Author: Chantel Edwards

George Executive Mayor Alderman Leon van Wyk visited the Motor Vehicle Licence Centre in Hibernia Street last week to, among other things, highlight the online vehicle renewal service that residents can use to reduce their time spent in queues.

George Municipality Fleet Manager Manon McDonald, aged 56, this month retires from a lifetime career in a ‘man’s world’. Manon is an electrical engineering technician who in later years took on municipal fleet management as part of her job in Knysna. As fleet manager in George since 2015 she has been responsible for more than 1000 vehicles and associated equipment.

Manon became an electrical engineering student because she wasn’t good at typing. “I didn’t know what to do after school and was looking at courses at the local Klerksdorp Technikon to see if there was anything I could see myself doing for a living. I had a head for administration, so a secretarial course seemed a logical choice, but I was really bad at typing, which was still a major part of office management in the 1980s,” says Manon.

The only other thing that appealed was a qualification as electrical engineering technician, mostly because she liked maths and science that were core subjects in the course. “I was the only woman in a man’s world for most of my career which was unusual for everyone, not just the men, but people got used to me being there and it became less of a thing. Sometimes the men would take the mickey out of me, but it made me stronger, more committed and more determined.”

A decision that would stand her in good stead was pushing through to obtain the advanced NQ6 electrical engineering diploma. “To this day most people will qualify with the NQ4 technician qualification and there are very few women in South Africa with NQ6. The extra two years were much tougher, especially the maths, but it facilitated key career opportunities that became very important when life threw me a few curve balls.”

Good marks and references convinced the electrical engineer at Klerksdorp Municipality to take a chance on Manon, the first female electrical technical assistant to be appointed at the local authority in 1990. Despite irregular hours, extreme weather conditions and the inherent danger of electricity Manon thrived. “I loved that the work was different every day, that much of it was outdoors and very interesting.”

Eight years later when she needed a change, a glowing reference secured Manon the principal technician post at Knysna Municipality. “I arrived in this small town, recently widowed with an 18-month-old baby and no support system at home. It is a great testament to the men in that department at the time who not only accepted a female boss but one who sometimes brought a sleeping baby to after-hours callouts. Everyone would keep an ear out for my son, Rüttger, in case he would wake up and start crying, but he was very good and seldom even stirred while we did our jobs nearby.

“Although I did not strictly have to go out on all the calls at night, it was important for me to do so at least in the beginning while I was getting to know the people and the area. I wanted them to see that I was committed and willing to do what it takes, that I wouldn’t use my child as an excuse to not do my job.”

Knysna’s vehicle fleet was the responsibility of the electrotechnical department, and its management formed part of Manon’s job. “My dad was a motor vehicle mechanic, and I spent most days after school in his workshop, so this felt like familiar territory.”

Her job included buying new vehicles, overseeing the mechanical workshop and petrol and diesel filling station, vehicle licencing, insurance and a whole lot of related administration. Fleet management meant less afterhours work than electrical, which motivated Manon to apply for a position as fleet manager at George Municipality, which she got in 2015.

The George Municipality vehicle fleet consists of more than 1000 items ranging from sedans, bakkies and trailers to roadworks equipment, graders, refuse trucks, water tankers, fire trucks and GO GEORGE busses.

“Vehicles are expensive but essential for service delivery, which makes budgeting challenging in a growing municipality with limited resources. It is frustrating for everyone when an old truck that should really be replaced is in the workshop more than on the road, but it is our reality and we make the best of the circumstances.”

In the six years she has worked here, Manon has facilitated the purchasing of 176 vehicles and trucks, many of which have specialist requirements. Among these is the municipality’s first truck tractor which pulls a 35 000-litre stainless steel water tank as a movable water source during firefighting and South Africa’s first extra-high panel van in red for the Fire Department’s new mobile control centre.

Manon also had the fuel pumps upgraded so both pumps could issue dual product (petrol and diesel), managed renovations in the office to maximise space and facilitated the purchasing of a 31 000-litre above-ground storage tank that will be completed next month.

“Running a municipality’s fleet is not just about the vehicles in the current fleet, but about overall sustainability. For instance, the department may weigh up the pros and cons of buying a recovery vehicle for heavy vehicles versus the costs of a service provider, or whether the benefits of an inhouse workshop outweigh implications such as additional staff, space and equipment costs. A fleet is also about thousands of people who drive and travel in those vehicles every day – their safety and capacity to do their work as efficiently as possible are all inherent to this job.”

