Author: Chantel Edwards

The Community Services Directorate, division Community Safety has amended three of its by-law’s recently and which were approved in draft format in Council on 20 April 2023, and are now published for public participation purposes. These by-laws hold the same power and force as other national and provincial legislation but are laws managed by the individual municipality in order to regulate the affairs and the services it provides within its area of jurisdiction.

DRAFT BY-LAW RELATING TO IMPOUNDMENT OF ANIMALS

The intent of this by-law is to provide for, interalia:

• The control over the number of dogs , cats and other animals that may be kept, the breeding with these animals, and the control over these animals by their owners.
• Impoundment of stray animals as mentioned in this chapter, the prevention of nuisances and the provision for incidental matters.

The following are the most important changes to the current by-law:

• An authorised officer and powers of the authorised officer.
• The terms of Nuisance in relation to comfort, convenience , peace and quiet of other people or which adversely effects the safety of people.
• The Definition of the establishment of the Municipality was corrected with reference to Section 12 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act,1998 ( Act 117 of 1998).
• The definition of a Municipal Manager in Terms of Section 54 A of the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 and an acting Municipal Manager was included in the definitions.

DRAFT BY-LAW RELATING TO THE REGULATING OF THE KEEPING OF DOGS AND CATS AND OTHER ANIMALS

The intent of this by-law is to provide for, interalia:

• The control over the number of dogs , cats and other animals that may be kept, breeding with such animals, and the control of these animals by their owners.
• Impoundment of stray animals as mentioned in this chapter, and the prevention of nuisances as well as the provision for incidental matters.

The following are the most important changes to the current by-law:

• The clarification of the Director Community services and the relevant scope of appointment, in Terms of Sec 56 of the Municipal Systems Act.
• An authorised officer and powers of the authorised officer.
• Defining the terms of Nuisance in relation to comfort, convenience , peace and quiet of other people or which adversely effects the safety of people.

DRAFT BY-LAW ON LIQUOR TRADING DAYS AND HOURS

The intent of this by-law is to:

• Provide for the days and hours on which the holder of a Liquor license may sell liquor to the public.

The following are the most important changes to the current by-law:

• The definition of Municipality with reference to George Municipality in terms of Section 12 of the Municipal structures act, 117 of 1998.
• The Appeal process for people who feel their rights has been affected, with relevant terms and references, inclusive of how the process must be directed.
• The By-Law Trading days and hours promulgated in the Provincial Gazette 7102 dated 8 March 2013, are repealed.
• The Trading Days and Hours known as the George Municipal By-law on Liquor Trading would come into  operation on the date of the publication thereof in the Provincial Gazette.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION DETAILS

Notices will be published in the George Herald, on the Municipal Website and municipal social media sites. Please follow this link to access the Community Services By-Law documentation https://www.george.gov.za/george-doc-categories/documents/bylaws-and-regulations/protection-services/  Hard copies will be provided at all public libraries in George for review. Feedback is required within 30 days. Comments and inputs can be emailed to Ms Lee-anne Meiring lameiring@george.gov.za , phoned in to 044 801 6367 or submitted in person at the George Municipality Law Enforcement Offices, 25 B Cathedral Street, George.

Aerial photographs of the new Water Treatment Works Residuals Handling Facility and construction site.

National Treasury, accompanied by the representatives from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Neighbourhood Development Partnership Programme and Provincial Treasury visited the George Municipality on a two-day programme as part of the Mid-Year Budget and Performance Assessment for Municipalities.

This included a National Treasury delegation visit to the 20 Ml/d extensions to the New Water Treatment Works (New WTW) earlier in March 2023. George Municipality received a Budget Facility for Infrastructure Funding (BFI) grant to the value of R1.107 billion from the National Treasury in the 2021/22 financial year. The BFI project with its various components has shown significant progress and expenditure to date in the 2022/23 financial year. George Municipality is actively working to keep our economy on the go – by ensuring adequate long-term planning and investment in our resources with the current main focus on water, sewerage, and electricity.

