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Author: Nadine Payle

Planned Power Outage: Portion of Wilderness-Heights, 25 August 2023

May be an image of lighting and text that says "LED"

BEPLANDE ONDERBREKING VAN ELEKTRIESE TOEVOER: GEDEELTE VAN WILDERNIS- HOOGTE

DIE VOLGENDE AREAS SAL GERAAK WORD: WILDERNIS- HOOGTE
BARNARD LYN, DE WAAL DRIVE

KENNISGEWING geskied hiermee dat die elektriese toevoer onderbreek sal word op VRYDAG 25 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 16H30 met die doel om veranderings aan elektriese hoofleidings te maak. Klante word gewaarsku om die installasie as lewendig te beskou vir die volle periode aangesien die toevoer enige tyd gedurende die periode aangeskakel mag word.

Sou omstandighede verhoed dat die werk gedoen kan word gedurende bogenoemde periode, sal die werk gedoen word op MAANDAG 28 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 16H30

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PLANNED INTERRUPTION OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY: PORTION OF WILDERNESS HEIGHTS
BARNARD LINE, DE WAAL DRIVE

THE FOLLOWING AREAS WILL BE AFFECTED: PORTION OF WILDERNESS HEIGHTS
BARNARD LINE, DE WAAL DRIVE

NOTICE is hereby given that the electricity supply will be interrupted on FRIDAY 25 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 16H30 for the purpose of doing alterations to the electrical mains. Consumers are warned to treat the installation as being live for the full duration as the supply may be resumed at any time within the notified period.

Should circumstances prevent the work from being carried out during the abovementioned period; the work will be done on
MONDAY 28 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 16H30

 

The Rosemore Fan Park Reaches It’s Peak

Wednesday was an incredible day for sport in Rosemore, George. Schools from across George were invited to attend the Netball Fan Park’s school tournament which started on 2 August and was scheduled to finish today 4 August.
School and George Club Tournaments Postponed

Regrettably, due to transport challenges, the school final playoffs as well as the George Social Clubs tournament scheduled for this weekend have been postponed. We will be sending out communication on newly selected dates for both tournaments on all our platforms, so please keep an eye on our social platforms.

Live Viewing remains open
The Fan Park remains open for live viewing of the 2023 Netball World Cup at Rosemore Stadium. Pop in to watch the final games and join us for the Closing Ceremony on Sunday at 14h00.

To catch a view of some of the Netball action from earlier this week, click https://tinyurl.com/cwhvs66n

#Netballworldcup2023
#Georgefanpark
#CityofGeorge
#Cityofopportunities

No Bee Hives In Residential Areas

Please note that according to the George Municipality Animals Bylaw, it is illegal to keep bees in residential areas.

Report the illegal keeping of bees to Environmental Services on 044 802 2900 or 044 801 6300 after hours. The owner/keeper will be served with a notice and will have 10 days, from the time of the notice being served, to move the hives. If the owner/keeper does not comply, the bees will be removed, the cost thereof billed to the owner/keeper.

Please report wild beehives on municipal properties to the Fire Department on 044 801 6300 so the municipality can arrange for it to be moved safely.

Please consult the local telephone directory for the removal of bees on private properties.
Active hives are very dangerous, are especially unpredictable in hot weather, and should not be handled or moved or harvested for honey by inexperienced hands. Swarming bees can be deadly to people and animals and should not be underestimated – do not try to remove a hive yourself, do not throw stones at it or poke it with a stick, and stop other people from doing so.

Please note that according to the George Municipality Animals Bylaw, it is illegal to keep bees in residential areas.
Report the illegal keeping of bees to Environmental Services on 044 802 2900 or 044 801 6300 after hours. The owner/keeper will be served with a notice and will have 10 days, from the time of the notice being served, to move the hives. If the owner/keeper does not comply, the bees will be removed, the cost thereof billed to the owner/keeper.

Please report wild beehives on municipal properties to the Fire Department on 044 801 6300 so the municipality can arrange for it to be moved safely.

Please consult the local telephone directory for the removal of bees on private properties. Active hives are very dangerous, are especially unpredictable in hot weather, and should not be handled or moved or harvested for honey by inexperienced hands.