No matter the job description, Manon almost always had men reporting to her and some handled this better than others. “Some were quite blatantly disrespectful and adamant that they would not come to me for anything. I made a concerted effort to not take offense or get angry, or to be snide or vengeful when they eventually had no choice but to come to me for help or support. It was important to me to not rub my power and authority in their face and hoped they would eventually realise that I could be an ally.

“I always considered myself a lady and never swore at somebody or about any situation. I instinctively knew that I couldn’t be one of the boys and didn’t think it was necessary for me to try. I am my own person, not defined by my work or my gender.”

Manon and her husband Johan intend moving to Agulhas later this year.

Profile by Athane Scholtz, Communications Officer, George Municipality

George Municipality Directorate Planning and Development last week presented its Risk-Aligned Economic Recovery Plan to the municipal mayoral committee.

The plan, which was compiled as a response to the short and long-term socio-economic effects of Covid-19, aligns with and informs several other George Municipality plans and strategies as well as the plans and strategies for the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and Western Cape government.

George Municipality Director Planning and Development Lauren Waring said while the effect of Covid-19 would not be fully understood until the pandemic had passed, various surveys locally and across the world had identified the nature of some key impacts. “Some of the hardest hit sectors such as tourism, hospitality and retail are among our city’s most important sectors. We also expect poverty indicators to rise as the full impact on the informal sector, spaza shops and SMMEs becomes more evident.

“Covid-19 has had a damaging impact on the municipality’s revenue streams and it is expected to continue for the next three to five years. In response the municipality is developing meaningful interventions to stimulate the local economy and facilitate job creation, increase household consumption, and ensure the promotion of a stable and healthy living environment.”

To do this, George Municipality will focus on reigniting the tourism sector, providing sustainable support to the informal sector, developing an online SMME portal to provide access to different business processes and government and other support, using planning and infrastructure tools to ensure spatial transformation, developing tools to optimise resources, and enhancing data and knowledge management.

The municipality also takes into consideration its own systems, procedures, and functions to address Covid-19 impacts internally in addition to its external economic response, which includes social development, finance, and ICT responses.

Financial management responses include credit control, improved debtors management, revenue enhancement, cost containment and expenditure management.

The Social Development section, in ongoing relationships with the relevant mandated provincial and national government departments and other agencies, will promote an inclusive developmental agenda that focuses on issues including early childhood development, an integrated George safety and security network, sustainable food sources, homeless people and gender-based violence.

ICT responses will look into smart systems that maximise operational efficiency via the existing ICT platform, enhanced communication and performance management systems, and research and design capabilities to promote the meeting of targets and deadlines.

Economic Development portfolio councillor Dirk Wessels said the George Municipality Economic Recovery Plan was taking into consideration that Covid-19 was an historic event that would forever change the landscape of decision-making. “While the world is facing this crisis, the reality is that there may be more pandemics and other national and international disasters. The Economic Recovery Plan we have just released is the product of significant information and resource sharing across several agencies and reflects the multipronged approach required to pursue shared solutions for the major impacts on the local and global economy, geopolitics, and our societies.”

The George Municipality Economic Recovery Plan is aligned to current and developing strategies and documents including the National Covid-19 Recovery Plan, Western Cape Business and Economic Recovery Plan, George Economic Development and Tourism, Western Cape Government Tourism Master Plan as well as the GRDM Tourism Strategy, Agricultural Master Plan, Investment Prospectus and Draft Green Energy Master Plan.

The Plan will form part of the George Municipality Integrated Economic Development Strategy that is currently being developed and will serve as a critical informant to several other municipal strategic planning processes being undertaken in the next six to 24 months, including the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), Spatial Development Framework (SDF) and Integrated Economic Growth Strategy (IEGS).

The George Municipality Economic Recovery Plan is available at https://www.george.gov.za/george-documents/policies-strategies-plans-and-guidelines/planning-and-development/

Closer look at Crocodile Farm land for possible social housingProfessional feasibility studies into the suitability of social housing on the old Crocodile Farm property are expected to commence later this year.

George Municipality Acting Director Human Settlements Lauren Waring said the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) had granted R500 000 towards the relevant studies. “Should the project go ahead and depending on what the studies show to be the most suitable housing type for the site, a potential 300 to 400 units could be accommodated on the old Crocodile Farm site and construction is then anticipated to commence by beginning 2023.

