Notices

Mayoral newsletter for George Herald: 23/08/21 for Thursday 26 August

The Municipality has recently embarked on numerous networking engagements and efforts to promote collaboration with the private sector. We are very conscious of promoting partnership relationships with other stakeholders that will benefit our citizens either through the creation of jobs or in improving living conditions. Set out below are brief summaries of various efforts that are taking place:
• Regular networking engagements between the Business Chamber executive and the Municipality leadership are taking place to explore ways in which the needs of Chamber members can be improved. A short-term objective is to develop a memorandum of understanding. A “First Thursday” virtual meeting is planned where Chamber members can meet senior Municipal staff to discuss how some of the recent changes and improvements to service delivery can be beneficial.
• A similar engagement is also being planned between the built-environment practitioners and Municipal staff to explain the improvements being made to speed up approvals for town planning applications and building plans.
• A Corporate Social Investment Policy will shortly be presented to Council which sets out guidelines whereby the corporate sector can participate and support worthy community projects. SA Breweries has already expressed their willingness to participate in such a programme.
• A Film Policy being finalised will enable film directors to make use of many George locations for film shoots thereby promoting film industry in our area.
• Discussions are being undertaken with international BPO companies who are exploring opportunities to establish contact centre operations in George that could offer employment to potentially hundreds of our young citizens.
• At a sporting level we have recently held discussions with investors from rugby, cricket and tennis sporting codes wishing to invest into sporting infrastructure in George.
• George is becoming an attractive location for inward semi-gration as citizens seek safe and functioning lifestyle opportunities away from areas with poor municipal services and/or prone to unrest. We are also engaging with business groupings to promote George as an attractive investment location.
• We have recently advertised for proposals from event organisers wishing to stage unique events that can attract tourism – here we think of MTB, trail running, golf and many others. We would like to encourage organisers to create some special events that become “must-do” calendar items for participants and their families.
• The recent collaboration with the faith-based organisations where prayers were held for Covid-19 was a wonderful example of how the thoughts of Cllr Johan du Toit culminated in this engagement – my thanks to all who made this possible.
• Recent visits to soup kitchens, vegetable gardens and the Garden Route Pantry are likely to result in further collaborative efforts to facilitate the assistance of many of our citizens enduring hardship.
• Council recently made land available in our industrial area for the Garden Route District Municipality to build their fire station base here in George.

Mayor’s Desk Newsletter for 12 August

A recent series of visits to a number of Ward projects is yet another reminder of the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic that hopefully is slowly down its third wave in George. We have recently experienced the highest infection rate within the Western Cape. It is so important that we continually remain aware of the need to wear masks, observe social distancing, wash hands regularly and generally remain alert to be safe and conscious of changes in our health. The vaccination programme is also underway and we should be registering and obtaining our jabs.

The Municipality continues to support approximately 130 soup kitchens where dedicated “tannies” make sure that children who would not otherwise be fed, queue up after school to receive helpings of nourishing soup 3 times a week and in some cases 5 times a week. At one soup kitchen the chefs are up by 06h00 to commence with the day’s meal for 250 children. One is left with thoughts of how additional assistance can be provided in these desperate situations in the form of additional protein, flour, pots, ingredients. The Municipality assists with ingredients, electricity, gas while numerous businesses provide assistance in various ways.

In many cases, the parents have lost their forms of employment and are unable to afford keeping youngsters in creches. Some creches are also being vandalised with criminal elements breaking into premises to steal items that are then sold off cheaply.

Over the past year many forms of illegal dumping have emerged. The Municipality has been employing teams who move around clearing up these dumping sites. Invariably front-end loaders and tipper trucks are used to clear up and remove the waste. Soon after clearing up a site with the team having moved on to the next problem, communities once again start the dumping process. This continued cycle of ill-discipline is costly and means that funds are not being spent on worthwhile projects for communities. A roster exists for refuse collection in the form of black (household refuse), green (garden) and blue (recyclables) bags, yet communities do not encourage their neighbours to assist in keeping their surroundings clean and healthy. The Community Services Directorate is now exploring the introduction of incentive programmes in communities where monitors can be rewarded for keeping their areas clean.

It is encouraging to see individuals who have started vegetable gardens on their own and often neighbour’s properties to successfully grow vegetables for their own use and sale. We should now be looking to holding regular market days where excess produce can be sold.

Any suggestions on assistance for the plight of citizens living in these difficult circumstances can be sent to: smartideas@george.gov.za so that my office can attempt to facilitate.

In recent weeks the Auditor-General (“AG”) has been speaking about the state of local government as they have commented about the serious lack of good governance and mismanagement at municipalities. They have expressed concern that at present, in many instances, the progressive and sustainable improvements required to prevent accountability failures and to deal with them, do not exist.

