Century City’s ongoing commitment to safety and preparedness was once again demonstrated during the annual disaster risk exercise held on 14 November 2025.
Conducted in partnership with the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Centre, Fire and Rescue Service, Traffic Services, and several other emergency stakeholders, the large-scale simulation provided a vital real-world test of the precinct’s emergency readiness.
This year’s drill centred on two high-risk scenarios: a vehicle fire and a gas truck incident on the edge of the Bridgeways precinct at recently completed office buildings. These were selected specifically to challenge incident command structures, interagency coordination, on-scene communication protocols, and the ability of response teams to stabilise complex emergencies under pressure. In total, approximately 152 people were safely evacuated as part of the operation.
The simulation enabled teams to put systems and parterships to the test by assessing several core components of disaster readiness, including response times and resource deployment, evacuation procedures and the safe movement of people, communication between on-site teams, CCPOA’s Service Operations Centre, and the City, and real-time integration of precinct operations with municipal emergency services.
These quarterly exercises are designed to stress-test systems in a controlled environment, ensuring that both the CCPOA and its partners can respond effectively when real-world emergencies occur.
Kassiem Daniels, Safety & Security Manager at CCPOA, emphasised the importance of these collaborative drills: “Our goal is always to ensure that Century City remains one of the safest and best-prepared precincts in Cape Town. These simulations strengthen our coordination with the City and sharpen our ability to act swiftly and cohesively. Every exercise gives us new insights, not just into what we do well, but where we can improve. That’s the real value.”
