Author: Chantel Edwards

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  – that is water, sewerage and electricity.

The full BFI project is to be completed in the next thirty (30) 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
The 20 Ml/d extension to the New Water Treatment Works (New WTW) is component 2 of the 12.

Status: The first contract, valued at R263 million, has been awarded for the civil engineering works and construction has commenced on site. The tender for the mechanical, electrical and instrumentation (MEI) works was awarded R217 million. Component 2  is the largest single component of the BFI project

Earthworks have been completed, with the major excavation for the WTW extension consisting of some 20 000 metric cubes of earth material stockpiled on site for re-use elsewhere on other components of the BFI project as well as other municipal projects. The 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 throughthe  sensitive indigenous forest can now proceed.

The dewatering facility for the water treatment process residuals (not sludge) is also progressing well and the concrete wall of the first of three tanks was cast at the end of January 2023. This forms part of component 2 of the BFI project and will eliminate the residuals from being discharged to the sewer system and therefore reduce the load on the sewage conveyance system andpump stationss, as well as reduce the load on the wastewater treatment processes and the main sludge dewatering facility.

Meul Pumpstation Inlet Works 

Component 3
The refurbishment of the existing Sludge Discharge System Phase 1 and 2 will take place at the Eden, Meul and SchaapkopPump stationss.

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 Sewagepump stationn is underway and certain components have been completed, including a standby generator and new motor control centre panels. This is also the case for the new Motor Control Centre at the Eden Sewagepump stationn. Civil construction on the Meul SewagePump stationn is progressing well with challenging conditions having to be managed with regular flooding of the works occurring during high rainfall events. Phase 1 of the Schaapkop Sewage Pumpstation implementation was delayed, and the design process isunderwayy 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 three 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 waterpump stations, with a new 800 mm diameter stainless steel pipeline to accommodate a higher flowratebyh the future raw water flow requirements.

Status: The project is currently in the procurement stage, with construction tenders closing mid-February 2023, and construction potentially commencing in May 2023.

Component 5
2 x 1250 kVA generators will be installed at the Garden Route Dam raw water pumpstation. This will mean 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: The construction contract has been awarded and construction is progressing well.  The delivery of the generators to the site is expected by mid-February 2023, with the full operation of the generators scheduled for the end of June 2023.

New Water Treatment Works clear water pipeline construction.

Component 6
An additional 30 mega litre raw water storage balancing dam will be constructed, that includes a 340m long 800mm diameter raw water pipeline, 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 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 Denneoord will allow for 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 were awarded at the beginning of 2022. 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. Both shipments of filter media arrived in 2022 and fence construction is under way.

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.

Component 8
Refurbishment of the Kaaimans River Pumpstation equipment will include the installation of 6 new submersible vortex impeller pumps in the sump, a strainer system and 6 new high lift centrifugal pumps and includes the replacement of the electrical control equipment. The Kaaimans Pumpstation discharges into the Garden Route Dam and contributes significantly to the George raw water resource requirements.

Status: The project is currently in the procurement phase, with tenders closing in February 2023, and it is anticipated that construction will 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, 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.

Residual tank construction.

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 the works is in progress and will be followed by the procurement of a contractor for the construction of the works.

The George Council tabled stricter water restrictions to curb the excess use of potable water (treated drinking water) in December 2022. Knowing how to read your water meter and monitoring it is a simple way of keeping track of how much water is being used on your property and can help prevent water wasted through undetected leaks and avoid unexpected high bills.

George experienced below-average rainfall in 2022 and the Garden Route Dam is currently at 63.82% (based on the raised dam wall). There is a real risk of another below-average winter rainfall season ahead, so we need to keep our dams fuller for longer. The continued load-shedding contributes to the disruption of drinking water production and we need to conserve what we have in our reservoirs.

How to read your meter?

