Cape Town Civic Centre

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Cape Town Civic Centre
Cape Town Civic Centre.jpg
The Cape Town Civic Centre
OpenStreetMap central Cape Town small.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in central Cape Town
General information
Type High-rise
Architectural style Modernist
Location Cape Town, South Africa, 12 Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town 8000
Coordinates 33°55′16″S18°25′44″E / 33.921°S 18.429°E / -33.921; 18.429
Completed1978
Owner City of Cape Town
Height98 m (322 ft)
Technical details
Floor count26

The Cape Town Civic Centre is a building in the Foreshore area of Cape Town, South Africa that serves as the headquarters of the City of Cape Town - the Metro Municipality that governs the city. It houses civil servants, as well as the Office of the Mayor of Cape Town.

Contents

History

The Civic Centre was completed in 1978 by South African construction and mining services company Concor. [1]

In 2011, a major refurbishment project commenced at the Civic Centre. The project was awarded to specialist contractors GVK-Siya Zama, and cost R28.8 million. Components of the refurbishment included cleaning, installing new skylights, re-waterproofing, and modernizing both buildings with a new shade of paint, as well as re-waterproofing the links between the buildings. The project took 11 months, and was completed in June 2012. [2]

In 2015, a large mural of anti-apartheid activist and former South African President Nelson Mandela was installed across the upper windows of one of the Civic Centre's tower columns. This was followed by a similar mural of fellow activist Desmond Tutu on a column to the right, in 2017. [3]

In 2022, the building's murals were reimagined. Cape Town artist Linsey Levendall and design agency Dreamfuel Media reconceptualized the murals to comprise various imagery of special significance to Cape Town. Levendall's illustrations feature imagery of, among others, Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, the Bo Kaap and a King Protea. The new murals replaced the old vinyl, which only had a lifespan of three years. The revamp project took three weeks. [4]

The new murals span an area of 14 windows wide and 32 windows long, covering 448 windows and 12 floors in total. At the unveiling, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that the iconic artworks invite Capetonians to enact the values of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, while going about their daily lives, by building and maintaining a free, fair, prosperous, and non-racial city. [4]

Hill-Lewis further stated that the murals had the goal of instilling a sense of hope in the city, and optimism about the country’s future, celebrating the beauty of its diverse people and environment. [4]

Structure

The Civic Centre comprises two blocks; Podium Block (in front) and Tower Block (behind).

Podium Block is a low-rise building which houses the City management, including the Council Chamber and the Mayor's Office.

The Tower Block is a 98-metre-tall, 26-floor [1] high-rise building that houses the administrative offices of the municipality. It is a long, narrow structure that crosses Hertzog Boulevard, with the road's multiple lanes passing directly underneath the central part of the building, between columns.

The Civic Centre is the 11th tallest building in Cape Town. [5]

Transit

The MyCiTi bus rapid transit system's Civic Centre Station trunk is located along Hertzog Boulevard, beneath the Civic Centre's Tower Block. [6]

Civic Centre in 2018, viewed from a north-westerly vantage, across Cape Town CBD. The high-rise and the building in front of it are both part of the Civic Centre At Cape Town (MP) 2018 250 (Edit, 22 January 2026).jpg
Civic Centre in 2018, viewed from a north-westerly vantage, across Cape Town CBD. The high-rise and the building in front of it are both part of the Civic Centre
MyCiTi bus outside the Civic Centre MyCiTi bus waiting at Civic Centre station.jpg
MyCiTi bus outside the Civic Centre

References

  1. 1 2 "Civic Centre, Cape Town". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  2. ↑ "Refurbishment of CT Civic Centre nears completion". Bizcommunity.com. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Tamlynne Thompson (5 July 2022). "Madiba and Tutu murals restored". The Cape Towner. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Simangele Mzizi (30 June 2022). "Landmark Cape Town murals reimagined". CCID. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Civic Centre Cape Town". Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "No more MyCiTi buses on uphill". Tyger Burger. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2026.


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