Notice Archive

⚠️ Garden Route District road closure update as at 3pm
✅ TR31/5 is open.

⚠️ Central Karoo District road closure update as at 3pm
✅ TR34/2 is open.

⚠️ Overberg District road closure update as at 3pm.

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Any official opportunities relating to this region will ONLY be published on this WhatsApp Channel ✅ or groups/channels of Local Municipalities in the Garden Route (Hessequa, Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Bitou, Oudtshoorn and Kannaland).

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Issued by Garden Route District Municipality

Residents are urged to remain cautious as flooding is still ongoing across several areas. Dams continue to spill, with the Stompdrift Dam currently at 139%, while the Meiringspoort River remains in flood as it passes through Oudtshoorn, passing Calitzdorp Hot Springs via the Olifant’s River and down to the Gourits. The route from Oudtshoorn via Calitzdorp Hot Springs to Gourits has been severely affected, with multiple farms cut off and many residents impacted.

Meiringspoort Pass is expected to remain closed for an extended period. The N9 also remains closed and is accessible only for emergency services. Road users can alternatively travel via the R341 through De Rust to Oudtshoorn. From Oudtshoorn, motorists can continue towards George via the N12, or travel along the R62 towards Calitzdorp, Ladismith and beyond.

AREAS INACCESSIBLE

The following areas remain inaccessible due to flooding and infrastructure damage:
Oudtshoorn Municipal area
– Middelplaas
– Volmoed
– Cango Bergoord
– De Oude Meul
– Moeras River
– Proefplaas
– Meiringspoort.

Kannaland Municipal area
– Paardebont (close to Van Wyksdorp)
– Middelpad at Calitzdorp Hot Springs
– Gamka-Oos

George Municipal area
– Mount Hope (past Zebra)
– De Vlugt
– Kammanassie

Bitou Municipal area
– SNK & Fisantehoek
– Wittedrift

Humanitarian assistance has been requested from Gift of the Givers, Al Imdaad and NGO’s with five-day food parcels being prepared for delivery. Air support may be utilised where possible. Authorities have attempted to reach a school group at Cango Bergoord, consisting of 64 people, but the area remains inaccessible.

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES

– The Uplands Water Works on the R340 has been severely affected. The facility supplies approximately 80% of Bitou Municipality’s water and repairs are critical.
– The Bitou Municipality currently has sufficient water in reservoirs for at least today.
– The Bitou Municipality’s Roodefontein Pump Station has also been flooded.
– Access to the Nature’s Valley Pump Station has also been compromised.
– In Uniondale, a water pipeline was washed away and water tankers provided by GRDM are currently supplying affected communities.

Only follow municipal Facebook pages and WhatsApp Channels for updates in town areas:
Garden Route District Municipality
www.facebook.com/gardenroutedistrictmunicipality

STATUS OF ROADS

Oudtshoorn Area
DR1707 – Middelplaas (closed)
MR369 – Swartberg Pass (closed)
MR401 – Uniondale Poort (closed)
MR401 – Uniondale town approaches (closed)
MR399 – Avontuur (closed)

Kannaland Area

DR1706 – Groenfontein (closed)
MR309 – Seweweekspoort (closed)

George / Knysna / Bitou Area

DR1615 – Swart Rivier (closed)
MR346 – Buffelsbaai (closed)
DR1888 – Keurboomstrand (closed)
MR390 – Kruisvallei / Uplands intersection (closed)
DR1613 – Phantom Pass (closed)
DR1602 – Kleinplaas (closed)
DR1633 – Jonkersberg (closed)
DR1604 – Haelkraal (closed)

Trunk Roads

TR33/4 – Meiringspoort (closed)
TR44/1 – Avontuur to Eastern Cape boundary (closed)
TR1/2 – Noll to Harold (closed)
TR2/12 – Nature’s Valley to N2 (closed)
TR16/10 – Murraysburg to Graaff-Reinet (closed)
TR58/1 – Molteno Pass (Beaufort West to Loxton) (closed)
TR1/2 – N9 section near Uniondale (closed)
TR33/2 – Oudtshoorn flooded section (closed)

