Author: Nadine Payle

Front: From Left to Right: JP Rossouw (Chief Audit Executive: George Municipality); Dr M Gratz (Municipal Manager: George Municipality); Pamela Lufele (Chief Audit Executive: Garden Route District Municipality); Zareena Gabier (Manager: Manager: Financial Governance: Assurance Services: Provincial Treasury). Back: From Left to Right: Faiz Hoosain (Chief Audit Executive: Stellenbosch Municipality); Lazola Matshanda; Cedric Herrendoerfer; Itumeleng Mofokeng; Lusanda Mbeleki (Provincial Treasury Officials).

The George Municipality was honoured to host the recent Western Cape Provincial Municipal Chief Audit Executive (CAE) and Chief Risk Officer (CRO) Forums. The forums took place on 19-20 September 2023 in George and were divided into two sessions: the Chief Audit Executive (CAE) Forum for all Heads of Internal Audit in the province and the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) Forum for Risk Management Officials.

The Forums aim to promote the implementation of Internal Audit and Risk Management within municipalities in the Western Cape, while also facilitating and sharing best practices and support. Established to provide centres for learning, the forums’ agenda is guided by the most prevalent issues burdening these disciplines.

From left: From Left to Right: Zimasa Bulo (Senior Internal Auditor); Heybré Ellis (Manager: Internal Audit); JP Rossouw (Chief Audit Executive); Jomeila Apollis (Internal Audit Intern); Kloper Mabunda (Internal Auditor). Absent from the Photo Natacha Martins and Xolisile Sotushe (Internal Audit Interns).

The forums have evolved considerably since inception and have become the voice of the local government CROs and CAEs at professional bodies such as the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa, the Public Sector Audit Committee Forum, the Institute of Risk Management South Africa, National Forums, etc. The Forums were well attended by various Provincial Government officials and Internal Audit and Risk Management representatives of the various municipalities in the Western Cape.

The Forums were opened by the Chairperson of the CAE Forum, Mr JP Rossouw, who is also the CAE of the George Municipality; followed by a Keynote Address from the George Municipal Manager, Dr Michele Gratz. The Municipal Manager (MM) shared her insights and expertise on “What Executive Stakeholders expect from a future-fit Internal Audit Function”. This address set the tone for the Forums and contributed significantly to the discussions. The MM’s vision and experience aligned closely with the objectives for the events, and all agreed that the address left a lasting impact on the audience.

Some of the delegates that attended the CAE and CRO Forums

Dr Gratz’s words reminded the attendees that they must be curious, constantly learning, and embracing the exciting future ahead. Her speech covered a number of must-haves which are needed for Internal Audit to be Future-Fit – in summary: “Internal audit must ensure that it is aligned with the organisation, being a key strategic role-player and advisor. Internal Audit needs to add value, streamline operations and be versatile. For example, George is one of the first municipalities to introduce agile auditing. In other words, when an audit starts and an issue is identified, the audit can immediately change course and respond to that issue. Internal Audits must keep up with all the latest legislation and regulations and ensure that they are implemented.

The Forums aim to promote the implementation of Internal Audit and Risk Management within municipality’s

“Internal audit will in the future have to be much more proactive and in the rapidly changing environment within which all municipalities find themselves, the education of officials as to the purpose of Internal Audit is key. With the advent of artificial intelligence and smart city principles, internal audits will have to proactively identify risks and assist with controls finally Internal Audit must have a positive impact on the performance of the organisation and foster a good and trusted relationship with the various stakeholders involved.”

Various speakers presented noteworthy topics addressing burning issues in the audit and risk disciplines. The day was earmarked with interactive discussions and knowledge-sharing initiatives, including Agile Auditing, Combined Assurance, Cyber Security, and Energy Resilience.

Thanks to the George Municipal Internal Audit team for all the hard work and arrangements to have hosted such a successful event.

Alderman Leon Van Wyk, Executive Mayor of George Municipality

Over the past couple of weeks, we have experienced unusual weather conditions ranging from the storm surge to disruptive rain across parts of the Western Cape that have kept disaster management teams at full stretch.

