Justin Ashley

OBSID Board Chair

Justin spent 22 years in the field of computer training, the first 7 with a consultancy that allowed him to work internationally. After this he set up and ran his own online learning business with an international client base for 15 years.

Justin was part of the original team that formed OBSID and served as OBSID’s founding chairperson for 7 years.

He is now involved in the North Obs Biz Forum and is able to devote time to OBSID since winding down his business.

Justin is of the opinion that OBSID has a crucial role to play in ensuring that Observatory remains a diverse, interesting and progressive environment for all its residents.

Kari Cousins

OBSID Board Vice Chair

Kari currently holds the position of Head of Partnerships & Programmes at the Spirit of Africa. She has worked with this company for more than 10 years, being in charge of developing curricula & travel programmes for (mostly) academic clients with a brief to dive deep & make the content fit the purpose.

Over the past 10 years Kari has had a deepening interest in the intersection of poverty and urban development, especially in areas impacted by human settlement. Precisely because the environmental concerns in South Africa are irrevocably (and properly) entangled in human rights and concerns about health, she undertook a Master’s degree and then, feeling limited by her own gaps of knowledge, subsequently undertook co-research (through the University of Edinburgh) with a more scientific slant, focussing on Indigenous Knowledge-based methods for the remedy of water and groundwater systems on agricultural and communal land in deep-rural areas. She recently engaged to look at similar matters through the lens of environmental education, and much of her free time is occupied with a comparative research project connecting water to global citizenship in conjunction with a team from the faculty of Education at Cambridge University in England.

Living in a divided and deeply unequal urban society Kari is fascinated (and not a little daunted) by the challenges presented by the City of Cape Town. She has worked in support of the Philippi Horticultural Area who took on a fight against wholesale development on top of the Cape Town aquifer recharge area in the closest food-growing area to the City – which was victorious!

She is also part of a steering committee which runs a full-time maintenance team on the Liesbeek River which runs through the oldest urbanised river valley in South Africa and is active in campaigns to prevent a large for-profit development on her beloved Liesbeek.

Being an enthusiastic and highly practical person, she loves to help people (really) to be enthused to garden and improve public spaces wherever the opportunity presents itself. She believes firmly that people can, and ought to, leave any space improved by their occupancy!

Kari likes to work in a community where she lives and works towards leaving a positive footprint on the world.  She chose to live in Observatory because a sense of “community” is very important – and she sensed this amongst her neighbours and even in chance encounters on the street in the suburb.

Kari is looking to add value to the OBSID by sharing her views as someone who lives and plays in the community of Observatory and to putting her time into creating realities from a collective vision.

Edwin Angless

Edwin is a founding member of the Observatory Improvement District. He was born and raised in Pinelands, moved to Observatory in 1977, whilst a student at the University of Cape Town.

After a period in exile in Zimbabwe, he returned to Observatory in 2003, and has lived in the neighbourhood ever since. Edwin has initiated various projects in Observatory. As past chair of the Arts, Sports, Culture and Heritage portfolio he was instrumental in bringing the highly successful and popular Open Streets events to Observatory and as an enthusiastic “burner” facilitated the first Streetopia event.

A lifelong social activist and filmmaker, Edwin would like to see his “Living History of Observatory” project grow into an interactive experience that enables an inclusive neighbourhood and makes Observatory a sharing, caring, safer, smarter, greener suburb.

Julie van der Vlugt

first moved to Obs in 2001 and has lived here ever since. She has developed a passion for Observatory and have tried to give back to Obs by working voluntarily at the library where she was elected chair of the Friends of the Observatory library in 2017 and remained in that position until 2020.

Julie is a full time mother and home keeper, as well as a Maths and Science dictionary writer, an editor and is passionate about multilinguism in SA. As Obs is a very multi-cultural suburb, she’s keen to contribute to the development of Obs by serving on the OBSID board.

David Barraclough

David Barraclough moved to Observatory in 2015.  He has a strong interest in Observatory and believes that it has enormous unrealised potential – particularly given that it is in a crucial position between the City Bowl, the Eastern Suburbs and the Southern Suburbs. He would like to see it become an increasingly attractive and safe destination for all people living in the suburb – and also for other Capetonians and overseas visitors.

David believes that OBSID plays a crucial role in Observatory in terms of safety and security, cleaning/greening and social development/support. He would like to see it grow and develop in tune with local dynamics and realities. He has a strong interest in local politics and various associated issues.

David is a research biologist by training and also an academic. After securing his PhD at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), he worked as a Chief Curator at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum from 1990 to 2002. Since 2002, however, he has been an independent researcher, a research facilitator and an academic editor and writer. He has almost 40 years’ experience in and exposure to the heritage and conservation sectors and more than a decade’s experience with supporting law academics. He has a deep interest in these sectors. He also has linkages with universities around the country, including the University of Cape Town.

Sarah Driver-Jowitt

Sarah Driver-Jowitt has been an Observatory resident for the last 9 years and is committed to serving her community.  Sarah has been secretary of the OCA, is currently a member of the newly reformed ObsWatch and is the coordinator of numerous community and security WhatsApp groups.

Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience in civil society organisations both as a volunteer and in her professional capacity. This experience includes project and financial management, and fundraising as well as a deep understanding of the legislative requirements for non-profit organisations.  Sarah spent 12 years abroad in both Denmark and the UK, and returned to South Africa in large part to be able to make a difference in her own community.

Sarah is passionate about working with teams that make social impact. Following decades of employment, she has recently started working as a freelance consultant which allows her to work with a range of partners and projects.

Imile de Villiers (co-opted 2023)

Imile and his family have lived in Observatory for 3 years and are quite enjoying the community and all that Observatory has to offer. His children visit the nearby park almost daily and they also visit the library weekly. Imile lists these as some of the many reasons he wants to stay in Obs and try make it a lovely place to live for everyone who lives here and a lovely place to visit for everyone who visits here.

Imile has worked in both the corporate and NGO sectors. He’s looking forward to getting more involved in the Obs community.