Notice Archive

George Municipality advises the public that some municipal facilities and services are temporarily unavailable due to storm-related damage.

CLOSED FACILITIES
Worker Collection Point – 12 Industrial Street – operating from 4th floor, Main Municipal Building. Damage assessments will be conducted today

REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC
• BLANCO MVR – Open to the public
• Wilderness Tourism Offices
• EPWP Database Offices

INTERMITTENT TELEPHONE/ INTERNET SERVICE
The service provider has resolved all known issues with regard to telephone system.
1) Landfill Site and Social Development Offices -currently no internet or telephone connectivity available.
2) George Library – currently no internet or telephone connectivity available.
3) Blanco Library – power outage; no public internet access
4) Touwsranten Library – antenna damaged; no public internet access
5) Waboomskraal Library – no internet connection
6) Thembalethu Library – unstable and intermittent connectivity

GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS
Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45 – 16:30)
General public queries (non-emergency): gmun@george.gov.za

REPORTING MUNICIPAL ISSUES
Residents are encouraged to report non-emergency municipal-related issues via the My Smart City – George App or by emailing gmun@george.gov.za which provide a reference for your fault.

My Smart City – George App can be downloaded via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via www.mysmart.city Residents may also scan the QR code printed on their municipal statement.

George Municipality thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during this challenging period.

George Municipality will continue with clean-up operations across the city following the severe weather events experienced over the past two weeks.

Municipal Street Cleansing teams will continue working throughout the weekend together with Parks and Recreation teams, who are actively cutting up and removing felled trees and storm-related debris across affected areas.

TEMPORARY WOOD CHIPPER
A temporary wood chipper has been placed at the corner of Merriman and Union Streets to assist residents with the disposal of storm-related tree branches and green waste. Residents may bring branches measuring between 6cm and 10cm in diameter for chipping instead of travelling to the landfill site.

The temporary chipping site has been established to assist with the increased volume of green waste resulting from fallen trees and storm damage across the municipality. The wood chipper will operate today from 08:00 to 16:00, Saturday 8:00 to 16:00 and Sunday 8:00 to 16:00.

SKIPS AT KEY LOCATIONS
To support the wider clean-up effort, skips will be placed at key locations across the municipality and brown refuse bags will be made available to residents where possible.

EXTENDED LANDFILL SITE OPERATING HOURS
Saturday: 07h00 – 17h00
Sunday: 07h00 – 13h00

Residents are requested to cooperate with officials on-site and to ensure that only suitable green waste is brought to the facility. No general household waste or building rubble will be accepted.

George Municipality thanks all residents, volunteers, businesses, and partner organisations for their continued support and cooperation during the disaster response period.

Following the strong winds experienced earlier this week, municipal electrical teams initially focused on restoring high-voltage and medium-voltage power lines to ensure that critical infrastructure, including water treatment works, wastewater treatment works, and sanitation systems, remained operational. Teams also assisted with Eskom-related outages where possible.

The Electrical Engineering Services Directorate has divided George area into six areas each supervised by a Senior Superintendent. Each Superintendent has a number of staff which can make up two or more teams to

to address multiple low-voltage outages across various affected areas in George.

Teams have been restoring substations and implementing quick repairs to reinstate the electricity supply. In several areas, however, poles were damaged, trees fell onto power lines, and infrastructure sustained significant storm damage. In these instances, restoration takes longer, and power lines are isolated for safety reasons. Members of the public are urged to always treat all power lines as live.

THE FOLLOWING PROCESS IS FOLLOWED WHERE TREES HAVE FALLEN ON POWER LINES:

• The line is isolated
• The tree is cut and removed
• Damaged poles are replaced
• Lines are restrung and secured to poles
• The line is re-energised

Please note that the re-energising process can take several hours.

George Municipality is aware of several hundred low-voltage complaints affecting individual houses and streets. These are being attended to systematically by the various teams.

Residents who have reported outages and received reference numbers can be assured that their complaints are receiving attention. At this stage, no estimated times of restoration (ETRs) can be provided.