Swarming bees can be deadly to people and animals and should not be underestimated – do not try to remove a hive yourself, do not throw stones at it or poke it with a stick, and stop other people from doing so

Mayor’s newsletter for George Herald of 17 August 2023

The recent taxi strike that impacted Cape Town, George and parts of the Western Cape has brought into sharp focus the role of community safety operations at local government level. The City of Cape Town has progressively improved their operational capacity of their traffic, law enforcement and emergency services.

In George, we are also ramping up these services to ensure a safe environment for our citizens. As we continue our implementation of upgrading in technology, CCTV cameras and the control room, we experience the benefits. In due course, the staffing complement will also grow.

The Council has consciously decided to spend more of the revenue generated from the Rates account on safety in protecting municipal assets and our communities. The Rates revenue funds a variety of services outside of the core services, as are mentioned below.
The maintenance and upgrading of streets and stormwater systems receives ongoing attention according to planned maintenance guidelines. Additional funding will be required to be spent once the construction on the large basic services infrastructure projects have reached completion stages. The cleaning of streets and the upkeep of parks are visible examples of Rates funded services.

An example of where George will play a facilitating role is in providing access to leisure time activities for our youth. This is one of the needs identified in the Planet Youth survey of youths in grade 8 and 9 to analyse the risks and harms that they encounter outside of school hours. The project objective is to improve their health and wellness over the years. Similarly, we provide facilities and assistance in the promotion of community sport, vegetable gardens, soup kitchens and to relieve the plight of under-privileged citizens.
The work we undertake to promote economic development and tourism is also funded through Rates revenue.

Following the devastating effect of loadshedding in the 2022/23 financial year which reduced Electricity revenue by R214m (or 22% of budgeted revenue from Electricity), the contribution from Electricity to the Rates account had effectively disappeared. After Council had approved reduced budgeted operational expenditure for 2023/24, where practicable, across all services, there remained a shortfall. To ensure that municipal services funded through the Rates Account could be maintained at the high standard expected by customers, an above inflation increase in property rates was implemented.

For the 2023/24 financial year, the new municipal property valuations have been implemented. A recent StatsSA survey has shown that residential selling prices for property in the Western Cape (and George) have risen markedly relative to the rest of the country, with valuations following that trend. To soften the increases a reduction of 28,8% has been applied to the rate in the Rand for residential property rates.

The George Municipality’s Dynamic Women

Join us today in celebrating our very own dynamic woman from the George Municipality- Mrs Lauren Waring:Director: Planning, Human Settlements and Development

Lauren served as the Municipal Manager, as well as Director: Community Services and Director: Planning and Development at Knysna Municipality between 2006 and 2014; and as Executive Director: Planning and Development at Drakenstein Municipality from 2016 to 2021. Lauren has vast leadership experience in local government, honed over many years at municipal level. Her passion for land and development was ignited during her first appointment at the Regional Land Claims Commission: Western Cape.

With extensive management and strategic leadership experience, Lauren has consulted government, private sector and non-profits on a broad range of projects and held positions on various Boards.

Lauren holds a Masters in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Stellenbosch amongst various other tertiary qualifications.

Lauren has a nineteen-year-old daughter, Nina, and enjoys hiking, reading and the arts.

 

 

EXPERIENCE GEORGE- THE CITY OF OPPORTUNITIES

Discover a city where stunning natural landscapes meet a dynamic, flourishing community, where people can express themselves and enjoy a harmonious blend of past and present.

Welcome to George, the City of Opportunities, where living, learning, working, and investing is more rewarding than ever. Whether for business, pleasure, or lifestyle, George offers unparalleled opportunities to transform your dreams into reality.

Watch

MUNICIPALITY’S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GIVES TO THE NEEDY FOLLOWING FIRES AND FLOODS

From left to right: Ross Hannes (Registry Clerk: Transport), Sophie Fanelo (Manager: Community Development), Harriet Van Schalkwyk (Environmental Officer), Leigh Kelly (Environmental Officer) and Sheldon Hendricks (Environmental Intern).

The George Municipality’s Community Development Services division assisted the victims of sporadic residential fire incidents and individual flooding incidents in their properties by providing them with food, clothing, blankets, and matrasses. They also opened their hearts to the People Living on the streets with clothes and toiletries.