George is one of only seven municipalities in the country that were chosen for the first cycle of the newly launched Municipal Social Housing Support Programme (MSHSP) to receive additional support for expediting their social housing projects.

Implemented by the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA) in conjunction with the applicable provincial department and municipality, social housing is a unit-based rental programme aimed at low and middle-income households. Depending on the outcome of studies such as those imminent at the Crocodile Farm site, the housing consists of multistorey apartments on one site that is strategically situated near existing business and neighbourhoods to promote economic and social integration.

While the George Municipality remains involved, SHRA is managing the supply chain process and appointment of consultants for the studies. It should take about eight months from commencement for studies to be completed, the results of which are then given to the municipality for further action.

The George Municipality will in due course commence the municipal tender process for an accredited social housing institution to implement and manage social housing projects for the municipality from design and construction to rental and property maintenance.

The Crocodile Farm is the first of several pockets of public land across the municipal area that have been identified, in conjunction with the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements, to be potentially suitable for social housing.

Ms Waring said the municipality hosted an Affordable Housing Beneficiary Readiness open day in February 2019 as part of its mandate to facilitate social housing in its jurisdiction. More than 1200 households attended, 82.4% of whom could potentially qualify for social housing. “As many of these households may neither qualify for an ‘RDP’ house nor an approved home loan, households earning between R1501 and R15 000 per month can access quality rental accommodation at reduced rates based on their household income. In a place such as George, where rental accommodation prices have soared in proportion to a fast-growing city, social housing options are becoming essential,” said Ms Waring.

For more information about social housing visit https://www.shra.org.za/

George Executive Mayor Alderman Leon van Wyk visited Oom Jan Kiewiets at his vegetable garden in Conville as part of a mayoral tour of the municipal area’s community services projects. Oom Jan is one of nearly 700 participants in the municipality’s food garden project which was revived at the end of last year to help families put food on the table following the devastating socio-economic impacts of Covid-19.
The project is run by coordinators who identify possible gardeners in communities, oversee the establishment of backyard gardens, provide seeds and guide the process from soil preparation to harvest. The aim is that the gardens will become sustainable throughout the year according to the seasons and that gardeners will ultimately not only put food on the tables of their own families but also have extra to share, sell or barter with. Most gardens are currently yielding crops to feed 5 to 10 people.
Oom Jan told the mayor you needed ‘green fingers’ to make a food garden work and that he made his own compost. His neighbour is allowing him to grow food on his side of the fence in exchange for produce.
The municipality welcomes involvement and support from business, NGOs and individuals who can assist in the long-term sustainability of the project. Ongoing needs include seeds, compost, pesticides, gardening tools and rainwater tanks.
Food garden queries: Sophie Fanelo 044 802 2000

George Executive Mayor Alderman Leon van Wyk and Deputy Executive Mayor Charlotte Clarke last week visited municipality-supported nutritional centres to honour the selfless work and dedication of the volunteers that feed their communities from their homes.

There are currently 125 nutritional centres in the George municipal area run by volunteers, mostly women, who cook two to five meals a week for vulnerable people including children, the elderly and disabled. While traditionally called ‘soup kitchens’, the centres provide a variety of meals according to the ingredients provided by the municipality and donated by NGOs or private individuals.

The mayoral team’s first stop was at the Conville home of Tannie Joan Jonker who cooks and serves meals to 85 people three times a week. At the height of Covid-19 lockdown, set-ups like Tannie Joan’s supplied two meals a day for up to five days a week. “I am now teaching others my cooking skills so that they can continue helping our people long after I am gone.”

Tannie Joan said the ongoing support from the municipality was wonderful but there were needs beyond food ingredients. “Large pots, utensils, more stoves and prepaid electricity are practical ways in which people can assist.”

They also visited the Parkdene Soup Kitchen, run by superwomen Leoni Witbooi and Amelda Jonker, who feed 250 people five days a week, come rain or shine. The feisty pair starts cooking at 5am every weekday, cooking with up to six 20-litre pots on wood and electrical stoves.

This centre is one of 20 that receive additional support from the national Department of Social Development as well as donations from a local bakery, restaurant and butchery. It is also well-supported by ward councillor Bazil Petrus who has recognised the value of this service and used some of the annual ward allocation funds to buy more pots.