• Open your water meter box. If the lid is closed, you can usually open it gently with something like a screwdriver. Please be careful not to break the lid.
• No matter what type of water meter it is, the black numbers represent thousands of litres, called kilolitres, and red numbers represent litres.
• Water charges are based on the number of kilolitres of water used on the property every month. If you are submitting your own readings to the City (e.g., if your meter is difficult for meter readers to access), you only need to supply the black numbers when submitting your reading.
• Water meters continually record the amount of water that passes into a property throughout the lifespan of the meter. The tally on the meter does not reset from month to month. Subtract the previous reading from your current reading to determine usage for the period between readings.
• Please email your water meter readings along with the account holder’s name, contact details and GRG account number and date of reading to meterreadings@george.gov.za.
• Please note that meter readings are done per area at different times of the month, and it is important that your meter reading email is submitted around the same time as your area’s reading time. Please check the date of the previous reading at the bottom of your account to determine your meter reading slot.

Monitoring your meter readings to check how much you’re using or to confirm a leak?

• Check by how much the numbers on the meter increase to see how much water is being used. Monitor this on a regular basis e.g., weekly or monthly, and keep a written record.
• To check if you have a leak, first stop all water use in the house (tightly close all taps) and note how much the meter reading is. Then wait about 15 minutes and check the meter reading again. If the numbers have gone up, it means you probably have a leak.
• One leaking toilet can waste between 2600 – 13 000 litres of water per month, and one leaking tap can waste between 400 – 2600 litres of water per month.

What are our Water Restrictions and how do they affect your household?

1. Every household is now limited to using 15 kilolitres of water per month. Emergency tariffs will be charged for any household which uses more than 15kl.
2. Businesses dependent on municipal water, including commercial car washes must reduce their use of water by 15% of their past 6-month average.
3. Large industry must reduce their use of municipal water by 10% of their past 6-month average.
4. Gardens can be watered any time of the day but only with watering cans or buckets, no hosepipes are allowed.
5. The Irrigation or watering of ALL sport fields using municipal water is prohibited.
6.  Washing of vehicles with a garden hose is prohibited. Only buckets are allowed.
7. Cleaning of any outside surface areas using a water hose is prohibited.
8. Filling up of swimming pools with municipal water is prohibited.
9. Applications for exemption can be submitted to the Deputy Director Water for consideration.
10. Those making use of their own water must display a visible sign stating, “Own Water”.
    (Please see www.george.gov.za for the full list of proposed restrictions.)

Treated Effluent and Raw Water for irrigation or construction purposes is available and details can be requested from the Directorate: Civil Engineering Services (gvanniekerk@george.gov.za)

Report contraventions of the current Water Restrictions on 0800 424477 – fines apply.
Report all water leaks on 044 801 9262/66 or A/ h 044 801 6300

Water Leaks can also be reported at your nearest Area Office or Thusong Centre, emailed to gmun@george.gov.za , via the Municipal App or phoned in to 044 801 9311.

Photograph for illustration only.

In the group photograph are the Executive Mayor for George, Leon van Wyk (centre) standing next to Pall Rikhardsson (From Iceland, CEO of Planet Youth), CEO Planet Youth Iceland (left of Ald Van Wyk, grey suit) at the launch today held in the George Civic. The programme is a joint operation by various western cape government departments, the University of Cape Town and various NGO’s and public partners.

Planet Youth, a whole-of-society programme focussed on mental health, was launched today 3 February 2023 in George.

The programme, coordinated by the departments of Health, Education and Cultural Affairs and Sports is an Icelandic prevention concept that has proved success in reducing substance abuse and is designed to strengthen protective factors and building healthy communities, especially young people.

“The Planet Youth programme being launched in the George subdistrict of the Garden Route provides us with a unique opportunity to positively influence the lives of our young people. The programme relies on intersectoral partnerships, interconnectedness with our communities and a whole-of-society approach to ensure that our youth reach their ultimate potential and realise their dreams. The coordinating team comprising representatives from various departments and spheres of government has been hard at work to set the scene for the good work that is to follow. Collectively, we look forward to the positive impact the programme will have on our communities at large,” said District Director for the Garden Route and Central Karoo health districts, Mr Zee Brickles.

