Garden Route District Municipality will be hosting an official memorial service on Friday, 17 September 2021 at 10:00 to celebrate the life of our late colleaque, Luleka Yoli, at the municipality’s Council Chambers in George.
Family members, friends, colleagues and members of the public, who will not be in attendance, are invited to follow the proceedings through the municipality’s YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/Qoru72p7994 or join the webinar at: https://rb.gy/hqfj5u ID: 914 7334 9443 | Passcode: 327174
Media Release: Roads employees bid farewell to a dedicated colleague – Luleka Yoli passes away
For Immediate Release
16 September 2021
Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), particularly the Roads Department, learned about the passing of a colleague, Luleka Yoli, on 9 September 2021.
The late Yoli was a mother of two and passed away in Riversdale at the age of 39.
Her colleagues at GRDM mourn her death as she was, as many describe her, “a loyal and friendly team member – a family member”. She served the Roads Department for 13 years since her appointment on 05 March 2009. Before her departure, she was a member of the Regravel team based in the Riversdale area.
During this period, her colleagues had the opportunity to work with her, and they all shared a common field of specialisation in road works – the re-gravelling of roads in Riversdale. Fulfilling her role to the best of her ability confirms her sterling work ethic and dedication as employee.
Jacques Joseph, Superintendent of the GRDM Riversdale Roads Maintenance, said: “It was a privilege to work with Ms Yoli; as much as she was a friendly person at work, she remained a hardworking and reliable individual”. He added: “It almost feels as if we have lost a family member; she was our sister, and we are going to miss her tremendously, but we know how she battled with her health and for that we grant her eternal rest. She will always live on in our hearts,” he added.
Senior Supervisor of the late Luleka, John Hartnick, remembers Luleka as a well-mannered and respected employee. “She was always ready to do and give her best in the workplace. We also could easily share personal information with her, given her empathy for others and how she carried the best interest of her colleagues at heart”.
GRDM will host an official memorial service to celebrate her life at the municipality’s Council Chambers on Friday, 17 September 2021 at 10:00. Family members, friends, colleagues and members of the public, who will not be in attendance, are invited to follow the proceedings through the municipality’s YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/QljDWhilyTQ or join the webinar at: https://gardenroute.zoom.us/j/96429186478.
Luleka Yoli, may your precious soul rest in peace.
Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality Mayor, Memory Booysen welcomes easing of restrictions
For Immediate Release 13 September 2021
Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Executive Mayor, Ald. Memory Booysen welcomes the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to move the country to Alert Level 2. This will further allow the Garden Route economy to open.
“We know that for our region to bounce back from the pandemic and thrive, Garden Routers need to use the best method to fight COVID-19, and that’s vaccines,” said Ald. Memory Booysen. The vaccine roll-out and large-scale vaccinations remain essential as it is evident in the statistics that those who have been vaccinated stand a great chance of surviving the dreaded COVID-19 virus.
“I continue to encourage everyone who is 18 years and older to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. I, like other Mayors in the region, have already received both my Phizer jabs,” said Booysen.
Alderman Memory Booysen received his first Pfizer jab at the Thembalethu Clinic in George on 8 July 2021.
Ald. Memory Booysen gets his second Pfizer jab at the Knysna Town Hall. Photo credit: Ms Nwabisa Pondoyi, Knysna Municipality
There are currently nearly 50 vaccination sites throughout the Garden Route, forming part of the country’s approximately 300 vaccination sites. To date, South Africa has administered approximately 14 670 161 doses of vaccines. According to the Western Cape Health Department, 157 558 Garden Routers received their first dose and 68 025 received their second dose of Pfizer.
GRDM urges all members of the public to adhere to the regulations under Alert level 2:
A curfew between 23:00 and 04:00;
The sale of alcohol from retail outlets for off-site consumption will be expanded to between 10:00 and 18:00 from Monday to Friday;
Non-essential establishments such as restaurants, bars and gyms may now close at 22:00 to allow patrons and employees to travel home before curfew;
Gatherings increased to 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors or 50% of capacity in a smaller venue;
Alcohol sales on-site resume as per license conditions;
Public spaces such as beaches will remain open;
Wearing a mask in public spaces remains compulsory under national lockdown regulations.
The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Employee Assistant Programme (EAP) unit approached Dr Zilla North from the Western Cape Department of Health to conduct ‘Questions and Answers’ sessions with GRDM employees. These weekly virtual or contact sessions are held to address any concerns raised by employees regarding the Covid-19 vaccines.