We are thankful for the efforts of our teams dealing with service delivery who have worked like trojans to clear up and restore services. In anticipation of the rain expected over the long weekend, Sanparks and the municipal teams tackled the massive amount of sand that the storm surge deposited under the Touw River bridges and in the lagoon. This has been an attempt by mankind to prevent flooding while dealing with the forces of nature.

It is awesome to note how our proactive citizens have reacted by documenting the work being done for social media while also profiling George and the Garden Route. Their efforts have attracted widespread coverage on social media that will benefit the tourism sector as we start preparations for our summer season.

From a municipal perspective, we also held our scheduled inaugural planning and preparedness meeting for the season where the task lists to deal with the tourism influx are compiled. Now is therefore the time for the broader tourism stakeholders to finalise their proposed activities and to get them listed for inclusion on the George QR code system that will be easily accessible on social media. It is anticipated that many visitors will flock to George and the Garden Route in the coming months.

I believe that our eateries can contribute to a memorable experience if each of them offers their distinctive signature dish that will make the holiday extra special. It is also so important that the tourism sector assists in sharing the message of being safe on our beaches and elsewhere with their guests.

Over the past two weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting with entrepreneurs to talk about business opportunities that they are creating in George that will translate into employment and further economic activity. In local government, it is a key objective to create an enabling environment for businesses to feel comfortable to undertake ventures and to grow them. The ultimate goal is to provide employment.

We are starting to witness the positive effect of providing a high level of services, maintaining infrastructure, upgrading systems and policies, employing skilled staff, and managing our budgets. The range of projects being launched or being planned includes infrastructure and investments in businesses that will benefit sectors such as health, housing, agriculture, tourism, sport, business services and creative arts. It is encouraging to note the passion of entrepreneurs and investors who are eager to drive ventures that will open up prospects and opportunities for our citizens.

Lunch boxes, sunglasses, ID documents, groceries, backpacks, clothing, and shoes are just some of the items typically left on the bus. Ryan Manuel shows some of the bags full of unclaimed items in the GO GEORGE office.

Nobody leaves their cell phones, wallets, umbrellas, grocery shopping, identity documents or school books on the bus on purpose. However, passengers get caught up in conversations or are in such a rush to get off the bus at the correct stop, that they forget what they have been carrying when they boarded the bus.

Although passengers are responsible for their own property and the bus company cannot take responsibility for items left on the bus, there is a system in place for managing goods found on the bus and handed in by other passengers, or found by staff at the end of their shift.

All lost and found items are handed in at the bus depot and taken to the GO GEORGE office. Here it is entered into an inventory and kept for different periods of time, depending on the nature of the item – all according to an official Lost and Found Policy.

Phone immediately
The best route to retrieve lost items is to phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre as soon as you realise that you have left something on the bus. The Call Centre agents will do everything in their power to trace the lost goods and give feedback to the passenger. If not found immediately, they will keep tabs on items brought to the office and inform the passenger of any finds.

Unclaimed goods donated
For all found items with identification, attempts will be made by GO GEORGE to contact the owner, but unclaimed goods cannot be kept indefinitely.

• Refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers must be discarded after four hours, according to government health rules. If a person phones within that timeframe and their goods are found, arrangements for collection can still be made.
• Covered and sealed food will be kept from one to seven days (depending on the expiry date) whereafter it will be donated to the George Municipality for distribution while it is still good for use.
• Miscellaneous items such as clothing, cleaning materials, toys, umbrellas, sports equipment, and books will be kept for at least 30 days before being donated for use in the Municipality’s Social Relief programme.
• Valuable items such as electronic equipment, jewellery, cell phones and handbags will be kept for at least 30 days whereafter it will be taken to the Municipality to be sold at a municipal public auction to be held periodically, at least once a year. This will be duly advertised in advance.
• Unclaimed cards, such as bank cards, ID cards, and loyalty cards will be returned to the issuing authority after 30 days.
• Strict requirements are in place for the management of any flammable or hazardous materials left behind on the bus.

It should be noted that GO GEORGE and George Link staff cannot be held liable if lost items cannot be traced or found. It could have been lost elsewhere than on a GO GEORGE bus.