The Municipality would also like to acknowledge the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs for the donation of clothing to the Municipality clothing bank. The officials continue to appeal to the community to donate to the Municipality as Municipality relies on donations to assist needy communities. “We cannot overemphasize the importance of these donations being given to organisations such as the George Night Shelter or Kidstop than giving money or handouts to adults or children begging at streets intersections, as this has increasingly become a concern,” said Sophie Fanelo, the George Municipality’s Manager for Community Development.

George Municipality continues to provide clothing and toiletries to persons living on the street. The toiletries include soap, facecloths, toothpaste, toothbrushes, roll-on and sanitary pads. The municipality maintains a clothing bank where residents of George donate clothing for this purpose. Many of the homeless ask for clothing or toiletries to be presentable and a register is kept for this purpose. It would assist the Municipality if more residents could donate clothing and toiletries as no funding is available for this purpose.

Living on the streets is not a crime; therefore, these people cannot be arrested or moved without their consent. Our Social Development and Law Enforcement department’s mandate is limited as the bulk of the functions to assist people living on the streets fall under SAPS and the National Department of Social Development.

George Residents, Business Owners and organisations, who want to help the homeless and /or submit innovative ideas on how to help the homeless, are invited to join the PLOTS monthly meeting. You can contact Estelle Fredericks on 044 802 2000, ext. 2015 during office hours for more information.

The public may also contact these organisations: Freddy Trout, PASA (People Against Substance Abuse) at 068 487 4848, Jonathan Gelderbloem, YFC Kidstop at 044 874 2624/044 875 1794, Department of Social Services at 044 814 1920 or Andre Olivier from Cremhog on andre.olivier1962@gmail.com

 

Customize Your Apps Dashboard On My Smart City George App

How to customize your app dashboard to make it work for you
1. On your Home screen, go to the bottom.
2. Tap on “Customize Dashboard”
3. Select the features you would like to have displayed on your home screen.

View the status of your previously Logged fault on your Dashboard under My Reports

How to view your logged Faults
1. On your Home screen, tap on My Reports.
2. Tap on the three colour-coded options.
3. Orange- Logged
Blue- In progress
Green- Resolved

Watch:
https://youtu.be/etNcoOVB68Q

Download NEW My Smart City – George APP via the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store or via 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

GARDEN ROUTE DAM LEVEL – 14 August 2023  

Percentage storage at new raised dam wall height                           98,72
Rainfall for the previous 7 days                                                          3.5mm

(Measured up to and including 14 August 2023 )
The cooperation of all users of municipal water is essential and is greatly appreciated.

Follow this link for the detailed Stricter Water Restrictions in English/Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.
https://www.george.gov.za/george-doc-categories/public-notices/general/

Report water leaks and burst pipes to 044 801 9262/66 or after hours at 044 801 6300, as soon as you notice them.

George Library Services’ new way of taking out books

With this service patrons can select books via the online library portal and email a list of materials they want to loan. Librarians will make up piles of available materials and arrange a time for collection. You can also phone your librarian to inquire about a book-by-phone service.

You can search online according to author, title, subjects, keyword, publisher or ISBN number.
Type in your library number on your card to check your library materials status including due date and opportunity to renew your books yourself.

Follow the link:
http://wctest.slims.gov.za/desktop/desktopwc/core/index.phtml?language=&euser=&session=&service=&robot=&deskservice=desktop&desktop=desktopwc&workstation=&extra=

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Contact details for libraries:

George Library: 044 801 9288 – Monday to Thursday 09h00 – 19h00; Friday 10h00 – 17h00, Saturday 09h00 – 12h00

Avontuur Library: 044 752 3351
Monday 12pm-3pm, Tuesday 11am-14:00pm, Wednesday and Thursday 10am-13:00pm.

Blanco Library: 044 870 7047
Monday – 9am-17.30pm, Tuesday – Thursday 9am-17.00pm, Friday 10:00 – 17:00

Conville Library: 044 801 9320 – Monday – Thursday 9am-17.30pm, Friday 10:00 – 17:00

Haarlem Library: 044 763 1023 – Monday, Thursday and Friday 14:00pm-17:00pm, Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 – 12:00/14:00 – 17:00

Noll Library: 044 745 1014 – Monday and Wednesday 12pm-15:00pm, Saturday 9am-12pm

Pacaltsdorp Library: 044 803 9340 – Monday to Thursday 9am-17:30pm, Friday 10:00 – 17:00