So far, three (3) sessions took place; the first session took place on 13 August 2021 at the Conville clinic, where approximately thirty-one (31) Roads employees were in attendance. On 20 August, nearly fifty (50) participants logged into the virtual session; and on 27 August again, approximately fifty (50) employees participated.
The EAP unit furthermore facilitates the employee vaccination activities of the municipality. Apart from the question and answer sessions with Dr North, the Unit also sent out weekly vaccination information to the employees and they created “Toolbox” talks with staff members employed at the various depots, in collaboration with the Occupational Health and Safety Unit. The team distributed vaccination posters at all satellite offices of the municipality and organised a vaccination site for its employees at the AFM Church situated in Pacaltsdorp. Additionally, a vaccination webinar with Dr Nellis van Zyl-Smit was scheduled on 8 September 2021 to continue creating awareness and educating the employees about the importance of taking the Covid-19 Vaccine.
HR Practitioner: Employee Assistance Programme, Shandre Abrahams said: “The GRDM (EAP unit) is dedicated to continuously keeping and educating its employees about safety precautions to prevent getting infected by the virus and the spread thereof”. Abrahams added: “Employees get screened, and their hands get sanitised on their arrival at the office every morning. Sanitising stations are also placed at every corner within the various buildings for their easy access and they are continuously advised to wear their face masks at all times.
The Communication Unit conducted interviews with some of the staff members to determine their take on the vaccine. Ms Nontokozo Dladla responded by saying, “I have always been pro-vaccination, but I haven’t gone for my jab yet, as I recently contracted Covid-19 and must wait for 30 days till I can get it. As for encouraging other people, getting vaccinated is a sensitive subject – not everyone is for it. At this moment, I keep my opinion to myself. I do not want it to seem like I am imposing my opinion on other people”. Mr Johannes Jafta responded: “After being vaccinated, I would encourage anyone else to go and get their jab. We need to be responsible communities and to act responsibly. Taking the jab is for their own safety, and it is the right thing to do”.
Employees are encouraged to contact the EAP officer, Ms Shandre Abrahams, for more information about the programme at 044 801 1307/082 428 1984.
Beaufort West, Hantam, Kannaland, Karoo Hoogland, Khâi-Ma, Laingsburg, Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert
10/09/21 08h00
11/09/21 18h00
Discussion: The warm temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds could result in the development of runaway and veld/bush fires.
Impact: Conditions are such that the FDI index is above 75. Under these conditions, fires may develop and spread rapidly resulting in damage to property and possible loss of human and/or animal life.
Instruction: Fireteams, labour and equipment are to be placed on stand-by. A first sign of smoke, every possible measure should be taken in order to bring the fire under control in the shortest possible time.
SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE
Cape Town Weather Office
2nd Floor: Oval Office Park
Cape Town Int airport
Freight Road
Matroosfontein
Cape Town
Legal notice:
“This warning from SA Weather Service must be communicated as received and may not be altered under any circumstance. It must be forwarded or communicated in its entirety and no portion hereof may be replicated or copied and distributed.”
Report any weather-related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at: 044 805 5071.
9 September 2021 Weather Alert: Severe Weather Warnings: Impact Based Weather Warnings for Western Cape and Namaqua: Veld Fire Conditions
Hazard
Affected Municipalities
Valid From (SAST)
Valid To (SAST)
Veld Fire Conditions
Beaufort West, Bergrivier, Cederberg, Hantam, Kamiesberg, Kannaland, Karoo Hoogland, Khâi-Ma, Laingsburg, Matzikama, Nama Khoi, Oudtshoorn, Prince Albert
09/09/21 12h00
10/09/21 18h00
Discussion: The warm temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds could result in the development of runaway and veld/bush fires.
Impact: Conditions are such that the FDI index is above 75. Under these conditions, fires may develop and spread rapidly resulting in damage to property and possible loss of human and/or animal life.
Instruction: Fire teams, labour and equipment are to be placed on stand-by. At the first sign of smoke, every possible measure should be taken in order to bring the fire under control in the shortest possible time.
SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE Cape Town Weather Office 2nd Floor: Oval Office Park Cape Town Int airport Freight Road Matroosfontein Cape Town
“This warning from SA Weather Service must be communicated as received and may not be altered under any circumstance. It must be forwarded or communicated in its entirety and no portion hereof may be replicated or copied and distributed.”
