Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) will perform essential maintenance work on the Swartberg Pass (R328 / P0369) for seven (7) weekdays from 27 November till 5 December 2019. Maintenance work will be performed between 09h00 and 15h30.  A stop-and-go with delays of up to one hour can be expected. For this reason, road users are requested to plan their trips with the above in mind.

Road users can make use of an alternative route between Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert via Meiringspoort (N12).

Officials from the Garden Route District Roads and Transport Planning Department, on 6 September 2019, welcomed a brand new Chip Spreader to their yellow fleet, at a road construction site in Friemersheim near Great Brak River.

The R4.9 million machine was officially handed over by Mr Gottfried Handler from Compaction & Industrial Equipment to the Executive Mayor of GRDM, Cllr Memory Booysen on 6 September 2019. Also witnessing the official handover were Executive Deputy Mayor, Councillor Rosina Ruiters, Portfolio Chairperson of Roads and Transport Planning, Cllr Rowan Spies, the Executive Manager of Roads and Transport Planning, Mr John Godfrey Daniels, and staff.

The main purpose of the machine is to ensure a good quality of road surface dressing work. These machines are designed to accurately apply a controlled amount of stones to a road surface during a road sealing or resealing process. When officially handing over the machine, Mr Handler said: “We have many machines of this kind operating in South Africa, but this is the first for the Western Cape”. Mr Handler furthermore explained the benefits of the machine, that it covers a wide area of three meters and can extend to cover a road width of six meters. “The spreading mechanism is fully computerised; therefore any spreading amount can be registered on the computer,” he added.

At the same occasion, Mr Daniels also announced the appointment of Ms Simile Mqota as Deputy Manager for Roads and he emphasised that Ms Mqota is the first African female in the Garden Route district to be appointed in a position of this nature.  Mr Anton Steenkamp previously filled the position, but retired earlier this year.  Mr Steenkamp will now mentor Ms Mqota for 18 months to ensure a smooth handover of all duties related to the post.

During his address at the ceremony, Cllr Rowan Spies praised the Roads and Transport Planning Department for the developments and progress of the department over the past year. He said:  “It is heart-warming to see how much change is coming to the Garden Route, especially with regard to the diversity and expertise of the team. Cllr Spies added:  “This Chip Spreader is an impressive machine, but the Roads and Transport Planning team, is more impressive”. Cllr Spies also shared a word of gratitude to Mayor Booysen and said:  “Thank you for allowing the Municipal Manager and officials to take forward a vision of what Garden Route aims to be and can be”.

In his address to all stakeholders present, Mayor Booysen highlighted:  “This is once again a moment to be proud of, as we continue to be a leader in experiencing new things. We have to use this machine to the benefit of the economy of the Garden Route,” he added.  In his congratulatory remarks to Ms Mqota, Mayor Booysen further said:  “This event is also a confirmation that we are a leader in empowering our staff – more specifically our women”. Mayor Booysen further requested all male employees at the site to support Ms Mqota in her new position. He furthermore shared a word of appreciation with Mr Anton Steenkamp for his 24 years of dedicated service to the organisation. He also thanked him for his willingness to mentor Ms Mqota and to share his valued skills that will only benefit the road users and economy of the region.

“The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has the biggest Roads function in the Western Cape”.  This was confirmed by GRDM Executive Manager for Roads Services, Mr John G Daniels at their main office in George on Tuesday, 28 May 2019.

According to Mr Daniels, there are many projects in store for the Roads Department over the current and next financial years. Since the Roads Department is an agency function of the Western Cape Government (WCG), its financial year stretches from the beginning of April to the end of March the following year. The current financial year, therefore, already started in April 2019.

The Roads Services budget

Mr Daniels confirmed his statement about the magnitude of the Department, when he said that the budget of the Roads Department amounts to over half a billion rand.  “This budget is inclusive of the Department’s yellow fleet that amounts to R386 million, which makes us the biggest Roads Department in the Western Cape,” Mr Daniels boasted. The WCG increased the roads services budget from R145 million, last year, to R160 million for this year.  The increase of R15 million could only have materialised due to the Department’s good record of expenditure and stable staff complement. “All these characteristics personify the Roads Services function and with everything necessary in place, we plan to spend R200 million again,” Mr Daniels said.

Projects in progress and to be implemented

One such project planned for the current and next financial years will be a R21 million project to be implemented in Slangrivier (Hessequa), which is foreseen to commence in August/September this year. Two other projects include the re-gravel and resealing of roads in the entire Garden Route district. The resealing will amount to R23 million and R17 million is budgeted for the re-gravelling project.  The road building project in Friemersheim near Mossel Bay, is envisaged to be completed by September 2019.  The R39 million project in Gwaiing (George) where the road is upgraded from gravel to tar, will be completed in the next financial year and will stretch over a period of 18 months.

Uplifting communities and making an impact

All these projects are labour intensive and with that in mind, Mr Daniels reiterated the importance of labour and the transfer of skills, when he said:  “These are our main priorities for our communities before we complete and leave the area.  Through our projects, we want to leave behind a skilled community and we plan to do the same for all our other projects”.