Thembalethu Library: 044 803 9260

Monday to Thursday 9am-17:30pm, Friday 10:00 – 17:00

Touwsranten Library: 044 803 9285 – Monday to Friday 9am-17:00pm

Uniondale Library: 044 752 1024 – Monday to Friday 10am-4.30pm

Waboomskraal Library: Monday to Friday 10am-2pm

PUBLIC NOTICE: NOTIFICATION OF THE INTERRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, ROSEMORE

THE FOLLOWING AREAS WILL BE AFFECTED:
ROSEMORE ⚡HURTER, HICKS STREET

NOTICE is hereby given that the electricity supply will be interrupted on MONDAY 14 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 16H00 for the purpose of doing alterations to the electrical mains. Consumers are warned to treat the installation as being live for the full duration as the supply may be resumed at any time within the notified period.

Should circumstances prevent the work being carried out during the abovementioned period; the work will be done on
TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 16H00

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DIE VOLGENDE AREAS SAL GERAAK WORD:
GEDEELTE VAN ROSEMORE⚡HURTER, HICKS STRAAT

KENNISGEWING geskied hiermee dat die elektriese toevoer onderbreek sal word op MAANDAG 14 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 16H00 met die doel om veranderings aan elektriese hoofleidings te maak. Klante word gewaarsku om die installasie as lewendig te beskou vir die volle periode aangesien die toevoer enige tyd gedurende die periode aangeskakel mag word.

Sou omstandighede verhoed dat die werk gedoen kan word gedurende bogenoemde periode, sal die werk gedoen word op DINSDAG 15 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 16H00

Municipal Woman’s Month Campaign – My Inspirational Woman

The month of August is dedicated to celebrating women all over the world and at the George Municipality we would like to celebrate the phenomenal women who are an inspiration to their colleagues.

This week we celebrate Ms. Ishenique Felix, nominated by Megan Hopewell, Prosecutor at the George Municipality.

I’d like to nominate Ms. Ishenique Felix, Legal Advisor and Prosecutor employed under the Legal and Compliance Department.

I met Ms. Felix 3 months ago when I started my position as prosecutor at the Municipal Court. She welcomed me with open arms, and we instantly became not only good colleagues, but also good friends. She was very patient while teaching me the in’s and out’s of my new position and took time out of her busy schedule to assist me however she could.

Ishenique is a resilient yet soft woman with a strong faith and resolute morals and values. Despite always being a paragon of professionalism, she is compassionate; always approachable, kind, and helpful. She is dependable, trustworthy, and hardworking, always doing more for the institution than what is expected of her. Her presence in my work- and personal life brings me great comfort and I am blessed and privileged to have her as both a colleague and friend.

– Megan Hopewell, Prosecutor at the George Municipality.

To commemorate our own inspirational women within the municipality, we invite all officials from all departments to nominate a female colleague who is inspirational to you – tell us what makes this person so special.
Please send us a description of what this person means to you (100 -150 words maximum and a recent photograph).

You can send your nomination anonymously or proudly state who you are and why you have chosen your nominee. The ‘My Inspirational Woman’ and her story will then be shared with all officials!

Please email your story to npayle@george.gov.za
Deadline for the next Nominee: Nominate your Inspirational Female Colleague for next week by Wednesday 16 August.

There is something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness and the nerve to never take no as an answer- Rihanna

PUBLIC NOTICE: NOTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY INTERRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.

THE FOLLOWING AREAS WILL BE AFFECTED:
PORTION OF GEORGE SOUTH
NEWTON, PALGRAVE STREET

NOTICE is hereby given that the electricity supply will be interrupted on FRIDAY 11 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 15H00 for the purpose of doing alterations to the electrical mains. Consumers are warned to treat the installation as being live for the full duration as the supply may be resumed at any time within the notified period.

Should circumstances prevent the work being carried out during the abovementioned period; the work will be done on
MONDAY 14 AUGUST 2023 FROM 09H00 TO 15H00

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DIE VOLGENDE AREAS SAL GERAAK WORD: GEDEELTE VAN GEORGE- SUID
NEWTON, PALGRAVE STRAAT

KENNISGEWING geskied hiermee dat die elektriese toevoer onderbreek sal word op VRYDAG 11 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 15H00 met die doel om veranderings aan elektriese hoofleidings te maak. Klante word gewaarsku om die installasie as lewendig te beskou vir die volle periode aangesien die toevoer enige tyd gedurende die periode aangeskakel mag word.

