Cape Town’s Energy Directorate has taken top honours at the City’s Annual Engineering, Project and Contract Management (EPCM) Excellence Awards, with the Imizamo Yethu Electrification Project winning Project of the Year 2025 under the Project Excellence Category.
The project — launched after a devastating fire in Hout Bay’s Imizamo Yethu informal settlement — stands as one of the City’s most significant post-disaster recovery interventions. Over 1,150 homes were safely and legally connected to the electricity grid, restoring power and security to hundreds of families displaced by the fire. The City invested more than R25 million into the project, which was delivered under challenging terrain and density conditions that often make informal settlement electrification complex and dangerous.
According to officials, the success of the project hinged on a coordinated effort between the City’s Electrification Programme Management (EPM) Unit, Informal Settlement Management Department, and local community structures. The project’s collaborative model is now being used as a blueprint for future large-scale electrification initiatives across the metro.
Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg, said the recognition goes beyond technical achievement. “This project demonstrates that our work is about more than infrastructure — it’s about restoring dignity and safety in vulnerable communities,” she said. “Every home connected represents a life made safer and a community rebuilt with hope.”
The project was assessed using the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Project Excellence Model, which evaluates execution quality, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and social impact. Project Lead Maurisha Hammer said the award was a testament to teamwork and resilience. “The project was delivered under difficult circumstances, but every team member remained focused on the goal: improving lives through reliable service delivery,” she said.
Beyond the flagship award, the Energy Directorate also demonstrated its growing national and international standing in project management excellence. The Paardevlei Switching Station project won Silver in the *IPMA Global Project Excellence Awards 2025 (Small to Medium Projects) and placed as first runner-up at the PM Summit and Prestige Awards 2025.
Emerging leadership within the Directorate was also recognised. Wesley Barthus, Helderberg Electricity Depot Manager, received dual accolades as Emerging Project Manager of the Year and Young Project Manager of the Year at the City’s EPCM Awards. Barthus is set to represent the City at the IPMA South African and Global awards.
The string of awards highlights the City of Cape Town’s evolving capacity to execute technically complex, socially impactful infrastructure projects while embedding global best practices in project management.
As Cape Town expands its electrification drive, particularly within informal and fire-prone settlements, the Imizamo Yethu project serves as a benchmark — not only for engineering precision but for its tangible contribution to rebuilding lives and strengthening urban resilience.
