OBSID Board of Directors
Meet the BoD
The Board of Directors is accountable to the community for good governance and to ensure that the CID rate collected from you as a ratepayer is spent wisely, in the best interest of Observatory and in line with the City’s SRA policy.
The Board of Directors provides strategic direction and prepares proposed budgets and plans for approval by the OBSID members at the OBSID annual general meeting (AGM). The AGM takes place in the last quarter of each calendar year.
Contact the Board of Directors on [email protected]
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.
Sarah Driver-Jowitt
OBSID Board Vice Chair
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.
Kari Cousins
Kari has lived (off and on) in Observatory since 1991. She has her own business through which she develops and runs university programmes in Sustainability Studies in various countries. She also creates & implements travel programmes for (mostly) academic clients across Southern Africa.
She has also been part of the voluntary steering committee of Friends of the Liesbeek for many years. The Friends run a full-time maintenance team on the oldest urbanised river valley in South Africa, with the aim of conserving the health & biodiversity of this precious waterway. Kari is one of the co-ordinators of the monthly volunteer community clean-up which has been running on the Observatory section of the river for 10 years.
Being an enthusiastic and highly practical person, she loves to get people excited about greening and improving public spaces whenever the opportunity presents itself. She believes firmly that people can, and ought to, leave any space improved by their occupancy!
Living in a divided and deeply unequal urban society, Kari is fascinated (and not a little daunted) by the challenges present in the City of Cape Town. Kari likes to work to improve matters in the communities where she lives and hopes to always leave a positive footprint on the world. She chose to live in Observatory because a sense of “community” is very important to her, and building positive interactions across a broad demographic is eminently possible here.
Kari hopes to continue to add value to the OBSID as someone who lives and plays in the community of Observatory and wants to invest her time in creating new 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
Julie 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.
Imile de Villiers
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.
Janine Titley
Janine and her husband moved to Observatory in late 2015 when they bought their first house. Since then, they’ve had kids, weathered a pandemic and made the best of friends, all in this beautiful neighbourhood.
Over the past few years, Janine has been involved with the Obs Journey, an initiative started by residents to address some of the most pressing social issues in our neighbourhood. Working closely with OBSID and other local NGOs, the Obs Journey aims to bridge the gap between housed and unhoused members of the community, trying (predominantly) to find practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges of homelessness. Janine is also interested in the ongoing development of Observatory and would like to contribute to efforts to improve our neighbourhood—for those who live, work and play here, now and in future—while ensuring that it never loses the historical charm, diversity, creativity and sense of community that makes it such a lovely place to be.
Janine has a BSc in International Development and currently works as an accountant in her family’s manufacturing business. Next year, she plans on studying City and Urban Planning at UCT.