National Treasury praised the Municipality for its well-maintained infrastructure. “Service delivery is clearly visible with well looked after roads networks and cleanliness of the town. This will go a long way in attracting investments into the city.”

The full BFI project is to be completed in the next twenty seven (27) months. George Municipality provides water services to over 212 120 residents from 62 722 households (STATSSA 2017) across 28 wards including the coastal areas of Kleinkrantz, Wilderness, Victoria Bay, Herold’s Bay and Gwaing in the city of George area. The objectives of the project are to ensure adequate potable water supply to meet the demand of the current population and to provide security for future development, both social and economic, and to reduce pollution of certain main water courses.

Updates on the Potable Water Security and Remedial Works components funded by BFI
The project consists of 12 components, some of which will be executed in more than one construction phase.

Component 1 and 2
Residuals Handling Facility and the 20 Ml/d extension to the New Water Treatment Works (New WTW).

Status: The first contract, valued at R263 million, was awarded for the civil engineering works and construction is progressing on site. The second contract, for the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation (MEI) works, was awarded for R217 million. Component 2 is the largest single component of the BFI project. The completed earthworks for the Water Treatment Works extension consisted of some 20 000 metric cubes of earth material that has been stockpiled on site for re-use elsewhere on other components of the BFI project as well as other municipal projects. Placing of concrete is progressing well and the structures are now above ground level.

The construction on the 600m long, 900mm diameter, clear water HDPE pipeline commenced towards the end of 2022 and is currently nearing 50% completion. The forestry permit was issued in early January 2023 and the remaining construction through sensitive indigenous forest can now proceed.

The dewatering facility for the water treatment process residuals is also progressing well and the concrete wall of two of the three tanks was cast while the third tank will be done shortly. This facility will eliminate the abrasive residuals from being discharged to the sewer system and therefore reduce the load on the sewage conveyance system and pumpstations, reduce the abrasive effect on pumpstation mechanical equipment as well as reduce the load on the wastewater treatment processes and the main sludge dewatering facility. The aim of this facility is to free up capacity that is currently being utilized by residuals discharged to the Eden, Meul and Schaapkop sewage pump station system as well as the Outeniqua Wastewater Treatment Works.

Component 3
The refurbishment of the existing Sludge Discharge System Phases 1 and 2 commenced at the Eden, Meul and Schaapkop Pumpstations.

Status: Construction of the first phase is progressing well at the Meul and Eden Pump Stations

Phase 1: The first phase of the upgrading and refurbishment of the Meul Sewage pumpstation is well progressed and certain components have been completed, including a standby generator and new motor control center panels. The new Motor Control Centre at the Eden Sewage pumpstation has been completed. Civil construction on the Meul Sewage Pumpstation is progressing well and over-pumping is currently taking place, involving a temporary pumping installation to allow work to be done in the pump sump and in the pump room.  Phase 1 of the Schaapkop Sewage Pumpstation implementation was delayed, and the design process is now under way to incorporate both phases 1 and 2 to be implemented as a single project.

Phase 2: Consultants have been appointed for the design of the second phase of the pump station upgrades of the Meul and Eden sewage pump stations.

Component 4
The upgrading of the Garden Route Dam Outlet and Supply project includes the replacement of the existing 600 mm diameter raw water pipeline from the intake tower at the Garden Route Dam to the raw water pumpstations, with a new 800 mm diameter stainless steel pipeline to accommodate a higher flowrate in accordance with the future raw water flow requirements.

Status: Tenders were requested and have closed, with construction planned to commence in June 2023.

Component 5
2 x 1250 kVA generators are being installed at the Garden Route Dam raw water pumpstation. Once completed, it will ensure that during loadshedding or any other power outage, raw water can continue to be pumped uninterrupted to the Water Treatment Works for processing for drinking water supply.