In explaining his statement, Mr Daniels added:  “When GRDM Roads Services complete our work at a site (roads and infrastructure), we also leave behind a community that is uplifted and skilled, due to the monitory value invested in that community for a period of two years”. He further added:  “We are not here only to deliver services, but we are also here to uplift the community from their social struggles, even if we only change 20 to 30% of their circumstances”. Adding to this, Mr Daniels clarified his statement by sketching the following scenario:  “If a little boy attends school and his dad is unemployed, the teacher might ask him what his dad does for a living and the boy might shy away. After GRDM Roads appoints the dad on a two year contract and the teacher asks the boy again what his dad does for a living, only then will the boy confidently and proudly raise from his chair, wearing new shoes and clothes and answer:  ‘My dad is a road builder!’. What this means, is that these new shoes and clothes were afforded by his dad who acquired a job at GRDM Roads – GRDM Roads indirectly supplied the boy with the new clothing. This will not only stay behind in the mind of the boy, but in the minds of the children of the community, and this is what we do – to uplift,” Mr Daniels highlighted.

Mr Daniels extended a word of appreciation to all the Roads staff by saying: “I thank each and every one of you for your commitment, endurance and work ethic. We made history by spending R200 million for the year!”

A special awards ceremony was held for nearly 40 of Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM’s) Roads employees at the Roads Department in George on Thursday, 21 February 2019. Certificates and trophies were handed out to those individuals and teams who excelled in their work 2018/19 financial year.  The event is steered by Executive Manager, Roads Services: Mr John G Daniels and by his side on the day to deliver messages of support were GDRM Executive Mayor, Cllr Memory Booysen and Municipal Manager, Mr Monde Stratu.

Mr Stratu commended everyone, saying that they are “willing to leave families and loved ones behind to do the work,” making this district “amongst the best in the country in terms of roads maintenance and construction.” Mr Stratu added that the Department has “excelled consistently over time,” which demonstrates the level of “commitment of each staff member.” He concluded that this generation should do anything in its power to ensure that the next generation inherits a better country than their predecessors.

In his address, Cllr Booysen said that Council is in serious discussion about the future of the Roads Department and that these discussions are seen in a positive light.  He added that the recent developments with Ekusasa Mining provides the opportunity for possible collaborations with GDRM Roads to see if the current formula they use for gravel roads in the northern parts of South Africa and other African countries can be adapted to use on gravel roads in this district.

Mr Daniels echoed the gratitude expressed by Mr Stratu and Cllr Booysen, adding that maintaining approximately 6 200km of roads is no easy task. “People mostly only see trucks and graders coming and going, but very few understand the amount of work being done, sometimes in harsh conditions. Workers are continuously exposed to the elements of nature, but through perseverance and passion are able to deliver quality work that makes us amongst the best in the country.”

SAMEVATTING IN AFRIKAANS:
‘n Spesiale toekenningseremonie op 21 Februarie 2019 is vir ongeveer 40 Garden Route Distriksmunisipalteit Paaie personeel gehou. Munisipale Bestuurder, Monde Stratu en Uitvoerende Burgemeester, Raadslid Memory Booysen, het ook die toekenningseremonie bygewoon. Albei leiers het genoem dat die sukses van die Paaie Departement grootendeels afhang van die toewyding van werkers en dat dit ooglopend is dat Paaie-personeel elke jaar hul kant bring. Mnr John G Daniels, Uitvoerende Bestuurder: Paaie Dienste Departement, het genoem dat die onderhoud van ongeveer 6 200km paaie in ons streek ‘n geweldige taak is. “Mense sien meestal net trokke en padskrapers heen en weer ry op ons paaie, sonder om bewus te wees van die daaglikse take wat vervul moet word. Werkers word daagliks met klimaat (hitte en koue) en selfs stof, gekonfronteer.”  

A new Caterpillar (CAT) D7R bulldozer was officially handed over to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Roads Department on Thursday, 6 December 2018, at the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Handre Strydom, Chief Engineer at the WesternCape Department of Transport, together with Mr Henk van der Merwe from CAT South Africa, complemented the GRDM Roads Services’ fleet count when they officially handed over the machine. 

The machine was taken into acceptance by GRDM Portfolio Chairperson of Roads Services, Cllr Rowan Spies, in the presence of GRDM Executive Manager of Roads Services, Mr John Daniels, GRDM Manager for Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, Mr Japie Strydom, GRDM Deputy Manager: Re-gravel, Mr Lionel Coetzee, and officials from the GRDM Roads Department. 

The new R5.7 million bulldozer is one of two machines that were delivered to GRDM by the Department of Transport this year and it is just what the Roads Department needsto intensity and more regularly maintain the roads of the Garden Route district.  Mr Japie Strydom admits that the process tomotivate for the machine of this magnitude does not happen overnight.  “The process required months of thorough planning and motivation to the Department of Transport, to finally be inpossession of a machine of this nature,” Strydom added. He further extended aword of appreciation, on behalf of the GRDM Management and Council, to MrHandre Strydom and the Department of Transport for the years of continued support in ensuring that the GRDM Roads Department has the resources available to give the Garden Route roads the necessary attention it need.