To prevent dishonesty or misuse of the system, people who make enquiries will have to describe their lost items clearly before they are handed over. They will also need to present proof of identification and sign for the item upon collection.

The GO GEORGE Call Centre can be reached on 0800 044 044 between 05:00 and 20:00, seven days a week.

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PERSVERKLARING: Doen Onmiddellik Navraag oor Goedere Wat op die Bus Gelaat Is

Niemand los hul selfone, beursies, sambrele, kruideniersware, identiteitsdokumente of skoolboeke doelbewus op die bus nie. Passasiers raak egter vasgevang in gesprekke of is so haastig om by die regte halte uit die bus te klim, dat hulle vergeet wat hulle gedra het toe hulle op die bus geklim het.

Hoewel passasiers verantwoordelik is vir hul eie eiendom en die busmaatskappy nie verantwoordelikheid kan neem vir items wat op die bus gelaat word nie, is daar ‘n stelsel in plek vir die bestuur van goedere wat op die bus gevind word en deur ander passasiers ingehandig word, of deur personeel aan die einde van hul skof gevind word.

Alle opgetelde items word by die busdepot ingehandig en na die GO GEORGE-kantoor geneem. Hier word dit op ‘n voorraadlys ingevoer en vir verskillende tydperke gehou, afhangende van die aard van die item – alles volgens ‘n amptelike “verlore-en-gevind” beleid.

Bel onmiddellik
Die beste roete om verlore items terug te kry, is om die GO GEORGE-inbelsentrum te skakel sodra jy besef dat jy iets op die bus gelos het. Die inbelsentrum-agente sal alles in hul vermoë doen om die verlore goedere op te spoor en terugvoering aan die passasier te gee. As dit nie onmiddellik gevind word nie, sal hulle die items wat na die kantoor gebring word, dophou en die passasier van enige opsporings in kennis stel.

Onopgeëiste goedere word geskenk
Vir alle items met identifikasie wat gevind word, sal pogings deur GO GEORGE aangewend word om die eienaar te kontak, maar onopgeëiste goedere kan nie onbepaald gehou word nie.

• Verkoelde, bederfbare kos soos vleis, pluimvee, vis, eiers en oorskiet moet na vier uur weggegooi word, volgens die regering se gesondheidsreëls. As ‘n persoon binne daardie tydraamwerk bel en hul goedere gevind word, kan reëlings vir afhaal daarvan steeds getref word.
• Bedekte en verseëlde kos sal van een tot sewe dae (afhangende van die vervaldatum) gehou word, waarna dit aan die George-munisipaliteit geskenk sal word vir verspreiding terwyl dit nog goed is vir gebruik.
• Diverse items soos klere, skoonmaakmateriaal, speelgoed, sambrele, sporttoerusting en boeke sal vir minstens 30 dae gehou word voordat dit geskenk word vir gebruik in die munisipaliteit se maatskaplike verligting-program.
• Waardevolle items soos elektroniese toerusting, juweliersware, selfone en handsakke sal vir minstens 30 dae gehou word waarna dit na die munisipaliteit geneem sal word om op ‘n munisipale openbare veiling verkoop te word wat van tyd tot tyd gehou sal word – minstens een keer per jaar (dit sal betyds geadverteer word).
• Onopgeëiste kaarte, soos bankkaarte, ID-kaarte, lojaliteitskaarte, ensovoorts, sal ná 30 dae aan die uitreikingsowerheid terugbesorg word.

Let daarop dat GO GEORGE- en George Link-personeel nie aanspreeklik of verantwoordelik gehou kan word as verlore items nie opgespoor of gevind kan word nie. Dit kon elders as op ‘n GO GEORGE-bus verlore geraak het.

Om oneerlikheid of misbruik van die stelsel te voorkom, sal mense wat navrae doen, hul verlore items duidelik moet beskryf voordat dit oorhandig sal word. Hulle sal ook bewys van identifikasie moet toon en teken vir die item.

Die GO GEORGE–inbelsentrum is tussen 05:00 en 20:00 bereikbaar by 0800 044 044, sewe dae per week.