Cape Town comes out tops in 2009

In a year that was good, bad and sometimes ugly for the City of Cape Town, it raked in numerous awards that generally went unnoticed.

While it faced criticism over its handling of projects and bylaws, allegations that it was a racist city, the bungling of the Integrated Rapid Transit project and service delivery protests, a steady stream of national and international awards were coming in.

Empowerdex, an economic empowerment rating agency, named it as the top municipality in South Africa for service delivery. The agency survey rated 231 local municipalities, 46 district municipalities and six metros in terms of its delivery on housing, water, electricity, waste removal and sanitation, taking into account current status and progress over time.

While the national average for municipalities was 59.7 percent, Cape Town aced its score card at 89.5 percent.

Early in the year, the city was declared Africa's best travel destination by World Travel Awards in May - the second consecutive year Cape Town took the honours. It also topped the Best Entertainment Destination category at the Meeting Luxury travel exhibition in Switzerland.

In November, Cape Town was named Best Destination at the 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards ceremony in London.

The city was also recognised for its water quality, electricity services and housing projects, as well as its move towards ever greener practices.

Productivity SA awarded the city's electricity department the top prize for managing the most environmentally friendly vehicle fleet at the inaugural Green Supply Chain Awards in Johannesburg.

This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Argus on December 23, 2009, written by Ella Smook Metro Writer