Report any weather-related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at: 044 805 5071.
Media Release: Paving the way forward: Garden Route Skills Mecca collaborates with CATHSSETA on open platform
For Immediate Release 8 September 2021
The Garden Route Skills Mecca (GRSM) team, under the stewardship of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), spearheads progressive engagements with stakeholders to ensure that information about skills development in the Garden Route is accessible, understood and embraced. One recent intervention was to draw the Culture, Art, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority, a Sector Education and Training Authorities (CATHSSETA) closer to ‘home’. This was done by discussing matters pertaining to funding, registration, accreditation and how COVID-19 has impacted their systems and processes, amongst others.
“The session included a wide array of stakeholders, in particular those who deal with CATHSSETA (hotels, B&Bs, AirBNBs, resorts, etc.) and Local Economic Development (LED) representatives from all seven (7) local municipalities (Bitou, Knysna, George, Mossel Bay, Greater Oudtshoorn, Kannaland and Hessequa) in the Garden Route,” said Alderman Memory Booysen, Executive Mayor for GRDM. “My Council has also taken note of the GRSM’s quarterly forum and its progressive implementation methodology, which involves frequent stakeholder collaboration,” said Booysen.
CATHSSETA attended the last forum held on 20 August and decided to approach the GRSM Skills Coordinator, Dr Florus Prinsloo, about a future collaboration with the GRSM. Dr Prinsloo then acted swiftly by arranging a platform where stakeholders could iron out matters concerning the Sector.
The presentation by Martha Collett, who is responsible for looking after the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape on behalf of CATHSSETA, was done concisely and to the point. She provided comprehensive details to local District Stakeholders about developments in the Sector. At the start of her presentation, she said: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been accelerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning is now becoming the norm, and we have to all think differently about the mode in which we deliver education”.
One of the critical questions she posed was: “Are we preparing learners for the workplace of the future?”
She further elaborated about the type of sub-sectors included in CATHSSETA by saying that if a person unpacks the representation of each Sector in our SETA, the representation looks as follows:
Culture and Heritage and Art 7%;
Conservation 4%;
Travel and Tourism 9%;
Hospitality 72%;
Sport, Recreation and Fitness 7%;
Gaming and lotteries 1%; and
95% of stakeholders are from the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) Sector.
Stakeholders, especially employers, were encouraged to keep an eye out for the next ‘Discretionary Funding’ window that will open in November 2021. Already, the Hospitality Sector in the District can start planning to take on learners into their business as the economy hopefully re-opens and Tourism picks up as South Africa moves through Spring into Summer.
Similar engagements with other SETAs are also planned by the GRDM Skills Mecca Team to keep the region up to date with all possible opportunities for learning and development.
Media Release: Government stakeholders plant trees at the Provincial Launch of National Arbor Month in George
8 September 2021 For immediate release
“Your presence at this event, is an indication that you care, that you embrace what nature can give to us,” were the opening words of Executive Mayor of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), Alderman Memory Booysen, to the stakeholders at the Provincial launch of National Arbor Month celebrations in George.
The event took place at the Garden Route Botanical Gardens on Friday, 2 September 2021.
Representatives from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Department of Water and Sanitation, GRDM, the South African National Parks (SANParks), Cape Nature, the Garden Route Botanical Garden, Breede Gouritz Catchment Management Agency and George Municipality, attended the occasion.
Alderman Booysen, during his opening remarks said that Arbor Month should be a continuous awareness programme, “a continuous initiative that sets the tone for the whole South Africa, on how we balance nature with what people want”.
Mayor Booysen also shared an idea with the audience which he came across in Morocco, where a fruit tree is planted adjacent to every indigenous tree. These trees are planted within the communities where people are in close proximity to it. He further stated: “We need to start debating the issue on how we can deal with food security while planting indigenous trees at the same time”.
“We also have to determine how it can be managed as a job creation initiative because if we do not deal with humanitarian issues, people will put pressure on the issues,” Booysen emphasised. Referring to the involvement of the youth, he said that it is evident that they show interest in the well-being of the environment, but “we need to lay the foundation for such initiatives where jobs can be created while dealing with food security simultaneously”.