WILDERNESS HEIGHTS RESTORED

Steyn line and 8 transformers in Wilderness Heights were restored (From Heights Road to Wilderness Heights. Only one customer down in Remskoen Ave)

POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED / PARTIALLY RESTORED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

• Oubaai en Le Grand Estate restored
• Blanco (Du Plessis Street, Golden Valley Streets and Blanco MVR) restored.
• Rosemoor (Meester, Twight and Van Till Streets) restored.
• Zone 8, Thembalethu (restored)
• Portions of Victoria Bay (partially restored, excluding M. Lammers Antiques, Vodacom Tower and Overdale B&B)
• Power is restored in the Glenwood area, NMU George Campus is still off. The line there suffered multiple breaks and is being rebuilt completely.
• Dutoit line Geelhoutboom restored.
• Modderrivier line: Contractor did survey, will inform later when more of their resources are available
• Herold’s Bay line (3 customers). The terrain is very wet farmland with down slopes for crane trucks to enter. Once more resources are available, they will start.
• Gelderbloem, Sauer, and Chris, April Street repairs progressing well, vegetation cleared in Glenwood Ave
• Shallot Street restored
• Denneoord 100% restored
• Witpeer Street, Heatherlands (In progress)
• Outstanding Myrtle Street, Golden Valley (In progress)
• Power restored to Victoria Bay Blackwood Area
• Victoria Bay Heights restored
• Rademachers (restored)
• Pine Dew: The construction team will start tomorrow morning.  ETR 20:00 tomorrow.
• Hoekwil – Vegetation Contractor on site.
• Wilderness, pole excavation started on the main line.?
• Le Grand Line: restored
• Hansmoeskraal (in Progress)

AREAS STILL WITHOUT POWER:

The following customers and areas remain without electricity due to broken poles, damaged overhead feeder lines, and difficult terrain:

• La Vallia restoration still in progress
• Heather Park remains without power due to broken poles (David Murry, Airway, Cypress, Protea, Willow, Pine, Cluster streets)
• Turn off at Blue Whale remains off.
• Blanco (Maitland, George Road, Montagu, Die Rus) are still without power (area partially restored)
• Pacaltsdorp (Back Street, Heather Road)
• New Dawn Park (Aaron Street)
• Rosemoor (MS Miller Street)
• George CBD (Newton Street)
• Glenwood Avenue remains without power due to broken poles and damaged lines – Contractor will start repairs on Friday, 15 May
• Qawa Substation in Thembalethu remains offline due to overloading problems. Teams will continue with storm damage repairs this morning
• Bo Dorp (Pollie Gerber Street) (contractor will start with repairs on Friday 15 May in the morning
• Ballotsview, teams regrouped this morning to continue attending to outages in surrounding areas
• Portions of Victoria Bay (partially restored, excluding M. Lammers Antiques, Vodacom Tower and Overdale B&B)
• Pollie Gerber – Contractor will start with repairs on Friday, 25 May
• Hoekwil (vegetation and electrical teams will start tomorrow morning at 07:30 again)
• Portions of Pine Dew
• Elvis Blue
• Nursery
• Farmers’ Labourers’ Cottages
• Strawberry Farm
• Farmlands
• Woodlands / Du Toit line

PLEASE NOTE:

Service providers (local contractors) are currently assisting various municipalities across the Garden Route with storm-related electricity repairs. This may impact the progress of repair and electrification work within the George municipal area.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Telephone lines are currently experiencing high call volumes. If the phone rings without being answered immediately, this does not mean calls are being ignored; the system operates on a call-waiting basis. Please also note that calls may occasionally drop due to network congestion, which is a broader issue currently affecting George.

Members of the public are encouraged to report power outages or live cables via the following channels:

• Email: gmun@george.gov.za ( a reference number will be provided)
• After-hours and emergencies: 044 801 6300
• Office Switchboard: 044 801 9222 / 044 803 9222 (07:45 – 16:30)
• Customer Care: 044 801 9202 / 9258
• My Smart City APP

Photos:

The Electrical Engineering Directorate and contractors working into the night in Thembalethu.

Teams working in La Vallia, George on power outages.

George Electrical teams working iwell into the evening in Primrose Street, New Dawn Park.

The George Municipality Civil Engineering Customer Care continue to experience ongoing intermittent telephone service following severe storm damage caused by extreme high winds on 11 May.