In their reporting on the 2019-20 local government audit outcomes they stress the need for ethical and accountable leadership to drive the changes to ensure that governance fundamentals are strengthened. The AG says that they believe that the responsibility to turn around local government is purely in the hands of its leadership to drive the change through “ethical and accountable leadership”. This would require the incoming leadership after the forthcoming local government elections to focus on building a strong administration that is fit for purpose, qualified and professional to run municipalities. The very same leadership should provide the space for the administration to do their work, effectively oversee and hold them accountable for the decisions they make.

These thoughts above, expressed by the AG are applicable to all municipalities in the country. We have foreshadowed this thought process in George in the work that has been undertaken since the beginning of 2021 through the appointment of Dr Gratz as acting municipal manager and three new directors, with a fourth commencing in August and interviews being held for the fifth intended appointment. This new team has already started to effect the improvements that require to be made to improve service delivery.

By way of example, we experienced difficulties with refuse collection some months ago. The underlying issues within this service needed to be analysed and resolved to ensure a smooth operation once more. Similarly, changes that have been made to improve turnaround times to obtain approval of building plans and town planning applications are already starting to take effect. Over the coming months we can expect the new leadership at electro-tech, finance and at civil and engineering services to contribute to improvements in those areas.

The turnaround process that George is undertaking is comprehensive as we need to ensure that our administration is geared to upgrade operating procedures and workflows to cater for the continued economic growth taking place and expected in the coming years.

Change management is however complex both in terms of the changes that need to be implemented and in dealing with the human factor. Changes take time to be implemented. It is therefore critical that the processes be put in place so that we can deliver a high standard of services while simultaneously undertaking improvements to infrastructure that will prove attractive for investment that will lead to increased employment and well-being for all citizens.

Mayoral Newsletter for 15 July 2020

While the core function of municipalities is to provide essential services such as water, treatment of wastewater, refuse removal, electricity, streets and stormwater, efforts are also undertaken within communities to assist on many other fronts.

Within many of our communities there is a need to encourage and foster the development of small businesses, ranging from house and neighbourhood grocery shops to hairdressers, cellphone shops and internet cafes, repair shops and other business facilities. I have been discussing this need with individuals who aspire to setting up small businesses.

Recently the Municipality has commenced with the placing of vendor stalls in certain areas to assist informal traders with the marketing of their wares. The development of small business hubs is also being investigated in terms of available sites and after assessing the needs in communities. Initial pilot sites are likely to be erected possibly using containers to test the market. Ultimately the development of small business centres housing a number of shops and services is to encouraged.

It will also be important to assist emerging entrepreneurs to acquire the training and skills to run these businesses successfully. Training, understanding and support will need to be facilitated to ensure their success. Work on this project take some time and be rolled out progressively.

While mentioning communities, we have commenced a discussion with neighbourhood watches to understand their roles and needs within communities. We have engaged with the Dept of Community Safety at the Western Cape Government who have provided guidance on the accreditation and training process that is being offered to these pro-active citizens who care for their communities. Quite a few of our neighbourhood watch organisations still need to become accredited. These discussions will continue in a spirit of collaboration to ensure facilitation and effective functioning.
Another project being launched in the near future will be a process of reaching out to the corporate sector to harness and facilitate the efforts that many corporates are making to improve the lives of citizens and the environment. We recently met with representatives of SA Breweries who expanded on the role they have played in the Waboomskraal area to eradicate alien vegetation to improve water security for the hops farms. The project we are undertaking will assist in the further facilitation of these efforts.

In closing, I would like to appeal to all citizens to take all the necessary health precautions to counter the third wave of Covid-19 in George and the Garden Route. It is crucially important to wear masks, wash hands, apply social distancing, not meet in crowds, etc. There are many cases where families who have been affected following family gatherings. Please seek medical attention when you feel sick.

Mayoral Newsletter for 1 July 2021

This past week we have experienced two contrasting perspectives in the ongoing struggle to restore our local economy from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week-end saw the holding of the George MUT (Mountain Ultra Trail) where tough trail-runners participated in a 60km event in the Outeniqua Mountains. This event epitomises what we are trying to achieve through sustainable events in George – encouraging and welcoming Tourism.

On the other hand, the country has returned to lockdown 4 regulations of the Covid-19 pandemic as the third wave affects Gauteng that could spread in the Garden Route and elsewhere. Once again, apart from the need for all of us to observe safe health protocols, our economy is facing another setback through the negative impact on events, accommodation establishments, restaurants, etc.

While we deal with the pandemic, it will be useful to plan for the restoration and reinvigoration of Tourism in George and the Garden Route through the systematic re-building of our events calendar so that everyone in our tourism economy can benefit: from our airport, car hire businesses, accommodation establishments, restaurants through to all the retail operations and employees who would all share in the money being spent by tourists visiting the area.

George is the ideal location for a whole range of sporting, adventure and activity pursuits from mountain biking, to running, golf, paragliding, surfing, hiking and much more. Just as the MUT has taken place, other sporting codes are encouraged to actively explore how events can be organised that can attract participants to George.