“This concept has already kicked off with trial surveys at Jonga High, Thembalethu High and Pacaltsdorp High School in 2022. The official roll-out of the programme to the schools in George will take place in February 2023. We will start with a survey of all the Grade 8 and 9 learners of George, Uniondale and Haarlem this month. This will be followed by school and community meetings to assess the results of the surveys and identify possible community programmes to address the issues identified. A Convenors Group has been established, with the Department of Health, George Municipality, departments of Education, Cultural Affairs and Sports, Social Development, University of Cape Town, SAPS and several non-governmental organisations,” said Dr Zilla North, Medical Manager for the George subdistrict.

The aim of the programme is to enrol all children in George across the subdistrict in activities that promote protective factors to develop healthy futures. The local community aims to achieve significant reduction in youth alcohol harms which will be measured as decreased school dropout rates, improved school academic performance, and a reduction in violence. This is projected to alleviate the burden on the overwhelmed mental healthcare system, correctional services, judiciary, education and social development.

“I am very excited and proud that the Planet Youth programme is being launched in George. I had the opportunity to meet and engage with the core team that will be driving the introduction of this whole of society programme. Planet Youth will provide our youth in George with the opportunity to become part of the anticipated benefits ranging from wellness and employment, to food security and cultural and sporting achievements”, said Executive Mayor Mr Leon van Wyk

The local community aims to improve employment rates by producing employment-ready youth. By applying the Planet Youth vision of positioning the school as the hub, reducing the economic and social harms of youth substance use and by increasing employment rates, the local community aims to significantly improve food security in affected communities. It is also aiming to achieve a significant increase in sporting and cultural achievement which will improve mental health, physical well-being and competitiveness in affected schools.

Background to Planet Youth Programme:

Planet Youth George is a WOSA (whole-of-society approach) platform for community collaboration that aims to improve mental health by reducing youth substance use, violence, and school dropout rates using an evidence-based and internationally tested approach of youth development activities, community empowerment and rigorous auditing.

Planet Youth inc. is an international organisation, working in many countries worldwide, developed and underdeveloped, to alleviate alcohol harms in adolescence with benefits across the life course.

Planet Youth and the University of Cape Town commenced the George Planet Youth Programme in October 2022.

Core principles of the Planet Youth community programme

• The programme utilises an intersectoral approach involving a multitude of NGOs, enterprises, and departments of government using a WOSA  approach.
• The programme is a long-term investment with sustainable long-term outcomes (at least 10 years).
• The programme is community based, with schools becoming hubs of afterschool sports, cultural, food security and community development activities. Schools will collaborate with parents and organisations to engage them in encouraging youth participation and fostering good parenting techniques.
• The programme develops local expertise and skills to maintain the quality improvement cycles that are initiated.
• The programme will be rigorously audited through bi-annual surveys and reports to quantify the impact of interventions and guide further efforts.

South Cape Children’s Choir, an amateur regional children’s choir based in George performed and finished the programme of the day with an unusual and stirring rendition of the national anthem.

Issued by George Municipality, on behalf of the Western Cape Department of Health

George and surrounds have once again experienced a bumper festive season showing a distinct increase in accommodation bookings, restaurant and activity visits, shopping, traffic, and more. One local activity reported as many as 6 200 visitors on one day, while a local restaurant accommodated 1 000 covers in one day.

Executive Mayor for George, Leon Van Wyk noted that informal discussions held with restaurants and local business indicate a bumper season with at least a 30% increase in turnover. “By all accounts, George has experienced a very busy holiday season with some businesses recording new turnover and attendance records and improvements returning to and exceeding pre-Covid levels. These achievements should assist in stabilising employment levels as we continue to focus on growing our tourism sector and adding events to extend the offering well beyond the traditional summer season.”