Status: Construction is well progressed, the generators and associated equipment are currently being installed, and full operation of the generators is scheduled for the end of June 2023.

Component 6
An additional approximately 30 mega litre raw water storage balancing dam, including a 340m long 800mm diameter raw water pipeline, will be constructed to secure sufficient raw water storage capacity to supply the 20Ml/day extension to the Water Treatment Works. The new raw water dam will supplement the 60Ml provided by the two existing storage dams that provide raw water to the two water treatment plants.

Status: The preliminary design process has been completed with consideration of two alternative positions in order to select the most cost-effective solution. Final designs are nearing completion, to be followed by the procurement of a Contractor to construct the works.

Component 7
The rehabilitation of the Old Water Treatment Works, located at 9th Avenue in Denneoord includes the refurbishment of the 25 Ml/d treatment plant which is currently rated at only 20.5 Ml/ per day.

Status: This component consists of four separate contracts and the tenders. Construction is under way at the Old WTW and some condition assessments of the existing infrastructure necessitated design changes at the start of the contract, causing unforeseen delays. The air extraction from the filter galleries was completed and the emergency chlorine scrubbers have been ordered, and delivery is scheduled for July 2023, but with a possible further slight delay due to shipping from the United States. Both shipments of filter media have been delivered and fencing construction is practically complete.

A temporary package water treatment plant was installed and commissioned in mid-December 2022 to facilitate scheduled plant shutdowns to enable work to proceed uninterrupted. This temporary plant also increased the volume of potable water available to meet the peak holiday season demand. Partial plant shutdowns will take place at the old WTW during April 2023. Remedial works is scheduled to be done at the Old WTW and the existing New WTW, and water demand will have to be very carefully managed during any of the planned partial shutdowns to ensure that potable water demand can be met.

Component 8
Refurbishment of the Kaaiman’s River Pumpstation equipment will include the installation of six (6) new submersible vortex impeller pumps in the sump, a strainer system and six (6) new high lift centrifugal pumps, with the replacement of the electrical control equipment also included in the upgrade. The Kaaiman’s Pumpstation discharges raw water into the Garden Route Dam and contributes significantly to the George raw water resource requirements.

Status: Tenders have been requested and closed, and construction is planned to commence in May 2023.

Component 9 and 10
The new 14,5 Ml Pacaltsdorp West Reservoir; 3 Ml Pacaltsdorp East Reservoir, 300 kl Tower and pumpstation will address the inadequate emergency and balancing storage in this suburb.

Status: The designs are in process for both sites, to be followed by the procurement of a contractor for the construction of the works. The detailed design process will be aligned with the environmental and town planning processes.

Component 11 and 12
A new pumpstation and control valves will be provided at the existing Thembalethu West reservoir and tower; a new 8 Ml Thembalethu East Reservoir, 1000 kl tower and pumpstation will provide adequate potable water storage and increase security of potable water supply to Thembalethu as well as provide capacity to meet future development water demands.

Status: The design of both the works is in progress and will be followed by the procurement of a contractor for the construction of the works, scheduled for early 2024.

George Municipality is excited to announce that we are moving over to a new award winning Citizen App  – My Smart City  – which won the award for best enterprise solution in the 2022 MTN App Of The Year Award. Available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via the My Smart City website (mysmart.city), the platform was built by Acumen Software, and has been successfully launched in a number of the metro’s including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Tshwane, and Ekurhuleni. George Municipality has partnered with My Smart City to bring a tailored one-stop solution to your service delivery needs.

Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk welcomed the transition to the new App. “George as a city is in the process of positioning itself within the global drive towards smart cities. Technology has the potential to advance the management of cities, contribute to their economic success, and improve the quality of life of its residents. George continues to proactively explore smart city interventions as a means of overcoming the rising challenges of urban development and sustainability, becoming more resilient, innovative and creative.”

