Media Release: GRDM Grader Operator tragically passes away in motor vehicle accident

For Immediate Release
09 February 2021

The past weekend, on 5 February 2021, council, management and employees from Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) were once again shocked by the sudden passing of a GRDM employee. Johannes Amsterdam, a GRDM Roads Services employee, sadly succumbed due to a motor vehicle accident near Riversdale in the Hessequa Municipal area.

This has been the 6th GRDM employee who passed away since July last year.  He passed away at the age of 59.

Johannes was appointed at the municipality (formerly South Cape Regional Services Council) on 4 April 1995 as a Roads Worker in Riversdale and was later promoted to the position of Supervisor where he was responsible for supervising a team of eight (8) staff members. His last position at GRDM was that of Grader Operator in Riversdale.

Executive Manager for Roads at GRDM, John Daniels, recalls his first conversation with Johannes. During the time Johannes was on sick leave after he fractured his foot. “I could sense he was a wise man and it was clear that he had a great passion for his work, specifically as a Grader Operator.  With his years of experience, he enjoyed mentoring other operators, but most of all for him to be employed at GRDM was something he boasted about. He had tremendous respect for this organisation, his work and his role at the GRDM Roads Department”.

Japie Strydom, GRDM Manager Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, who worked with Johannes many years ago said they had good times together. He added: “It was a pleasure for me to work with Johannes – we shared many joyous moments together on road projects”.

Superintendent at GRDM Roads in Riversdale and Supervisor of Johannes, Jacques Joseph, described him as “an asset to GRDM Roads. He was an employee with many years of experience and because of that many were presented with the opportunity to learn from him”.  He is also remembered as “a strict and straightforward person, yet committed and very hard working – a leader with a passion for his work”.

“Once again, we would like to extend our sincere condolences to his wife and children during this difficult period of their lives and may they find peace in knowing that he fulfilled his role at GRDM with great passion, sincerity and wisdom. We will always remember him for sharing his expertise to ensure that our roads stayed in the best shape possible.”

A virtual memorial service will be hosted by GRDM on Friday, 12 February 2021 at 10:00.

Rest in Peace Johannes Amsterdam – you will be sorely missed.

Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality loses Roads employee

For immediate release
11 January 2021

During the end of year and beginning of the new year while many families plan to enter the new year with hope and new plans, many other families experience a dark period in their lives; having to say farewell to a relative. And, it was during this period recently, when the family of Marthinus Pedro experienced the latter when they said goodbye to their loved one.

Marthinus sadly passed away at the age of 51. He was employed at the Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM’s) Roads Department from 6 August 2007.  At the time of his passing, he was employed as Grader Operator at GRDM Roads, Oudtshoorn region. Marthinus was a dedicated employee until his departure, according to Kleinbooi Stoffels, Superintendent: Roads and supervisor of Marthinus since 2011.

Looking back at the type of person he was and the contribution he made to the organisation, Stoffels described Marthinus as a gentle soul with a great passion for his work. He was regarded as one of GRDM’s best operators considering the good quality of work he performed, as well as his work ethics. “He was not a talkative person – he listened most of the time, but he responded only when he needed to,” Stoffels said.  Stoffels also referred to the late Pedro as person who was disciplined in every aspect of this job and he used his optimism to encourage his colleagues when things became tough. He was not only noticed by the colleagues as dedicated employee, but also by the public who loved and praised him, for his work. Stoffels furthermore added: “He did not believe in repeating a task – ‘You do it right the first time,’ he always said and we will miss him for being a great asset to the GRDM Roads Department”.

Gert Verwey, Deputy Manager for GRDM Roads, who also knew Marthinus well, described him as a quiet person. “Although he sometimes had to work through difficult circumstances, he remained polite”.  Adding to this, Verwey commended him for his ability to perform miracles on a road. He said: “He was an exceptional artist in road works, and he had the ability to give new hope to a road that many of us thought was irreparable”.  According to Verwey, his colleagues knew that they could not rush Marthinus to finish a task faster – quality was more important to him than quantity”.

Marthinus was loved by his colleagues at the Roads Department, especially the Oudtshoorn team. His passing leaves behind an emptiness as a person and as Grader Operator at GRDM, and we will sorely miss him.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Marthinus during his time of bereavement. May they hold on to his memories and may they find comfort in knowing that he was an great asset to the Municipality and the communities of the Garden Route district.

Rest in Peace Marthinus Pedro – until we meet again.