Terms of Reference
Coastal Technical Committee:
The two main players in the management of the City of Cape Town’s coastal environment are the
Environmental Resources Management Department (ERM), as well as the Sport, Recreation and
Amenities Department (SRA). In the Coastal Zone Strategy of 2003 a need for appointment of
officials to coordinate1 programmes that attend to the management of the coast was identified. In
2008 the City of Cape Town appointed two Coastal Coordinators, Darryl Colenbrander and Sakhile
Tsotsobe, based in ERM and in SRA, respectively.
There is no doubt as to the intricate web of functions the coast serves for the public, and the
concomitant pressures the coast is subjected to. Management of such complexities and challenges
warrants the employment of a focussed and specialised strategy, which must encompass the
collective participation of key coastal stakeholders. It follows then that the Coastal Coordinators
wish to establish regional Coastal Technical
Committees (Committees), which will oversee the
general management of the Cape metropol’s
coastline. The Coastal Coordinators have
delineated several coastal regions (Figure 1) for
which to establish these Committees.
Figure 1: The Committees will be established per
planning district. A single Committee will be established
for the Cape Flats.
1
Coordination is the regulation of diverse elements into an integrated and harmonious operation.
Aim of the Technical Coastal Committee:
To enhance the City’s ability to manage the beach nodal areas and coastal public open land, by
bringing together parties and stakeholders from various sectors relevant to the coast, and working
together towards addressing and resolving coastal challenges.
Legislation
Section 42 of the Integrated Coastal Management Act provides for the establishment of a Coastal
Committee for each coastal municipality. The City of Cape Town aims to observe and comply with all
the requirements and provisions of the Act.
Mode of Operation
Chair
The Committees will be chaired by the Coastal Coordinators, or a City official delegated by the
Coastal Coordinators.
Meetings
Committee meetings will be held every second month.
Key Functions
1. Promote and facilitate integration, cooperation and coordination between officials from the
different City departments;
2. Promote education and awareness with regard to coastal management issues amongst City
officials;
3. Promote, facilitate and identify research and information collection initiatives (e.g. coastal
databases);
4. Promote and advise on stakeholder capacity building and empowerment;
5. Monitor, advise on and promote integrated planning and management processes;
6. Monitor and advise on the control of, and compliance with policy and legislated implementation
procedures;
7. Communicate information on coastal policy and management;
8. Promote sustainable coastal development and tourism, and
9. Promote initiatives that contribute to poverty alleviation.
Terms of Reference
1. The Committee must continually monitor the West Coast Districts coastline, and identify any
challenges that exist or arise;
2. Committee members must report back on coastal matters across all sectors/line functions;
3. The Committee must identify appropriate interventions for coastal challenges, and to
delegate tasks and responsibilities to Committee members for the realisation of such
interventions;
4. Committee members to carry out tasks delegated to them by the Committee;
5. Committee members to observe and comply fully with the rules set and agreed to by the
Committee;
6. Officials to attend the Committee meetings on a regular basis;
7. In the event that an official is unable to attend the meeting, arrangements should be made
for and alternative representative from the that department to attend