Michael Webster is Executive Director for Water and Waste at City of Cape Town. We explore the City’s water strategy and key commitments, lessons from the 2018 water crisis, recent progress made, future thinking, new technologies, opportunities and challenges for private sector collaboration, and advice for cities grappling with water management.
Ask how you can collaborate with Future Cities Africa
Discussion highlights
This episode is presented in partnership with the City of Cape Town
Read the Water Strategy here
How Cape Town compares to other international and African cities in the water sector
Key takeaways from beating the water crisis of 2018
In hindsight, what the City would have done differently to avert the water crisis of 2018
5 commitments of the City of Cape Town water strategy
How these commitments will be met and against what indicators and schedule
Progress made to date (June 2021)
Key technologies that can help achieve the Water Strategy’s vision
Advice, opportunities and challenges for private sector to collaborate with the department
Advice for cities grappling with water management
About Michael John Webster
Leadership, management and operational experience in water and sanitation over 25 years. Currently, Executive Director of Water and Waste in the City of Cape Town. 16 years with the World Bank in Africa, Europe and South Asia.
As Executive Director of Water and Waste, responsible for the Water and Sanitation Department and the Solid Waste Management Department of the City of Cape Town. The municipality provides utility services to over a million households ranging from informal settlements to formal freehold and cluster housing, and strives to do so in a sustainable, equitable and affordable way. The Executive Director is part of the Executive Management Team reporting to the City Manager.
Prior experience includes water and sanitation specialist in different units of the World Bank since 1999, and 8 years’ experience outside of the World Bank working on informal settlement upgrading and rural development in South Africa.
Holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University, as well as a M.Sc in Water and Waste Engineering from Loughborough University and a B.Sc in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town.
Source: LinkedIn
Craig Kesson is Executive Director for Corporate Services at the City of Cape Town. He’s also the Chief Resilience Officer and Chief Data Officer. We explore the data-driven strategy at City of Cape Town, overcoming the general fear of data in public departments, emerging disrupters impacting the City and how it will remain resilient, his definition of a Smart City, what he would change if he had a magic wand, his hopes for the City 20 years from now.
Play NowSeven thought leaders explain the one thing they would change if magic wands existed.
Play NowDr. Geci Karuri-Sebina is a multi-disciplinary scholar-practitioner currently occupied in several capacities working at the intersection between people, place and technological change, focusing on the global south. We discuss her work, stakeholder collaboration, smart cities, inclusive cities, what she would change if she had a magic wand and her vision for cities in 2040.
Play NowCarlo Barnard is Business Intelligence Specialist at Munsoft and a past municipal CFO at Victor Khanye Local Municipality. We discuss the value in spatial representation of information for a municipality, major challenges that can be visualised and solved, why collaboration between departments is important in the context of using technology, and much more.
Play NowPaulina Mamogobo is a Director of Trade and Investment Promotion at KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. With over 13 years in the public service, her experience spans economic analysis, policy development, trade, and investment promotion.
Play Now