During his keynote address, Acting Regional Head for Western Cape DFFE, Mr Masithandaze Falitenjwa, shared this year’s Arbor month theme, ‘Forest Restoration: a path to recovery and well-being’. With this theme he said that the campaign encourages the celebration of South African trees. It also aims to create awareness of the importance of trees. He furthermore encouraged every person to “protect our indigenous forests, to help prevent veld and wildfires”. He further emphasised that planting a tree to green our country will help mitigate climate change.
Mr Deon Makwena from Cape Nature demonstrated the correct way of planting a tree, before the rest of the stakeholders touched the spade.
In response to the scenario shared by Mayor Booysen, he confirmed that planting fruit trees is part of the programme of the Department of DFFE. He also mentioned the significance of community involvement in their plans by saying: “If we do not include the community in our campaigns and plans, we will be fighting a losing battle. In terms of the initiatives of the DFFE, he admitted that partners and government institutions should become involved in these initiatives. He confirmed that DFFE sourced 200 trees for municipalities of the Garden Route as part of their “Tree for Life” Programme. In closing he highlighted: “Let us ‘green’ the Garden Route and turn it into a “Garden of Eden”.
Mrs Vuyiswa Thabethe, Regional Manager of SANParks in the Garden Route, left some ‘food for thought’ with all delegates when she shared that over the years of celebrating Arbour Month by planting trees, it provides for a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management. She then asked what the impact of our Arbor Month is when we are planting these trees and conducting awareness campaigns. “Does our society understand the value of the initiative?” In response to her question, she commented that if this answer is “yes”, we can pat ourselves on the back and say: “We are doing a good job”. She emphasised that we need to see the impact of similar initiatives, because “if one takes care of the trees, they will definitely take care of us in the future”.
During his address, the Acting Director of Water and Sanitation Services Support, Mr Zolile Simawo, explained the history of Arbor Month and their Department’s relevance in the the month’s activities. He encouraged communities, government departments, non-governmental organisations, non-profit organisations and communities, to plant indigenous trees. He said that planting trees would aid in sustaining the environment, sustain biodiversity (fauna and flora), provide clean air, given the major industrial activities and the pollution it creates, beautifying South Africa and conserve water.
Ald. Leon van Wyk, Executive Mayor of George, extended a word of appreciation to all departments for their contributions. He further said: “We need to continuously look at initiatives to maintain the green within our Garden Route and to maintain the sustainability thereof”. After the formal programme, both Executive Mayors, Ald. Booysen and Alderman Van Wyk, along with the stakeholders present, planted a tree at the Garden Route Botanical Garden as a symbol of their commitment to mitigating climate change.
The event was organised by GRDM Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Change Adaptation Practitioner, Dr Nina Viljoen, in collaboration with participating departments. The programme was directed by Corne Brink from the Garden Route Botanical Garden.
Organisations and/or bodies who qualify for financial assistance, in terms of the criteria and prescriptions contained in Garden Route District Municipality’s Grant-in-Aid Policy and Section 67 of the Municipal Finance Management Act 2003, are hereby invited to submit proposals for programs they endeavour to undertake during the 2021/2022 calendar year.
Applications submitted on the prescribed application form and accompanied by all the required information, documentation, financial statements, cover letter, etc. and received by the Office of the Executive Mayor on/or before 23 September 2021 at 12h00 midday shall be considered. Alternatively, e-mail scanned copies or original copies of the relevant forms to Nkosiyabo@gardenroute.gov.za
Find the list of drop-off points below:
Garden Route District Municipality Head Office, 54 York Street, George, 6529
Garden Route District Municipality Office, 24 Queen Street, Knysna, 6570
Garden Route District Municipality Office, Corner of Marlin & Samson Streets, Extension 23, Mossel Bay, 6506
Garden Route District Municipality Office, 15 Regent Street, Oudtshoorn, 6620
Garden Route District Municipality Office, 24 Mitchell Street, Riversdale, 6670
Garden Route District Municipality Office, 4 Virginia Street, Plettenberg Bay, 6600
NB: Kannaland to use Oudtshoorn and or Riversdale offices.
Please direct all queries to Mr Nkosiyabo Lose at telephone number: 044 803 1300
Garden Route District Municipality reserves the right not to make any award and may disqualify organisations that have received funds in the previous book year, and who have not submitted a final report on its previous expenditure.
MG Stratu
Municipal Manager
54 York Street
George
6530
Closing Date: 23 September 2021 at 16h00. Notice Number: 89/2021