Notices

Stage 3 loadshedding will be implemented from 16:00 today until 05:00 on Saturday. Thereafter, Stage 1 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 until 16:00, followed by Stage 2 loadshedding until 05:00 on Sunday. This pattern will be repeated

George will be affected as follows:
Friday 03/11/2023
22:00 – 00:30

Saturday 04/11/2023
14:00 – 16:30

Sunday 05/11/2023
20:00 – 22:30

Monday 06/11/2023
20:00 – 22:30

Tuesday 07/11/2023
04:00 – 06:30

Wednesday 08/11/2023
04:00 – 06:30
12:00 – 14:30

Thursday 09/11/2023
10:00 – 12:30
18:00 – 20:30

Friday 10/11/2023
18:00 – 20:30

Uniondale will be affected as follows:
Friday 03/11/2023
None

Saturday 04/11/2023
01:00 – 03:30
17:00 – 19:30

Sunday 05/11/2023
16:00 – 17:30

Monday 06/11/2023
23:00 – 01:30

Tuesday 07/11/2023
07:00 – 09:30

Wednesday 08/11/2023
07:00 – 09:30
15:00 – 17:30

Thursday 09/11/2023
13:00 – 15:30
21:00 – 23:30

Friday 10/11/2023
21:00 – 23:30

ROTATIONAL SWITCH ON AFTER LOADSHEDDING – reduce power to avoid network tripping
Consumers are reminded to PLEASE use electricity sparingly after power returns. Please do not switch high-usage equipment on immediately after Load shedding.

Consumers are urged to turn off high-usage equipment and where possible to not switch on appliances such as stoves and kettles for at least 30 minutes after load shedding is scheduled to return. This will reduce the risk of overload tripping on the network.

Reporting power outages
Please do not phone the after-hours number or the Electrotechnical Department to report that you have no power immediately after load shedding is scheduled to be lifted. Please be aware of the rotational switching on i.e. areas are switched on one by one and not all at the same time to avoid overloading the system. Please wait at least 30 minutes before reporting no power. The Electrotechnical Directorate will be aware of a possible substation trip that needs to be sorted out.

Receive Eskom loadshedding notifications by downloading the free EskomSePush app from Google Play Store at https://sepush.co.za/

Issued on behalf of ESKOM by George Municipality

The Civil Engineering Services (CES) Department of the George Municipality has moved its Customer Care Centre from Corner York and Market Street to its Depot which is situated at Brick Street, in the George Industrial area, with effect from 1st November 2023.

The CES Customer Centre is an existing centre which handles complaints such as water leaks, pipe bursts, sewerage, potholes, stormwater blockages, dirt roads requiring grading and streets requiring painting and signage. The Centre is operated by a team of customer service consultants equipped to handle complaints between the public/complainants and the CES’s staff members via telephone, emails, My Smart City App and walk-ins. The Customer Care Centre has extended its services to the CES main offices in the Corner of York and Market Streets, a satellite office that will handle walk-ins for complainants who prefer to come in and talk to consultants. This satellite office will be operated by one official who will liaise with the main Customer Care Centre in the Industrial area.

The relocation of the Centre aims to improve the turnaround time, operations and coordination between the Centre and the various engineers, technicians, officials, experts, and superintendents within the CES Department, as most of them are in the Industrial area.

The Customer Care Centre of the Civil Engineering Services Department can be contacted as follows:

Customer Services: 044 801 9262/6 (7.45 am – 4.30 pm)
Walk-in Customer Care Centre: Old Town Hall Building, Market and York Street
Director and Administration: 044 801 9354
Physical address: Old Town Hall building, Market and York Street
Uniondale: 044 752 1024 and 044 801 6300 after hours.
AFTER-HOURS AND EMERGENCIES: 044 801 6300
TOLL-FREE DISASTER NUMBER: 087 152 9999
FIRE EMERGENCIES: 044 801 6311

Report via Smart City App:
Download the NEW My Smart City – George APP via the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store or the My Smart City website www.mysmart.city or Scan the QR Code which can also be found on your current municipal statement! Should you have any issues with registering please contact support@mysmart.city

Businesses are kindly requested to only put Refuse Bags out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and only at designated spots, not on the sidewalk.

• All refuse bags must be put out by 7am on removal day.
• Please don’t put bags out the day or night before removal.
• Refuse bags will be collected on all public holidays, on the usual delivery day, including blue/clear and green bags.
• Please wrap broken glass in newspaper before placing in bags to prevent injuries to workers.

Additional Collection Application

• Should any business require an additional collection day during the Festive Season, they should please contact wrobertson@george.gov.za or jjacobs@george.gov.za well in advance.
• The additional days required, as well as the estimated number of bins to be collected must be included in the email request.
• The Cleansing Department will confirm the application and provide the relevant tariffs applicable for the additional collection.

George Municipality Environmental Services
82 Meade Street, George. Phone 044 802 2900
Black bag-related enquiries: 044 802 2900
Blue and green bag enquiries: Henque Waste, 064 905 8180 (also WhatsApp) / admin@henquewaste.co.za

The Western Cape Provincial government has authorized a sum total of R88.185 million rand from the Provincial Unforeseen and Unavoidable Reserve Fund to assist municipalities with the unforeseen and immediate impact of prolonged load-shedding on water and wastewater services.

In terms of this allocated Funding, George Municipality has received the sum of R14 220 000 (VAT included) as a contribution toward the purchase and installation of back-up energy supply. This back-up supply can include generators, renewable power sources, batteries and all ancillary costs associated with the installation thereof for example,  switch gear, safe keeping, caging etc. for water and wastewater infrastructure.

