After 24 years of helping shape a safer City of Johannesburg, Dr Nazira Cachalia is entering a new chapter in her life.
Cachalia, Deputy Director: Joburg City Safety Programme (JCSP), joined the City in 2002 and at the end of August 2026, she will bid farewell to colleagues. She played an instrumental role in developing the Joburg City Safety Strategy (JCSS).
She describes her time at the City as interesting and fulfilling. “What I loved most about my role was working with cross-functional stakeholders who were also dedicated and focused on safety," she says.
“I think I learned a lot from my peers and the work that was being done in different parts of the country and internationally. I was lucky I had the opportunities to work with very interesting people and organisations."
When Cachalia joined the Economic Development Unit (now the Department of Economic Development) in 2002, she developed a crime prevention strategy for the City, as envisaged by the City's first long-term economic development strategy, Joburg 2030.
Once the safety strategy was approved by Council in August 2003, she was asked to bring the work into Public Safety. She established the Joburg City Safety Programme and, in 2004, was tasked with leading the implementation of the JCSS.
The strategy was multi-agency in nature and outlined the role of local government in creating safer communities. It drew on stakeholder consultations, data analysis, research and local and international benchmarks.
“The emphasis on the role of local government and its departments in creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone in terms of safety has become fairly embedded in the Integrated Development Plans, in the way in which departments articulate their roles and responsibilities," she says.
One of the major highlights of her career was the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cachalia worked closely with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, and a range of stakeholders on the safety and security as part of the City's preparations to host thousands of visitors.
Cachalia taught for 13 years before joining the Department of Education post democracy in Change Management. She later served as Education Director at Business Against Crime South Africa, where she worked closely with the South African Police Service.
She holds a Master's in Education and a Master's in Public and Development Management and completed her doctorate in 2022, with all her qualifications obtained through the University of the Witwatersrand.
Cachalia says she will miss her colleagues and the many people she has collaborated with over the years. Now, she plans to spend more time getting her personal life on track, looking to work on interesting projects, and supporting animal welfare.
But she is not calling it retirement. “I'm not retiring, I'm just changing course," she says.
Written by Brümilda Swartbooi
28/08/2026
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