The third stop was in Lawaaikamp at the soup kitchen run by Emma Mehlo and her daughter Sylvia Mateza which serves more than 120 people, mostly children, on weekdays. Sylvia is a trained counsellor and sees to the emotional and mental needs of people in addition to food on the table. The pair would like to expand their service by collecting and handing out clothes and shoes, and appeals to the wider community for especially children’s clothes.

Ald Van Wyk commended the selfless work of all the people across the municipal area who hosted, cooked and served soup kitchens so faithfully in the face of many challenges, including the impacts of Covid-19 and limited resources. “The municipality’s Community Development section continues to work with whomever is available to help and donate, and will facilitate and liaise accordingly to ensure that specific needs of these facilities are being met.

People wanting to support the nutritional centres can contact 044 802 2000.

Caption
Alderman Leon van Wyk and Emma Mehlo keep an eye on the queue outside her soup kitchen in Lawaaikamp.

George Municipality welcomes our new Chief Financial Officer, Mr Riaan Du Plessis who joined us on 1 August 2021.

Mr Du Plessis is a Chartered Accountant and has worked in the private sector financial services as an accountant, auditor and capital project controller(2000 – 2006). He joined the Office of the Auditor-General of South Africa in 2006 as Audit Manager, and left this year as Senior Manager. One of his working highlights was a stint overseas in the Office of the Auditor-General for New Zealand in 2008.

Riaan’s extensive qualifications include a B.Com in Accounting Sciences with Honours and a Post Graduate Diploma in Auditing and he holds membership of the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA). He is married to Susan and they have a 9 year old son, Christo. The entire family are avid cycling enthusiasts and look  forward to enjoying the beautiful mountain bike trails in the George region.

His vision as CFO for the municipality is to establish the Financial Services Directorate as a professional, effective, and accountable partner in order to; support Council, service the needs of the public, partner effectively with service providers and create a fulfilling working environment for the officials of the municipality.

“It is a privilege for me to join George Municipality and to become a part of this experienced administration team at a time when the municipality is facing such growth. George is blessed with phenomenal natural beauty and well deserves to be included in the district named Garden Route. It is the responsibility of us all to contribute to maintaining this treasure and I am both excited and grateful to be a part of that,” he said.

George Municipality is absolutely thrilled at the news that local surfer Bianca Buitendag, has won a Silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The municipality extended financial assistance to Bianca in a bid to support our local sporting talent and to shine a light on Victoria Bay as a premier surfing destination.

Portfolio Councillor for Strategic Services, Dirk Wessels could hardly contain his delight at the news of Bianca’s medal placement  today. “I felt as though the whole of South Africa was watching her this morning, I received tons of calls and messages.  For George Municipality to have an ambassador of Bianca’s calibre is amazing and proves that world champions are among us. She is very much an inspiration to all of our local surfers and  local sports people and it shows what hard work and dedication can do. We are extremely proud as George Municipality to have collaborated with Bianca,  and look forward to working with her and creating more local champions, “ he said.

Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk expressed his pride of Bianca’s achievement. “It is a pure testament to her skills and abilities that she has won this Silver medal. We look forward to welcoming her back to George when she arrives. She has been an excellent ambassador for George and will certainly help in placing Victoria Bay,  and George on the international surfing map. We certainly need to work towards ensuring that regular surfing events and competitions are held at Victoria Bay, to give it the exposure it deserves.”

“Our backing of Bianca as an athlete was a strategic decision taken to implement a less traditional method of marketing from a tourism perspective for George Municipality.  We are thrilled that our assistance played a small part in her Olympic success. Bianca faced excellent opponents in her run up to the finals this morning and her skill and determination shone throughout the competition. Thanks Bianca, we can’t wait to celebrate when you get back to South Africa and George!, “ said Joan Shaw, Tourism Manager.

Buitendag ‘cut her teeth’ surfing at Victoria Bay, known for its high performance waves and right hand break and home to the World Surf League qualifier, the Vic Bay Classic.

Cllr Erica Brown, Deputy Chairperson of the Community Services Section 80 Committee recently accompanied officials from the directorate on deliveries of emergency hampers to soup kitchens participating in the George Municipal programme. They visited Rosina Gordon, based in Pacaltsdorp who runs one of the biggest nutritional centres feeding between 150 – 250 people per day. The soup kitchens assisted by the municipality continue to  serve around 8000 meals to mostly children and the elderly , three times per week. With the closure of schools on the 30 June 2021,  following amended Alert Level 4 Regulations,  the soup kitchens increased their meals to five days per week again as they had done during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown last year.

