Newly-elected Ward 58 councillor Katherine Christie is learning the ropes but says she is ready to serve her constituents.
Her ward includes parts of Rondebosch, Kenilworth and Claremont.
“I am still catching my breath after a very hectic election campaign and election weekend,” says the 53-year-old from Harfield Village.
Right now she is undergoing councillor training at the Civic Centre, learning about the City budget, procurements, public participation, water and sanitation, spatial planning, the function of the municipal public accounts committee and more.
“I am an eager and fast learner and plan to implement everything I learn. I have a passionate desire to see all other South African municipalities operate with the excellence that the City of Cape Town demonstrates,” she says.
“During our training, we have been encouraged to plan and get organised. This is what I plan to do from now throughout the December recess and up until our new-year council meeting.”
Ms Christie will be leaving behind TSIBA Business School, which she has been affiliated with for more than 25 years. “I am still juggling balls and fulfilling my function in the marketing department until a replacement can be found for me,” she says.
Her immediate focus, she says, is on helping her constituents with queries and service complaints, but in the long term, she hopes to set up an efficient recycling programme and make solar energy more accessible.
She adds: “I want to engage and consult with all our civic associations and organisations dedicated to serving homeless people to find solutions that work.”
Being a councillor means being in regular contact with residents, she says.
“The City councillor is often the only contact that people have with ’government’ because the members of our provincial parliament and National Assembly are elected from lists and are perceived to be somewhat distant from our everyday needs and struggles.”
When she is not busy with work, she enjoys exploring the greenbelts up Table Mountain with her dog, Joe Biten, and she enjoys running and gyming. “I find that good cardio exercise reduce levels of stress amazingly well. It’s those endorphins that get generated by exercise.”
You can contact Ms Christie at Katherine.Christie@capetown.gov.za
