of this
growing precinct.
Fostering the arts

COMMUNITY
A choice of
schooling
Century City has four diverse,
independent co-educational
facilities, catering for children from
the age of 18 months. Endeavour
Educare, next to Central Park,
offers pre-schooling and grade R.
Century City Curro Private School
admits learners from pre-school
to grade 7, and grade 8 in 2015.
Abeille Ruche offers an alternative
approach, based on home
schooling, offering small classes
from grades 1 to 6, while Abbotts
College offers grades 10 to 12. A
high school for the Curro group is
set to open in January 2017.
29

30
F
or people who have chosen to live and
work in Century City, the emerging ‘city
within a city’ offers many advantages.
Among the Century City locals, Kruben and
Sham Moodliar have assumed somewhat
of a celebrity status. They are affectionately
known as ‘Team Everest’, as they pursued
a vigorous training programme for an
ascent to base camp of Mount Everest,
in the Himalayas, which they achieved in
September 2014 belying the usual image of
a retired couple.
After years of living and working in Canada
and India before returning home to South
Africa, the Moodliars were one of the very
first investors in Century City, buying a home
in Oasis Luxury Retirement Resort off plan
in 2005.
In 2010 the couple moved in, and have
become ardent proponents of the Century
City lifestyle, particularly enjoying the luxury
lifestyle at the Oasis which is also proving to
be an excellent investment. “I knew that the
developers – the Rabie Property Group and
Harries Projects – were on to a good thing
when I made the decision to purchase, the
returns have been greater than anything I
ever imagined,” Kruben says.
For the Moodliars, the convenience of the
precinct is among the many benefits. “We
never leave this place. Everything we need is
here and we walk everywhere,” says Sham.
Although officially retired nothing about their
active lifestyles suggests this. The couple
trained vigorously since November 2013 for
their ascent. “We were training six days a
week, six hours a day and living here made it
very easy. We make full use of the Oasis gym
and the swimming pool.” They were also often
seen walking briskly around the area, wearing
weighted vests and backpacks and dragging
tyres behind them as part of their training.
One of the best things about living in Century
City for the Moodliars is the community
spirit. “We come together in the Oasis
Clubhouse and have meals together. Every
Thursday we have a ‘boys’ hiking trail. I have
made a new family here,” says Kruben.
A lifestyle of choice
Sham and Kruben Moodliar in the Oasis swimming pool where they did most of their training.
COMMUNITY

31
Business owner Rodney Stein, of Rodney
Stein Financial Services, moved his office
from Sea Point to Heron Crescent, Century
City four years ago. “We moved after realising
how central the location is for our customers
who come from all over the Peninsula,” says
Rodney, whose clients from the northern and
southern suburbs, the CBD and City Bowl are
all able to access Century City with ease.
“It’s extremely convenient for staff too. The
added convenience of the shopping centre
with banking facilities, restaurants and access
to the gym is also an advantage,” he says.
For the middle-to-upper income clients
that Stein services, the clean well-managed
environment is a compelling advantage. “We
also overlook the wetland, which is absolutely
glorious, and we feel in touch with nature.”
Khaya Mayedwa, a proud home owner in
Century View.
Rodney Stein overlooks Intaka from his office in Heron Crescent.
COMMUNITY
Khaya Mayedwa has lived in the Century
View complex for the past six years, with his
wife Khanyisa and their two daughters. He
moved to Century City after relocating from
Johannesburg to take up a new job. He’s a
senior manager at the South African Rugby
Union, where he works as a government and
stakeholder relations officer.
“When I started looking for houses, I was
thinking of getting a place in the southern
suburbs but I found that the houses there
were quite old. This place appealed to me
because it was new,” he says.
For the Mayedwas the convenience and the
safety and security offered by Century City
is what they enjoy the most. The couple
are both members of the Virgin Active gym
and their youngest child attends Endeavour
Educare, next to Central Park. It’s the
perfect lifestyle with everything they need
on offer in the neighbourhood and the
shopping centres.
“I’m sure there is crime – there is crime
everywhere – but I haven’t heard of
anything for the six years I have lived
here,” says Khaya. The Mayedwas have
no intention of moving out of the Century
City any time soon, in fact they plan to
renovate their home in the near future and
possibly invest in another property around
the precinct.

COMMUNITY
I
n 2007 Rabie Property Group adopted
a high school in neighbouring Joe Slovo
Park as part of their corporate social
investment programme. Over the years
Rabie has made a significant contribution
towards improving the infrastructure and
the learning experience of the learners and
teachers at Sinenjongo High School.
Two of the earliest projects were the
construction of computer and science
laboratories, followed by an ongoing
mentoring and upskilling programme for
Empowering
people
The Intaka Island Environmental
Education Centre is a partnership
between Century City, Rabie
and other stakeholders to raise
environmental awareness. This
has also been an opportunity
to create jobs. Two of the three
field rangers who were previously
security guards have successfully
completed training courses
and now run the primary school
educational programmes.
Ten other general workers have
undergone training and obtained
their boat skipper’s licences. They
are now qualified to launch the
boats that take visitors on tours of
the canals around Intaka Island.
Reaching out to
neighbouring communities
the teaching staff. Rabie funds a number
of programmes aimed at improving
maths and science skills as well as the
English proficiency of both learners and
teachers. When understaffing proved to
be a challenge, the company also paid the
salaries of five additional maths and science
teachers.
This support has had positive results. Six
years ago the matric pass rate was 27%.
In 2013 the school achieved a 94% matric
pass rate and was one of the 10 most
improved schools in the Western Cape for
the second consecutive year. The quality
of results has also improved, with most
matriculants going on to tertiary education.
The CCPOA also supports the school,
planting trees on Arbor Day, hosting learners
for environmental education programmes
and school feeding schemes.
In an innovative approach, Rabie Property
Group invested in the construction of the
first two Fives Futbol arenas at Century City,
with the proviso that a portion of
the net profit would be donated to
Sinenjongo High School. In May 2014 the
school received its first dividend of
R250 000, which will go towards funding the
intervention programmes.
32
Maggie Rowley of Rabie Property Group and Adam Fine of Fives Futbol hand over a R250 000 cheque to Sinenjongo High School.

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