We continue to experience significant difficulties where calls are connecting; and in many cases staff are unable to hear residents on the line due to technical disruptions.

To improve access during this period, all Civils Customer Care telephone lines have been diverted to mobile phones until 21:00 tonight. Emergency Repairs will be affected tomorrow.

Please note the following important temporary arrangements:
* There is no call queuing system in place during this diversion period
* Calls will either ring until answered or may return a busy signal depending on line capacity
* Residents are strongly encouraged to keep calling back if the line is not answered

We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate the public’s patience while our service provider continues restoration work.

REPORTING MUNICIPAL FAULTS
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting all non-emergency municipal issues via the following channels:
Email: gmun@george.gov.za
My Smart City – George App: My Smart City – George
(Available on Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via website access)

GENERAL CONTACT
Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45 – 16:30) and After Hours 044 801 6300

George Municipality thanks residents for their continued patience and cooperation during this challenging period.

Issued by George Municipality – 14 May 2026 @ 09:52

George Municipality advises the public that some municipal facilities and services are temporarily unavailable due to storm-related damage.

CLOSED FACILITIES
• Worker Collection Point – 12 Industrial Street – operating from 4th floor, Main Municipal Building
• BLANCO MVR Closed

REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC
Wilderness Tourism Offices
EPWP Database Offices

INTERMITTENT TELEPHONE/ INTERNET SERVICE
Various George Municipal offices are currently experiencing intermittent telephone line service due to severe storm damage caused by the extreme high winds on 11 May. Our service provider is actively working to resolve the issues.

We have noted that some calls connect, but staff are unable to hear callers speaking. The public is kindly requested to remain patient and To please report all faults on the SmartCity by visiting www.mysmart.city

George Library – no internet or telephone lines but open to public
• George Library – antenna damaged
• Blanco Library – power outage; no public internet access
• Touwsranten Library – antenna damaged; no public internet access
• Waboomskraal Library – no internet connection
• Thembalethu Library – unstable and intermittent connectivity

GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS
Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45 – 16:30)
General public queries (non-emergency): gmun@george.gov.za

REPORTING MUNICIPAL ISSUES
Residents are encouraged to report non-emergency municipal-related issues via the My Smart City – George App or by emailing gmun@george.gov.za.
The NEW My Smart City – George App can be downloaded via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via www.mysmart.city. Residents may also scan the QR code printed on their municipal statement.

George Municipality thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during this challenging period.

George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services has made significant progress in restoring water supply following recent storm-related damage and power outages.
RESTORATION PROGRESS
• The Western Bypass main pipeline has been successfully repaired and is back in operation.
• Power supply to the Boardwalk pump station in Wilderness has been restored, and the pump has just been started.
• Water supply has been restored to:
o Kraaibosch
o Victoria Bay
o Victoria Heights
o Welgelegen
Residents in these areas may experience a delay before normal pressure is fully restored as reservoirs refill and the system stabilises.

CURRENT WATER SUPPLY STATUS
Uniondale – Rietvlei
The Rietvlei area remains without running water after the main water supply line was washed away during recent heavy rainfall.
A water tanker is currently on site in Rietvlei to provide water to affected residents.

UNPLANNED WATER OUTAGES DUE TO FALLEN TREES
Municipal teams continue to attend to localised outages caused by fallen trees that damaged water infrastructure.
Areas affected include:
• Denver Park
• Sprigg Street, Twee Rivieren
• Glenwood
Teams are on site clearing fallen trees and repairing damaged pipelines to restore supply as quickly as possible.
Several reservoirs are still recovering following the outages. Residents are urged to continue using water sparingly.
REPORT WATER AND STORMWATER ISSUES
For water and stormwater-related queries, residents may contact Civil Engineering Services Customer Care:
• 044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 9354 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Please note that telephone lines may be unclear due to the current disaster situation and the high volume of calls. Residents are kindly requested to be patient and to call again if they are unable to hear the operator clearly.

People getting water from the George Civil Engineering water tanker in Wilderness Heights earlier.

Civil Engineering staff hard at work removing a tree out of an access road to a pump station.

All technical and operational departments of George Municipality remain on full activation following the severe weather events experienced across George and surrounding areas from Wednesday, 6 May to present.