George Municipality aims to simplify service delivery and the My Smart City App allows you as the resident to:

• Log municipal faults;
• Receive local alerts and notifications;
• Chat to an Agent during office hours:
• Access and pay your municipal bill; (NEW)
• Submit self-read meter readings;  (NEW)
• Have the opportunity to complete Customer Satisfaction Surveys; (NEW)
• and let you contribute to the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) without needing to attend meetings; (NEW)
• and gives you Access to Business listings for George and surrounds.(NEW)

The My Smart City – George  App gives residents access to the George social feeds which will allow subscribers to engage and share current affairs within their communities as well as extract information around power outages, load shedding schedules, water outages, road closures, and stay updated with community alerts specific to the area they live in. The My Smart City – George app will act as a conduit for the resolution of service delivery issues  – your issues are escalated to the George Municipality and captured within our internal fault logging system which provides a reference number and feedback to you, the resident, via the App, allowing you to track your fault without contacting a call centre.

Municipal Manager, Dr Michele Gratz that the My Smart City  – George APP is one of the pillars which George Municipality is using to render a more efficient and effective service. “ The effectiveness of the My Smart City – George Appwill however be determined by residents subscribing and then using the many existing and new features to make communicating and transacting with the municipality easier. It is hoped that residents will embrace the new technology to make their lives easier and to make the municipality more efficient.”

Existing subscribers of the George Municipal App will be notified on the existing App when the current service will be terminated and we ask that you install the new My Smart City – George App to allow for a seamless transition. Details will be provided on how to access the My Smart City-George  App and the QR Code will be available on your monthly statements! The GO LIVE DATE will be communicated – keep an eye on our social media channels for updates.

Media Statement: Child’s death saddens electrical department
Issued George Municipality, 14 April 2023

George Municipality extend our condolences to the family of the child electrocuted on Wednesday, 12 April 2023 in Zone 9, Thembalethu. The incident occurred late afternoon and was due to an illegally connected wire. An inquest docket has been opened by the state and the municipality has also opened a police case for infrastructure damage and theft. The Municipality has been unable to establish contact with the parents of the deceased child.

Portfolio Councillor (MMC) for Electrotechnical Services, Cllr Nosicelo Mbete noted that the department is saddened by this latest incident. “The loss of a young life is so unnecessary, we cannot overemphasize the dangers attached to illegal connections. Any kind of electricity ‘tapping’, no matter how small or innocent-looking, is illegal and dangerous,” she said. An operation to remove illegal connections took place in this specific area on 29 March this year. Such operations are undertaken on a regular basis to increase community safety.

To educate the communities and increase community safety, regular safety operations targeted at removing illegal connections.  George Municipality will continue to act decisively in such matters, as the practice of illegal connection puts the perpetrator in danger of electrocution, risking injury and death to themselves as well as the rest of the community. These connections lie across pathways and walkways where anyone passing can easily be electrocuted.

Furthermore, the George Municipality has allocated R10,5million of its own funds into the electrification of informal settlements, and these projects are well under way including a pilot project of electrification of informal settlements using renewable energy.

An electricity connection is considered illegal when it is connected to the George Municipal network without the organisation’s permission. Wires are connected to a mini-substation or overhead pole.  The forms of electricity theft include illegal connections, illegal electrification schemes and meter tampering and bypassing. These illegal electrical thefts are mostly in areas where illegal informal structures are built.

Where people have connected themselves illegally, George Municipality will continue to actively find the perpetrators and lay criminal charges against them. In terms of the Criminal Procedures Act, interference with and the damage to Municipal property could be regarded as sabotage and should someone be found guilty of such an offence, a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years can follow.

Illegal connections should be reported to 044 803 9222 or 044 801 9222 or after hours on 044 801 6300.

The George Municipality offers a reward for information that leads to the successful conviction of electrical theft and /vandalism in a court of law. The witness will have to go on record to the authorities, giving his/her name and contact details to testify, but his/her identity will be protected. Report to 0860 044 044