The City of Cape Town has appointed South Africa’s first “Chief Heat Officer”, who will drive heat awareness communications and interventions as the Mother City prepares for hotter temperatures due to climate change.
Albert Ferreira, whose formal title is Manager for Resilience and Climate Change, has been selected to champion awareness around heat and extreme heat events, which are expected to increase in frequency.
Many areas in Cape Town already experience temperatures in the mid-to-high thirties over the summer months, and the Metro says being “heat smart” is becoming increasingly important.
The City introduced its first “Beat-the-Heat” programme in summer 2024, focusing on vulnerable communities located in regions often experiencing summer temperatures hotter than 35° C, such as Atlantis, Mamre, Dunoon, Joe Slovo and Sir Lowry’s Pass Village.
However, the highest temperature recorded for 2024 was 44,6° C at the Royal Yacht Club in the Foreshore area – the current highest temperature on record for Cape Town.
The Beat-the-Heat programme has been developed as part of the City’s Heat Action Plan, and it is being implemented by a number of departments, including Risk and Resilience, Environmental Management and Disaster Risk Management.
Ferreira says climate change is already bringing about more frequent droughts, fire, flooding, surges, storms and heat waves across the city.
“The specific focus on extreme heat as a growing public health and urban planning challenge highlights the need to treat it with the same urgency as other climate hazards.”
Last year, the City became a member of the international City Champions for Heat Action (CCHA), which seeks to advance the City’s heat response work with global partners.
Cape Town is one of three African cities to join the CCHA, with full membership to date consisting of Freetown, Kisumu County, Athens, Melbourne, Dhaka North, Monterrey, Santiago and Miami-Dade County.
Executive Director for Future Planning and Resilience Gareth Morgan says Ferreira joins the other Chief Heat Officers located across the world.
“They aim to unify their city governments’ responses to extreme heat through internal activism, accelerating existing heat protection efforts and initiating new work to reduce the risks and impacts of extreme heat, especially for heat-vulnerable communities in their cities.”
The bold move by the City to appoint a Chief Heat Officer also coincides with the call by the United Nations Secretary-General for countries to take action on extreme heat risks by caring for vulnerable groups, protecting workers, and thereby boosting the resilience of economies and societies.
Key Tips to Beat the Heat:
- Drink plenty of water. Use water in spray bottles to cool down. Carry a wet cloth/face towel to wipe the face and neck when hot, and submerge feet in cold water to help regulate blood flow and cool the body.
- Seek shelter and shade in covered public spaces such as shopping malls and libraries.
- Protective clothing: Wear a wide-brim hat, lightweight, loose clothing and take cool showers or baths.
- Limit outdoor activity to earlier or later in the day where possible.
- Take action at the first sign of a heat-related illness like muscle cramps, heavy sweating, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, confusion, a fast pulse and high body temperature. Seek emergency medical assistance immediately.
- Make sure to check on family and friends who fall within the high-risk groups and help spread heat awareness in your social, professional and family groups. If you have a chronic illness, ask your doctor to advise on specific heat-related impacts and how your medication can be affected.
More information, including a Heat Wave Information booklet and a Heat Stress Assessment, can be downloaded form the City’s Website.