Officials including Senior Manager for Community Development: Libraries and Sport, Shanold Marillac; Social Worker, Janine Adams; Community Field Worker, Ashley Booysen and Soup Kitchen Co-ordinator, Veronique Ferndale accompanied Cllr Brown on the visit. The Soup kitchens are monitored on a regular basis, not only to ensure that they are operating optimally, but also to review and check that all Cvoid-19 safety protocols are being adhered to. Aunt Rosina has two adults who assist her at the centre to ensure that social distancing, the wearing of masks and cleaning of hands is observed.  Soup products, fresh vegetables and sanitation products were delivered and the Councillor experienced how the food was prepared and served.

Soup kitchen enquiries: 044 802 2000

The George Parks and Recreation division was thrilled to take ownership of two brand new herbicide trailers which will be used for the spraying of granule and liquid herbicide across the George Municipal area including Wilderness and Herold’s Bay. Executive Mayor Leon van Wyk in the middle, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tyrone April and new Senior Environmental Services Manager Sivuyile Mtila visited the Fleet yard this week to inspect the new purchases.

The 1000l capacity per trailer will provide time-savings and improve efficiency for the parks team, reducing time wasted on refill trips for the smaller capacity individual pumps being used currently. The existing smaller pumps will now be repurposed and given to our Community Worker cleaning project to use as and when required. This will greatly improve their cleaning efforts in areas where not only illegal dumping but also weeds are a persistent problem.

George Municipality currently uses a combination granular and liquid herbicide. Future plans are to assess the viability of changing completely over to liquid herbicide that will result in less maintenance with the same soil action capability of granular forms.  These herbicides are targeted at specific vegetation groups at specific mix ratios to enable the municipality to control a wide spectrum annual and perennial broadleaf weeds and grasses in urban areas.

Where homeowners have gone the extra mile and planted their sidewalks decoratively and/or continue to maintain the sidewalk,  the Parks and Recreation department is cautious not to disturb or spray in these areas, within reason as sidewalks are by rights intended for pedestrians and suitable space should always be available for safe pedestrian movement.

George Municipality is fast making progress towards becoming one of the first B- municipality’s  in South Africa,  to offer wheeling and electricity trading through the municipal grid. Two very important milestones in this project have been reached with firstly;  NERSA (national energy regulator)  approving the George Municipality’s recommended wheeling tariff and; secondly George Municipality on 25 June 2021,  signed the first use of system’s agreement with a participant in this pilot project.

Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk expressed his delight at the first agreement having been signed. “In George we have recognised that private sector generators of electricity would like to use our network to deliver electricity to their buyers. George can therefore still cover the cost of maintaining and 24/7 operating of our network by charging the private sector generator a fee for the distribution of electricity It is our belief that businesses and individuals would welcome the innovative opportunities being offered in George in opening up a new market for investors in renewable energy. We believe that this will also attract Industries and businesses who would rather buy privately generated electricity from reliable providers.”

The agreement includes  the legal terms that govern the relationship between the third party energy provider and the municipality. This pilot project approved by Council on 28 January 2021, will be used by the George Municipality to develop and explore the technical aspects, and address the currently unknown regulatory process of wheeling and electricity trading within a municipal environment. In essence, the municipality is looking to develop a more sustainable business model, which will allow the delivery of electricity generated by a private operator at one location to a buyer or off-taker in another location via the municipal network. This forms part of a larger process where the municipality is aiming to migrate to a more sustainable financial model in the future.

Although this pilot project will have no immediate effect on the electricity reliability or load shedding within George, it will assist the municipality to mitigate the challenges introduced by the changing energy sector. During the pilot project the George Municipality will investigate the technical challenges of wheeling electricity through the grid as well as the policy, legal and regulatory reform required. George Municipality published a wheeling guideline together with tariffs on 30 April 2021, to inform the public of the current requirements in order to wheel energy on the George distribution grid.

In the photograph standing in front of the Electrotechnical Offices, following the signing of the First Use of System Agreement are from left at the back: Phillip Van Niekerk, Intern for Electrotechnical Directorate, Planning; Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk; and Louise Botha, Executive Support Electrotechnical Directorate  and in the front row: Bongani Mandla, newly appointed Electrotechnical Director; Dr Michele Gratz, Acting Municipal Manager and Portfolio Councillor for Electrotechnical Services, Nosicelo Mbete.