This grant funding will assist the George Municipality in ensuring a healthy environment and to continue with the provision of basic services to our citizens and businesses during the current load-shedding.

The municipality is in process of purchasing emergency diesel generators that will be placed strategically as follows:

Water Treatment Works
Haarlem WTW  (+_ 150kVA diesel generator)
Uniondale WTW (+- 200kVA diesel generator)

Waste Water Treatment Works
Uniondale WWTW (+_ 200 kVA diesel generator)
Kleinkrantz WWTW (+_ 300 kVA diesel generator)
Outeniqua WWTW (+_ 1000 kVA diesel generator)

Progress to Date:
Procurement Phase:   Appointment of Consultant ( Complete ) – 100%
Appointment of Contractor: Haarlem WTW ( Complete ) – 100%
Uniondale WTW ( Complete ) – 100%
Uniondale WWTW ( Complete ) – 100%
Kleinkrantz WWTW ( Complete ) – 100%
Outeniqua WWTW ( Complete ) – 100%

Construction Phase:  
Haarlem WTW ( ± 150 kVA diesel generator ) – 100%
Uniondale WTW ( ± 200 kVA diesel generator ) – 98%
Uniondale WWTW ( ± 200 kVA diesel generator ) – 98%
Kleinkrantz WWTW ( ± 300 kVA diesel generator ) – 98%
Outeniqua WWTW ( ± 1 000 kVA + 650 kVA diesel generator ) – 0%

In terms of the above the total expenditure to date for the project is therefore approximately 39,5% of the current funding allocation

Link to further information on how George Municipality is trying to mitigate the impact of load-shedding for George. https://www.george.gov.za/what-is-george-municipality-doing-to-alleviate-eskom-loadshedding-and-other-renewable-energy-projects/

Our electrotechnical department is in process of restoring a high speed radio link which has failed and caused the geyser ripple switches to malfunction today. All geysers are currently on.

The radio link is the backup to the fibre line that was vandalized a while back. The department has initiated a project to have the fibre replaced with an underground service less prone to vandalism.

Geysers will not be switched off between 6pm -8pm tonight. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

The George Municipality switches off geysers according to the Eskom tariff structure peak times. The switch-offs only apply to homes fitted with the relevant device.

September to May (Low demand season)
Monday to Friday: 8am-10am and 6pm-8pm and 9.30pm-10pm
Saturday: 10am-12pm and 6pm-8pm
Sunday: No switch-off

Please note all municipalities have been required to install geyser control systems to help flatten the peaks on the national load curve and have been implemented across the country for about a decade. The geyser control system is intentionally set to switch geysers off during peak times as without it there would be more loadshedding.

The public is advised that the Natis system is back online but our staff is currently handling a heavy bottleneck of clients, as a result of the issue. The system was offline due to a Telkom fault, according to the Road Traffic Management Corporation.

Our MVR (Registering) Offices at Hibernia Street and the Vehicle Testing Station are open for business.

We apologise to the public for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

Pipe burst in Hoekwil. Water truck will roam the affected areas.
ETR 4-5 hours.

The George Municipality wishes to inform the staff members and the public that speed bumps made of rubber have been installed on the Municipal parking between Progress and Victoria Streets entrances, this afternoon, 31 October 2023.

Drivers are requested to be alert and drive cautiously. The installation of the speed humps is a speed-calming measure in the Municipal Parking area to ensure safety for both motorists and pedestrians.

Follow this link to read the latest GM Newspaper – NOVEMBER 2023 Edition

https://www.george.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GM-PAGES-1-16-NOV-2023.pdf

Meter Reading Interval Period
Once your SMART Water Meter has been installed you may note that your municipal account reflects a higher-than-normal level of water consumption which results in higher billing charges. This is caused by the change in the meter reading interval period, from the old meter to the new meters.

To address this challenge, George Municipality will implement a maximum interval period of 35 days, and this will be applied from the November 2023 monthly billing onwards.  This interval period will be applied for a number of months until the interval period is aligned to the monthly reading date of the 15^th of each month. This will prevent higher consumption charges due to the rising block tariff.

Old Meter Reading
After installation, there is an administrative changeover which links the SMART Water Meter to your account. In isolated cases some consumers with a SMART Water Meter have been billed on an estimate of the old meter where this changeover has not taken place yet.

To ensure that billing is undertaken correctly and accurately, please expect to see Meter Readers still come through to check the SMART water meter readings during the changeover process until the integration of the billing system with the electronic meter data is complete.

When will I be able to reconcile my account to the consumption readings on my SMART water meter?
This process might take up to 3 months or longer, this is due to the administrative changeover process after installation until the integration of the billing system with the electronic meter data is completed.

What if I was already billed at a higher-than-normal consumption due to a longer interval period?
Please contact our Finance Department for assistance in rectifying your billing, on 044 801 9111 or 072 501 1843 after hours or e-mail accounts@george.gov.za

When can I register my NEW SMART Water Meter?
Residents can register their new SMART Water Meter to track their own daily water consumption, respond to leakage alerts and manage multiple meters in one space. As the resident you will receive high usage warnings via SMS and Email and the near real-time consumption allows you to understand exactly where and when you are using water right now. Immediately after installation, please proceed to register your SMART  water meter by following the link to the SMART WATER METER Registration Page or by downloading the Ontec George Home App from Google Play Store or iStore. The Ontec George Home App will guide you on the steps to be taken to register.

For queries related to the smart meter registration process please contact Ontec at 044 873 5474
For any queries related to meter readings and billing please contact George Municipality Financial department at 044 801 9111 or 072 501 1843 after hours or e-mail accounts@george.gov.za