Describing the mechanical features of the bulldozer, Mr Handre Strydom said: “This 28 ton machine is strong enough to handle a mass of up 30 tons”.  He further added that the machine has a lifespan of 20 years but can be in use for up to 30 years, if well maintained. 

In answering a question posed by Mr Daniels, on whether the parts of the machine are locally available, Mr Strydom responded:  “All parts of the machine are available in South Africa, therefore if parts need not be replaced, it will not cause a delay in the road maintenance operations”.

Mr Japie Strydom elaborated that the bulldozer will be utilised to stockpile useful road material from 38 borrow pits situated in the Garden Route, but will mostly be responsible for stockpiling of material from the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale.  Mr Strydom said: “Material hauled from a borrow pit is transported to a specific road section for further processing.  When the material is finally approved, the re-gravelling of the road can commence.   This process will repeat itself over a certain period of time e.g. 10 years, as small amounts of material get lost over the years, which results in the deterioration of the road. The material gets lost due to environmental factors, traffic counts and weather conditions, such as rain and wind” Mr Strydom added.

While facilitating the discussions of the handover ceremony, Mr Daniels, highlighted: “Now we can continue to deliver services to our road users by ensuring that the quality of our roads in the Garden Route is on standard” and he added: “I am confident that with this type of machine, we will definitely achieve our goals of effective service delivery and well maintained roads”.

Mr Japie Strydom concluded:  “With all these resources to our avail, we will be able to do a high level of preventative maintenance on the machine to ensure that we indeed reach the lifespan of more than 20 years and more”.  For this reason, Mr Jaco Gunter,the machine operator, underwent specialised training on 11 December 2018, which was conducted by a Barloworld Specialist Operator Trainer, Mr Elias Shabalala. Within a few days’time, this brand new machine will be housed at the GRDM Riversdale depot, while its operator and mechanical staff will enjoy the festive period with their family.

A new Caterpillar (CAT) D7R bulldozer was officially handed over to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Roads Department on Thursday, 6 December 2018, at the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Handre Strydom, Chief Engineer at the Western Cape Department of Transport, together with Mr Henk van der Merwe from CAT South Africa, complemented the GRDM Roads Services’ fleet count when they officially handed over the machine. 

The machine was taken into acceptance by GRDM Portfolio Chairperson of Roads Services, Cllr Rowan Spies, in the presence of GRDM Executive Manager of Roads Services, Mr John Daniels, GRDM Manager for Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, Mr Japie Strydom, GRDM Deputy Manager: Re-gravel, Mr Lionel Coetzee, and officials from the GRDM Roads Department. 

The new R5.7 million bulldozer is one of two machines that were delivered to GRDM by the Department of Transport this year and it is just what the Roads Department needed to intensity and more regularly maintain the roads of the Garden Route district.  Mr Japie Strydom admits that the process to motivate for the machine of this magnitude does not happen overnight.  “The process required months of thorough planning and motivation to the Department of Transport, to finally be in possession of a machine of this nature,” Strydom added. He further extended a word of appreciation, on behalf of the GRDM Management and Council, to Mr Handre Strydom and the Department of Transport for the years of continued support in ensuring that the GRDM Roads Department has the resources available to give the Garden Route roads the necessary attention it need.

Describing the mechanical features of the bulldozer, Mr Handre Strydom said: “This 28 ton machine is strong enough to handle a mass of up 30 tons”.  He further added that the machine has a lifespan of 20 years but can be in use for up to 30 years, if well maintained.  In answering a question posed by Mr Daniels, on whether the parts of the machine are locally available, Mr Strydom responded:  “All parts of the machine are available in the Republic of South Africa, therefore if parts need not be replaced, it will not cause a delay in the road maintenance operations”.

Mr Japie Strydom elaborated that the bulldozer will be utilised to stockpile useful road material from 38 borrow pits situated in the Garden Route, but will mostly be responsible for stockpiling of material from the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale.  Mr Strydom said: “Material hauled from a borrow pit is transported to a specific road section for further processing.  When the material is finally approved, the re-gravelling of the road can commence.   This process will repeat itself over a certain period of time e.g. 10 years, as small amounts of material get lost over the years, which results in the deterioration of the road. The material gets lost due to environmental factors, traffic counts and weather conditions, such as rain and wind” Mr Strydom added.

While facilitating the discussions of the handover ceremony, Mr Daniels, highlighted: “Now we can continue to deliver services to our road users by ensuring that the quality of our roads in the Garden Route is on standard” and he added: “I am confident that with this type of machine, we will definitely achieve our goals of effective service delivery and well maintained roads”.

Mr Japie Strydom concluded:  “With all these resources to our avail, we will be able to do a high level of preventative maintenance on the machine to ensure that we indeed reach the lifespan of more than 20 years and more”.  For this reason, Mr Jaco Gunter, the machine operator, underwent specialised training on 11 December 2018, which was conducted by a Barloworld Specialist Operator Trainer, Mr Elias Shabalala.

Within a few days’ time, this brand new machine will be housed at the GRDM Riversdale depot, while its operator and mechanical staff will enjoy the festive period with their family.