By way of illustration, the golf and bowls clubs could organise annual events where clubs from around the country are invited to send teams to compete in events in designated weeks of the year. We need to roll-out our hospitality talents where everything that our visitors experience will result in good messages being conveyed across the country. Their visit to George should not only be about a fantastic event and accommodation or the great climate, but also special food and activity experiences. The message that each of our visitors should remember is that they enjoyed their time so much that they wish to return for the same event in the next year and bring their friends along as well. This is how we will grow tourism.

There are many and varied activities that take place around George that can be turned into events that will attract tourists to George. Increased levels of tourism should also spur growth in the various arts and crafts being practised in George.

We need to develop all tourism activities, arts and crafts. Interested parties are welcome to forward their suggestions to supporttourism@george.gov.za so that collaboration opportunities can be explored.

The importance of well-functioning municipalities has once again been placed in the spotlight over recent weeks as the practical difficulties resulting from Eskom’s loadshedding become evident.

Eskom continues to grapple with generation capacity due to the poor maintenance at many of their power stations even in circumstances where the economy is functioning at a low level. While any form of loadshedding impacts on the municipality’s own use of electricity in buildings, facilities and pump stations, it is the inability to operate sewer and water pump stations that is of most concern. Pump stations are required to regularly fill water reservoirs or to pump sewage along the network to the waste water treatment works. When two loadshedding periods regularly arise within a few hours of each other this places additional pressure to achieve these operations. While our municipality has the use of generators, we are not able to cover all of our 150 pump stations across the water and waste water networks.

The announcement last week by the President that independent power producers will be able to erect 100 MW of generating capacity without the need to obtain generating licences has opened up the market for private sector investors to invest in solar, wind or other forms of renewable energy. This additional generating capacity that can be created is to be welcomed and we look forward to any opportunities that become available for George once the precise details of the recent announcement become clear. If these investments can be fast-tracked, it is possible that there could already be relief after 2 to 3 years.

In addition to the electricity challenges, some municipalities continue to experience difficulties in the supply of water and treatment of sewage. By way of example, the City of Johannesburg is reported to face challenges within its electricity distribution network as well as with water. We have recently also noted that milk producer Clover has decided to relocate its factory operations from Lichtenburg in the North-West to Ethekwini as a result of poor service delivery. Recently the chicken producer, Astral has obtained a High Court order for the National Government to intervene in the affairs of Lekwa Municipality (Standerton) as the result of similar poor service delivery.
The above examples are illustrations of why we are placing so much focus on our infrastructure and service delivery.

We recognise the importance of maintaining and refurbishing infrastructure and increasing our water and sewer capacity. This will require substantial capital investment and astute funding of this expenditure to balance the budget with appropriate proportions of grants, debt and internally generated funding. Constant efforts are also being made to improve service standards.

Mayor’s newsletter for 3 June 2021

Flowing from the approval of the Budget and Integrated Development Plan by Council last week, it is worth noting that various initiatives are underway to promote economic opportunities within the informal and SMME sectors of the local economy.

To assist informal traders in Pacaltsdorp and Touwsranten, trade stands will be erected in the next few months along with new informal trader containers in the George CBD. In Thembalethu a strategy is being formulated for the development and release of vacant business and industrial property. This will include the exploration of various funding solutions to support the installation of the infrastructure required to make these properties ready for occupation.

With regard to street traders who have stalls in the respective allocated areas of George, unused trade shelters are being relocated to other localities where footfall is more conducive to viable trade. Potential sites in Pacaltsdorp that align with the Go George bus routes and transfer sites have already been investigated. Through collaboration, re-location will commence shortly and continue depending on prospects of expanding the identified site and funding availability.

The existing database is being updated and under-utilised stands in the CBD will be re-allocated to open up opportunities for new traders to enter the marketplace.
We should emphasise that development and growth of our local economy is of critical importance not only for the jobs that they create but also ultimately to grow the revenue of the municipality.
Through our engagements with National Treasury we are preparing proposals to secure funding under the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant programme that can be utilised towards the upgrade, regeneration and restoration of inequalities within disadvantaged areas. This includes opportunities for trade and employment within the immediate neighbourhoods. The programme will render funding solutions to equip existing business and industrial sites in Thembalethu and Pacaltsdorp with facilities for traders and small industries and improve access to opportunities.
If we are successful with this application, it will certainly assist in supplementing the existing limited allocation of funds available on the Capital and Operational budgets for the 2021/2022 financial year. Plans will also be reviewed to see what improvements can be made and how training and skills development can be facilitated.
Residents are reminded that more vaccines are being made available for the over 60s as from 31 May. Residents can visit the municipal libraries for assistance in registering. If you do have access to the internet, please register your over 60 family members and friends as soon as possible at: https://vaccine.enroll.health.gov.za/#/. This portal can also be found via www.westerncape.gov.za
You can also dial *134*832# and follow the prompts (FREE on all South African Networks), or WhatsApp the word REGISTER to 0600 123456.