Events including the George Tens held over four days from 15 December, theatre productions, markets, and concerts right up to the new year were well attended. Our  tourism offices recorded 398 enquiries received at the George and Wilderness Tourism offices during December 2022.  Although this is less than those received last year, considering the increased accommodation occupancies, this indicates that accommodation and activity planning was done well in advance for 2022, and not at the last minute, as was experienced last season.  This returns us to more normal trends.  The tourism section distributed QR codes to establishments to enable speedy digital access to information for visitors to the area.  This was also advertised on all social media platforms and through the local print media.

69% of enquiries were related to Things to do and general tourism information, 20% were accommodation related and 11% were general enquiries, not particularly related to tourism, but looking for estate agents, etc.  Occupancy figures in Quarter 4 2022 (Oct, Nov) increased by 24% from Quarter 4 2021 (Oct, Nov). Preliminary feedback is that the private sector has experienced a bumper festive season, with many establishments still being too busy to share their stats with our office.  Accommodation establishments remain quite busy, and it is likely that the season will be extended considerably with international visitors returning to our area over the next few months.

PAVEMENT PERMITS
In a bid to boost the local economy, the Municipality repeated last year’s initiative  of a ‘pavement permit’ to assist restaurants in terms of capacity constraints with the implementation of social distancing measures due to COVID-19. The ‘pavement permit’ would provide restaurants with additional floor space to place their tables. The initiative was very well-received by local businesses although no applications were received.

SAFE SEASON
The multi-stakeholder Festive Season Monitoring Committee met daily from the 1 December and held its final meeting on 9 January 2023. A debriefing will be held to review and begin planning for the 2023 Festive Season.

The daily committee meeting was attended by municipal as well as external stakeholders such as NSRI, SAPS, SANParks and others. The purpose of the daily meeting is to assess available resources, identify possible risks  and to put in place actions plans to address these risks so as not to impact on our holidaymakers. The municipality’s goal is to ensure consistent service delivery during this busy period and to keep George running as efficiently as possible.

A new safety initiative launched was the use of QR codes (widely publicized) that provided public with quick and easy access to websites containing information on tourist activities and events, important municipal contact details as well as water and other safety tips for our visitors.

Links to relevant sites:
https://www.george.gov.za/planning-development/local-economic-development/tourism/safety-for-visitors/
https://www.george.gov.za/contact/
http://www.visitgeorge.co.za/

Positive feedback has been received from residents, businesses and visitors on the season management:

“I am hugely grateful to the George Municipality, Law Enforcement, traffic officials, monitors, NSRI security companies and SANParks for the enormous difference they made in our village this past season. One felt safe, looked after and protected on so many levels during what can only be described as a bumper season. Our village was swamped with visitors and I believe that we showed how things can be done.”

”Our children have been visiting from Cape Town, and have been so impressed by the beach monitors, helpful traffic cops and general cleanliness.”

“Please convey our compliments to George Municipality on their excellent strategies they put in place to manage the influx of holidaymakers. Well done!!!”

STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION
The Festive Season Monitoring Committee and operations over the festive season were undertaken in collaboration with SANParks and NSRI Wilderness. Jonathan Britton, Acting Park Manager for the Wilderness National Park expressed his gratitude to all staff, municipal and otherwise who worked long hours over the season.

“The Wilderness National Park and surrounding ecological and environmental assets is interwoven with the urban infrastructure of Wilderness and this combination of natural, social and economic systems is a complex interaction and requires a collaborative and integrated approach between various organisations to make it all work together.

The influx of visitors to the Garden Route during the summer holidays is an important boost for the local economy but requires planning and deployment of resources in an integrated and co-ordinated manner between various role players to ensure that local systems can manage the additional pressure. Building on the success of the previous year, the George Municipality continued to lead a multi stakeholder collaborative approach to ensure high standard of service delivery in and around Wilderness.

Daily presence of lifeguards, Traffic Officials, Law Enforcement officials, cleaning steams and SANParks staff were a common sight in Wilderness all working together ensuring a safe and environment for all. Impactful leadership and a hands-on approach were the order of the day with senior managers and directors meeting daily and overseeing the implementation of operational plans. This holiday season again proved the value of partnerships, dedication, and teamwork.”