Roads Open / Partially Open

Oudtshoorn Area

DR1640 – Montagu Pass — one lane open
George / Knysna Area
MR390 – Kruisvallei (km 0–1.44) — open
MR355 – Seven Passes Road — open after tree removal
MR351 – Barrington — open
MR394 – Keurboomstrand — open

Trunk Roads

TR34/2 – Prince Albert to Klaarstroom — open
TR31/5 – Huisrivier Pass — stop-and-go system in place

Motorists are urged to avoid unnecessary travel as conditions may change rapidly due to ongoing rainfall, flooding rivers, falling trees, and damaged road infrastructure.

Hessequa Municpality
www.facebook.com/hessequamunicipality

Mossel Bay Municipality
www.facebook.com/mosselbaymun
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaObfDbBadmjaxmERb0d

George Municipality
www.facebook.com/george.municipality
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRHVS9HAdNXTJPKis3k

Knysna Municipality
www.facebook.com/knysnamunicipality
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaddGzkKwqSX9z7fPm2V

Bitou Municipality
www.facebook.com/bitoulocalmunicipality
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb5xx5wGE56kaY90693M

Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality
www.facebook.com/oudtmun
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VagZwTjHgZWmFke9An2N

Kannaland Municipality
www.facebook.com/kannaland.munisipaliteit.5

Report Provincial Road Issues via Download the Roads4U app
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𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑅𝐷𝑀 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑐 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑-𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 24/7 𝐸𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝐺𝑅𝑀, 044 805 5071 𝑜𝑟 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑠𝐴𝑝𝑝 081 709 5193

Issued George Municipality, 7 May @ 11:30

Reports of flooding on N2 Kaaimans – please note the water has subsided already.
Motorists must please reduce speed and travel cautiously in the rain at ALL times.

Outeniqua Pass all cleared till Waboomskraal.

Herold’s Bay and Victoria Bay
Foam and high seas remain present. Not advisable to try and access.

Confirmed Road Closures
* Meiringspoort, between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn closed
* Swartberg Pass, between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn closed
* Uniondale Poort Open
* R62 first crossing open between Haarlem and Avontuur, waiting on details for second crossing.
* First entrance to Uniondale from George still closed.

Residents are encouraged to monitor the Municipality’s social media platforms, website, and local media for regular updates.

Emergency Contact Numbers:
George:
• Switchboard (07:45–16:30): 044 801 9111
• After-hours and emergencies: 044 801 6300
• Disaster Management (Toll-Free): 087 152 9999
• Fire Department: 044 801 6311
• Garden Route Disaster Centre: 044 805 5071
• Civil Engineering Customer Services: 044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30) for stormwater-related complaints
• Law Enforcement: 044 801 6350 / 044 801 6389

Uniondale:
• Fire: 044 752 1225
• Switchboard and fault reporting: 044 752 1024

Issued George Municipality, 7 May @ 10.00

SAWS warning downgraded to Level 6 for Thursday 7 May, rainfall expected to dissipate and be limited to ad hoc showers,

Beach Areas
Victoria Bay and Herold’s Bay – roads are accessible. Seas and foam remain high.

Municipal Buildings/Facilities closed 7 May
Pacaltsdorp Thusong Centre
Landfill Site
Vehicle Testing Station

Water Outage
Uniondale currently running low on water supply in reservoir due to ESKOM power outage. Vehicles en-route to Uniondale to supplement Water Treatment Works.

Power Outages Still in Place
* Uniondale Eskom Outage
* Thembalethu Zone 9 and Zone 6, Tabata and Zabalaza Street Illegal Connections still present

Confirmed Road Closures
* Meiringspoort, between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn, remains closed due to flooding and dangerous conditions.
* Swartberg Pass, between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn, remains closed due to dangerous conditions following severe weather.
* Uniondale Poort Closed
* R62 between Haarlem and Avontuur Closed
* N9 from Kykoe, Noll’s Halt to George is open
* Road between Avontuur and Kareedouw closed.
* Outeniqua Pass – some damage but not closed, motorists are warned to proceed with caution and reduce speed at all times in wet weather.
* Access in to Haarlem closed from both sides by District Roads Engineer. Emergency Services remain on standby for evacuations/medical emergencies.