Civil Engineering Services has mobilised internal teams together with ad hoc emergency contractors to respond to water outages caused by burst pipelines following fallen trees, as well as major repair work required on the Western Bypass 1000mm pipeline and other infrastructure damaged or washed away during the recent storm period, which included severe flooding last week and extreme winds this week.

The Municipality also received generous donations of gunplast sheeting from members of the public and several contractors to assist affected communities, for which we are sincerely appreciative. Special thanks are extended to WJ Civils, Entsha Henra, Babcon, Urhwebo Transand, Phambili Civils and Coastal Armature for their support during this difficult period.

The Community Services Directorate mobilised Parks and Recreation teams to assist with the clearing of fallen trees in collaboration with George Fire and Disaster Services, who responded to numerous emergency incidents throughout the storm period. Additional assistance was provided by Darryl Sauer of Gwaing Trading, who assisted with tree removal operations in Heatherlands. External service providers have also been called in to assist with the large-scale task of clearing roads and public spaces across George and surrounding areas. A significant number of reservists and neighbourhood watch members continue to assist within their respective communities with the removal of fallen trees and support operations.

Humanitarian organisations and community groups, together with Municipal Social Development, also played a valuable role in supporting residents affected by the storms. Love George, Gift of the Givers, as well as various George businesses and individuals, graciously assisted with donations and the supply of essential items to residents severely affected by the flooding and high winds experienced during the past week.

Electrical Engineering Services mobilised both High Voltage and Low Voltage internal teams, together with available service providers, to respond to the large number of electricity-related complaints and outages experienced since Monday. There is still a high volume of power outages being attended to, and we extend our appreciation to the public for their patience and understanding as municipal officials and emergency teams continue working under difficult conditions to restore services as quickly and safely as possible.

Traffic Services, Law Enforcement and Anti-Land Invasion officials were also fully mobilised to monitor road conditions, assess flooding impacts and assist where required. Refuse collection staff and EPWP workers who were unable to continue with normal duties due to weather conditions were redeployed to emergency response operations as directed by the George Disaster Joint Operations Centre (JOC).

The George Disaster JOC continues to monitor the overall situation across George and surrounding areas, including Uniondale, Haarlem and Noll.

George Municipality would like to sincerely thank all of our officials, and every organisation, business, volunteer group, reservist, neighbourhood watch member and individual who stepped forward to assist during this difficult period. The collective support received from across the community has played a significant role in helping restore services, assist affected residents and improve safety conditions as quickly as possible.

George Municipality is attending to several weather-related water supply disruptions affecting parts of George and Uniondale.

CURRENT WATER SUPPLY STATUS

Kraaibosch and Surrounding Areas
Power supply to the Kraaibosch area was restored this morning. Municipal teams are currently restarting the pump stations. Water supply is expected to be restored later today once the system has stabilised and reservoir levels recover.

Wilderness Heights
Parts of Wilderness Heights are currently without water due to ongoing power outages affecting pump stations. As a result, the pump stations are unable to pump water to the reservoirs supplying the area.

A water tanker will be stationed shortly at Bundu Country Café, Whites Road, Wilderness Heights, to provide water to affected residents.

Uniondale – Rietvlei
The Rietvlei area remains without running water after the main water supply line was washed away during recent heavy rainfall.

A water tanker is currently on site in Rietvlei to provide water to affected residents.

UNPLANNED WATER OUTAGES DUE TO FALLEN TREES

George Municipality is also attending to several unplanned water outages caused by fallen trees that damaged water infrastructure.

Areas affected include:

Denver Park
Sprigg Street, Twee Rivieren
Glenwood
Victoria Bay Heights

Municipal teams are on site clearing fallen trees and repairing damaged pipelines to restore water supply to affected residents as quickly as possible.

WATER CONSERVATION URGED

Several reservoirs remain under strain and water levels are low. Residents across the municipal area are urged to use water sparingly and to adhere to current water restrictions until power supply is fully restored and normal pumping operations resume.

REPORT WATER AND STORMWATER ISSUES

For water and stormwater-related queries, residents may contact Civil Engineering Services Customer Care:

044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 9354 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 6300 (after hours)