Wellington Street
As part of the road rehabilitation process, Wellington Street has been completed including the universally accessible sidewalks.

Market street
The 15-month Market Street project will be completed in phases and includes the upgrading of underground services such as stormwater and sewerage pipelines in addition to road structure and surface rehabilitation, as well as the construction of universally accessible pedestrian walkways to support high foot traffic in the city’s central business district. The full project extends from the York Street to Hope Street. Roadworks will be done in phases, intersection to intersection, with the five phases of construction overlapping.  Phases 1 – 3 have commenced between York and Mitchell Streets.  Construction of the first 3 phases is planned to continue to mid-May 2022.

George Municipality is currently working in three sections between York Street and Mitchell Street, and the area will be an active construction site for the duration of the construction periods. The contractor will, where as far as is possible, maintain property accesses and will make the necessary arrangements /provisions in advance with any affected business owner via Mr Alewijn Dippernaar, should access not be possible.  Business and property owners affected by the road construction are requested to contact Alewijn Dippenaar at dyndev@mweb.co.za or on 082 457 5675 if they have any queries or concerns, and must not communicate directly with, or request information from, the Contractor’s personnel.

Makriel Street
The construction in Makriel Street in Maraiskamp, which serves as a link road between Conville and Parkdene, has commenced with the Contractor relocating existing infrastructure and upgrading the existing stormwater, where after the physical road and sidewalk construction will commence.  The project is set for completion in mid-November 2021.

Rosedale Access road
The rehabilitation of a portion of the Rosedale Access Road, eastwards from Beach Road,  has started and the project is currently on schedule for completion at the end of October 2021.

Tabata street  Phase 1
The upgrading of a portion of Tabata Street, Thembalethu from Nelson Mandela Boulevard to Mfayana Street (about 760m), recommenced  in February this year, following the approval of funding.  Intense labour and sub-contracting procurement processes were followed, and this phase is expected to be completed by mid-October 2021.  The improvements to this main arterial through Zone 12, 13 and 15 will most certainly improve the experience of road users, pedestrians and the lives of residents.  The road, sidewalk (similar to other community routes) and stormwater pipe upgrades will improve vehicle and pedestrian movement, and reduce flooding of the street and properties.

The entire intended Tabata Street upgrade extends from the intersection with Nelson Mandela Boulevard (Fourways) to where the road re-joins Nelson Mandela Boulevard and will be implemented in phases.  . Further phases (phases 2 to 5) will be rolled out subject to the availability of funds.

Fourway stop maintenance
The rehabilitation of the Nelson Mandela Boulevard four-way intersection with Tabata Street was completed in the first week of July 2021 with the bulk of the work taking place at night time to reduce the impact and inconvenience on traffic movement.

New Dawn Park
The existing roads and associated stormwater pipeline servicing New Dawn Park from the c/o Protea and Sierrisie Drive to the intersection of Sierrissie and Voëlnesvaring Drives , as well as portions of Garnaalbloom Street, Klokkiesblom and Voelnesvaring Drives have been upgraded.

General construction information
Traffic impacts are different for each project depending on the nature of work done, details of which will be published in red-framed advertisements in local print media and the George Municipality social media channels.  GO GEORGE implications at the Market Street roadworks will be communicated by GO GEORGE champions on location as well as via the usual social media and other communication platforms.

Municipal services such as water, sewer and electricity may be temporarily disrupted, and will be communicated via social media when required.

“The municipality realises the impacts during road works are inconvenient, but we ask that road users and pedestrians bear with us and keep the bigger picture in mind. Liaison with business and affected parties in the construction zones will be ongoing and we thank residents, tenants and all general road users in advance for their support and cooperation. Please take extra care when you are inside or near the construction zone and adhere to all signage and directions by road works personnel. Vehicles should take heed that road surfaces can vary in height at times,” said Mr Daniels.

Wellington Street completed with brand new universally accessible sidewalks being inspected  by, from left Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk, Portfolio Councillor Civil Engineering Services, Jackie Von Brandis and Ricus Fivaz, Civil Engineering Services.  Similar road and sidewalk construction is currently being undertaken on other community routes within the municipal area.