Report Provincial Road Issues via Download the Roads4U app
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.gov.westerncape.roadsforyou
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/za/app/roads4u/id6752285666

Residents are encouraged to monitor the Municipality’s social media platforms, website, and local media for regular updates.

Emergency Contact Numbers:
George:
• Switchboard (07:45–16:30): 044 801 9111
• After-hours and emergencies: 044 801 6300
• Disaster Management (Toll-Free): 087 152 9999
• Fire Department: 044 801 6311
• Garden Route Disaster Centre: 044 805 5071
• Civil Engineering Customer Services: 044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30) for stormwater-related complaints
• Law Enforcement: 044 801 6350 / 044 801 6389

Uniondale:
• Fire: 044 752 1225
• Switchboard and fault reporting: 044 752 1024

Please note the following updates regarding municipal facilities and services:

* Blanco Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR) Office is open to the public today.
* Hibernia Street MVR Office is open to the public today. Electrical repair work is currently underway on one side of the building following the earlier power-related issue.
* George Tourism Office is open to the public today.
* Wilderness Tourism Office is open to the public today.
* Vehicle Testing Stations (VTS) remain closed today due to flooding and related operational challenges.

The Municipality thanks residents for their patience and understanding while repair and recovery operations continue.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances, heavy weather conditions, and related safety concerns, the following facilities of George Municipality are affected today:
• Vehicle Testing Stations is closed due to operational difficulties
• Blanco MVR Facility is closed.
• Hibernia Street MVR Facility is currently affected by a power outage. (We will give an update once it has been resolved)
• Wilderness Tourism Office is closed to the public.
The safety of our Officials and the public remain a priority. Services will resume as soon as it is safe and operationally feasible to do so.

Measured Rainfall as at 8.30am, 6 May
Uniondale 136mm
Waboomskraal 117mm
Wilderness 73mm
Witfontein 76mm

Service Delivery Challenges
The public is advised that due to the inclement weather NO refuse collection will take place today.

Municipal Offices / Facilities Closed to Public
Wilderness Tourism
MVR Blanco and Hibernia Street

Power Outages Confirmed
Uniondale – power restored
Haarlem and Avontuur currently without power. (ESKOM)
Thembalethu, Zone 9 (George Municipal)

Flooding/Waterlogged – proceed with caution
George CBD – Courtenay Street, Knysna Road, Merriman Road, Wellington Street, Albert Street
Uniondale – Voortrekker Street, Hospital Street, Gray Street, Cathcart Street, Rose Street, Berkley Street, St George’s Street, Lang Street

Confirmed Road Closures
Please take note that Meiringspoort, between Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn, remains closed due to flooding and dangerous conditions.
Please take note that the Swartberg Pass, between Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn, remains closed due to dangerous conditions following severe weather.

Report Provincial Road Issues via Download the Roads4U app
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.gov.westerncape.roadsforyou
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/za/app/roads4u/id6752285666

Residents are encouraged to monitor the Municipality’s social media platforms, website, and local media for regular updates.

Emergency Contact Numbers:
George:
• Switchboard (07:45–16:30): 044 801 9111
• After-hours and emergencies: 044 801 6300
• Disaster Management (Toll-Free): 087 152 9999
• Fire Department: 044 801 6311
• Garden Route Disaster Centre: 044 805 5071
• Civil Engineering Customer Services: 044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30) for stormwater-related complaints
• Law Enforcement: 044 801 6350 / 044 801 6389

Uniondale:
• Fire: 044 752 1225
• Switchboard and fault reporting: 044 752 1024

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances, heavy weather conditions, and related safety concerns, the following facilities of George Municipality are affected today:
• Blanco MVR Facility is closed.
• Hibernia Street MVR Facility is currently affected by a power outage. (We will give an update once it has been resolved)
• Wilderness Tourism Office is closed to the public.
The safety of our Officials and the public remain a priority. Services will resume as soon as it is safe and operationally feasible to do so.