Michael Vonk, CEO of George Regional Hospital and Station Commander for National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Station 23 lauded the successful management of this past festive season, which was one of the busiest in recent years. He did however qualify that a measured response should be adopted to the success of the season, as we did experience three fatal drownings, two at Wilderness Beach and one at Victoria Bay and a number of non-fatal drowning incidents. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones.

“The close collaboration, teamwork and partnerships between all role players to ensure the necessary preventative measures were in place, along with a coordinated emergency response were extremely effective to limit the number of serious incidents on our beaches.  In particular, the lifeguards should be recognised for their effort in preventing more drownings.”

EMERGENCY SERVICES
Lifeguards were deployed at Gwaing Beach, Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay, Wilderness Leentjiesklip, Steps, Wilderness Main and Conville Public Swimming Pool on a full-time daily basis from 7am – 7pm and will remain in place until 31 January 2023 at the Blue Flag Beaches (Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay and Wilderness Main). A total of 3 drownings, 35 rescues, 66 help outs, 66 First Aid incidents, 336 Bluebottle stings and 8 Emergency Medical Assistance were undertaken by the team of Lifeguards, NSRI and emergency personnel at the various beaches.

The newly acquired Jet rib, a 1800cc jet ski built into a rubber duck pontoon structure proved invaluable this season and a huge asset to the summer safety measures.  The mobile JOC was deployed for 10 days of high season and the Fire Brigade drone was used to survey sea conditions, for shark spotting , searching of missing persons and during rescue operations once again showing the value of expenditure on technology to aid in safety measures.

Emergency Services were kept busy and attended to 8  formal structure fires and 23 informal structure fires. Regrettably, two lives were lost in the  informal structure fires. Fire officials also attended to 59 veld fires, 2 building fires, 4 motor vehicle fires, 47 motor vehicle incidents, 32 other emergency incidents, 4 drownings and 23 false alarms.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT / PARKING / POINT DUTY
George Traffic Services actively patrolled all municipal areas in collaboration with Western Cape Provincial Traffic including participating in regular vehicle check points focussing on drunk driving, vehicle and driver fitness. Traffic flow was managed as best possible in particular at congested intersections such as the N2/Victoria Bay, Garden Route Mall, the exit ramp to Mossel Bay on Knysna Road, N2/Station Road (Wilderness), N2/Caltex (Wilderness), N2/Sanparks and N2/Salinas.

Temporary road signs and traffic cones were placed at dangerous locations to ensure compliance (prevention of illegal parking/obstruction/encroachment on roadways) causing danger to other road users. To ease traffic flow, each beach had an area demarcated for Drop and Go. Staff deployed over this period at beaches were 8 traffic wardens and 20 EPWP staff assisting with Drop and Go, monitoring and enforcement of parking, road closures and directing motorists to suitable parking locations.

Aside from the beaches and high-pressured traffic points attended to throughout the city, traffic officials assisted with 12 funeral escorts as well as traffic control at various events including the Christmas Lights Festival, George Tens, Palm Tyres 21km race etc.  43 vehicle accidents were attended to without recorded injuries, 10 with injuries and three with fatalities. 322 notices for a variety of traffic and vehicle offences were issued, 32 impoundments and fine collection totalling R70 000 was brought in.

The Vehicle Testing Station offered 3 days in December where a free 10 Point check could be done on your vehicle before traveling. This is the second year the service was offered and  40 motorists took advantage of it. The same service will be offered 10 – 13 January 2023, 08h30 – 15h30 (VTS, Hibernia Street).

BLUE FLAG BEACHES AND CLEANSING
Wilderness, Main Beach and Herold’s Bay Beach remain full Blue Flag beaches until 31 January 2023, and Victoria Bay retains Pilot Blue Flag status. Compliance is required in terms of the international standards, which includes high standards of water quality monitoring, public safety, lifeguard services and  well-maintained coastal amenities.

