Mayoral committee members, friends and supporters attended Mayor Patricia de Lille and Craig Kesson’s book launch at the Civic Centre yesterday.
The book, titled View From City Hall: Reflections on Governing Cape Town, is endorsed by the former mayor of New Yorky, Michael Bloomberg, who said it is a “valuable guide to how, with motivated and dynamic leadership, cities can lead the way on the most important issues”.
The launch session was moderated by Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Athol Trollip who acknowledged the book for building a leading city government and the turnaround changes that other cities could learn from.
“I believe Cape Town is a successful city when it comes to urban development. It has had more than a decade of change. Nelson Mandela Bay is moving towards that too from being the second last it is now among the top four urban development cities in SA,” Trollip said.
On the City’s strategy to balance its budget to redress the past, De Lille said Cape Town is divided into four areas, and to ensure that the City drives all basic services to the people, it has appointed local governments in these four areas to assist in dealing with issues such as water scarcity, affordable housing and the technology industry.
“I want to build Cape Town to be the digital city of Africa,” she said.
De Lille said the book is a reflection on her first five years governing the city and the transition from being in the position of the political opposition to being in government.
Kesson said the book aimed to change mindsets on urban development. “Institutions are not just about systems.
"They are about people, cultures and living every day to make a change. It’s how you work with people and for people in keeping that change,” he said.