Oil spills consisting of hydrocarbon, low-sulphur oil droplets were found on several beaches along the Garden Route in early December with a multi-agency command centre established to resolve the issue. There have been no reports linking the oil spill to humans, birds, or marine life and all affected George beaches were declared green status (i.e., monitored and open for use) by 8^th December 2022. George Municipal cleaning teams together with Working for the Coast teams, worked non-stop for days to clear Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay, Ballot’s Bay, Wilderness beach from Leentjiesklip to Salina’s beach, Gwaiing Beach, and Kaaimans mouth.

Municipal beach cleaning teams started working at 06:00 until 21h00 on many nights and started at 04h00 on New Year’s Day to ensure that the beaches were clean for the first beachgoers the next morning. The cleaning teams also did sterling work in keeping the beach ablution facilities in excellent condition despite heavy usage. Our CBD cleansing teams kept the town clean and neat for visitors.

BEACH MONITORS, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ANTI-LAND INVASION OFFICIALS
George Municipality was adamant that no alcohol would be allowed on our beaches and confiscated 317 litres of alcohol with a retail value of approximately R21 110 from the start of the festive season.   Neighborhood Watches, Community Police Forums as well as the SAPS worked closely with the Municipality with regards to Community Safety. The confiscated alcohol will be handed over to SAPS for disposal.

The department of Forensic Pathology Services for George assisted by the Community Police forum, SANParks, George Law Enforcement, Neighbourhood Watch and Bambanani members at the Wilderness and LeentjiesKlip beach areas handed out 8000 orange and yellow armbands to children. The yellow and orange armbands are written up with the parent or caregivers name and contact details and recorded in a register to assist in the event of them being separated from their parents or caregivers. Two children were reunited with their families using this system at Wilderness Lagoon.

FIREWORKS
George Municipality continued to implement a complete ban on the setting off of fireworks, firecrackers, flares, paper lanterns, and other such paraphernalia in the George municipal area. Over 292 visits were undertaken to a variety of retail outlets and an estimated R4500 worth of fireworks was confiscated (retail value) with fines issued totalling R14 500. It is encouraging to see that the value of fines and confiscations has declined on last year and we thank those retail outlets who have adhered to the applicable regulations.

MUNICIPAL OFFICES REMAINED OPEN  – SERVICE DELIVERY ONGOING
The municipal offices  were only closed on the Public Holidays and for a few days after the 27^th December following a burst pipe which caused extensive water damage to the third, second and first floor of the main building in York Street.

Our Planning division processed 309 building plans in-season with 113 approved, which was 104 residential, 9 non-residential. 144 applications (124 residential and 20 non-residential) remain in circulation. A total of 196 (170 residential and 26 non-residential) were not approved due to either not complying and/or additional information being required. A total of 46 (44 residential and 2 non-residential) Certificates of Occupancy were issued. Furthermore, a total of 106 Building Control related inspections were conducted. These include 13 commencement inspections, 12 drainage inspections and 81 completion inspections.

The Building Control division was equally busy with building control contraventions and complaints that were able to be addressed expeditiously over the festive season. A total 35 complaints were received and attended to.

Our human settlements division dealt with the aftermath of several fires which took place in December with a large incident totalling 20 informal housefire cases in Edameni reported on 10 December 2022. All 20 families lost their structures with belongings during this incident. Temporary accommodation was given to the 20 families at the All-brick Community Hall. The municipal Social Services division assisted those affected with mattresses, blankets, food  and other items. Assistance was given to four families who accepted second hand building material. Another five families have been  prioritised and will receive assistance soon. The remaining families must still provide the balance of documentation required for assistance in terms of the approved Emergency Accommodation and Assistance Policy.

Two BNG (Breaking New Ground) houses affected by fires  will be investigated where after an application in terms of the Emergency Housing Programme will be submitted to the Western Cape Provincial Department of Human Settlements.