Sou omstandighede verhoed dat die werk gedoen kan word gedurende bogenoemde periode, sal die werk gedoen word op MAANDAG 14 AUGUSTUS 2023 VANAF 09H00 TOT 15H00

ESKOM LOADSHEDDING -Tuesday, 08 August 2023

Stage 3 loadshedding will be implemented from 16:00 today until 05:00 on Wednesday. Due to an improvement in available generation capacity, loadshedding will be suspended from 05:00 until 16:00 on Wednesday. Thereafter, Stage 3 loadshedding will resume from 16:00 until 05:00 on Thursday.

Following this, various stages of loadshedding will be implemented until Sunday. Please refer to the table below for the schedule of loadshedding stages:

George will be affected as follows:
Tuesday 08/08/2023
none

Wednesday 09/08/2023
02:00 – 04:30
18:00 – 20:30

Thursday 10/08/2023
18:00 – 20:30

Friday 11/08/2023
02:00 – 04:30
18:00 – 20:30

Saturday 12/08/2023
02:00 – 04:30

Sunday 13/08/2023
16:00 – 18:30

Uniondale will be affected as follows:
Tuesday 08/08/2023
15:00 – 17:30

Wednesday 09/08/2023
21:00 – 23:30

Thursday 10/08/2023
21:00 – 23:30

Friday 11/08/2023
21:00 – 23:30

Saturday 12/08/2023
None

Sunday 13/08/2023
19:00 – 21:30

Consumers are reminded to use electricity sparingly after power returns, especially after a 4-hour Loadshedding slot
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. This will reduce the risk of overload tripping on the network and reduce our current high MVA spikes.

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 and wait at least 30 minutes before reporting no power. The 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/

PUBLIC NOTICE: GEORGE MUNICIPALITY CALLS ON CITIZENS TO BE VIGILANT OF CYBERCRIME

With the increase in the usage of online payments, so is the growth of cybercrime, and the George Municipality calls on the citizens, ratepayers, and Municipal clients to be vigilant and not become tricked by cybercriminals.

Spoofing (involves faking one’s identity and can be used for various attacks such as identity theft) and phishing (one such use of spoofing that attempts to steal somebody’s personal information or credentials by having them volunteer that information from a nefarious source that looks legit) attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and we must be proactive in protecting the Municipality, citizens and businesses against these malicious attacks and scams.

The public is urged to carefully check the municipality’s banking detail. It is your responsibility as the payer (ratepayer, citizen, business, client of the Municipality etc.) to ensure that the correct banking details are captured when making payments to George Municipality.

We would like to remind the public of George Municipality’s banking details with FNB.

BANK DETAILS FOR GEORGE MUNICIPALITY
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Account Name: George Municipality
Account Type: Public Sector Cheque Account
Account Number: 62869623150
Branch Code: 210554
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Use your GRG municipal account details as a reference and send proof of payment to payments@george.gov.za

For traffic fines only:
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Account Name: George Municipality
Account Type: Public Sector Cheque Account
Account Number: 62869623168
Branch Code: 210554
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Use the traffic fine number as a reference.

Please follow these steps to update George Municipality as a beneficiary:
1. Delete your current George Municipality beneficiary.
2. Create a new George Municipality beneficiary:
a) search for George Municipality as the Institution name and click select,
b) continue filling in the required information until the transaction is complete.

Should you require any assistance in updating George Municipality as a beneficiary, please feel free to contact our Finance offices on 044 801 9111.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING DOS AND DON’TS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL TO PREVENT CYBERCRIME.

DO:
• Pay attention to the salutation in the email. It should mention your full name.
• Open your browser and type the link to the site on the address bar yourself.
• If spoofing is suspected, log in by typing any characters. Some new spoof versions display ‘login failed’ in any case, so it doesn’t raise suspicion. Thus, your login failure is not an indication that the website is authentic. Watch for further clues.
• Know that financial institutions are very aware of spoofing and will not contact you by email if there are account problems.
• Know that no bank will ask you to enter your credit/debit, card PIN number, or driver’s licence number online for authentication purposes. Most will not ask for SSN, although some insurance companies do that. This is a bad practice, even if the connection is secure.
• Examine the URL on the address bar. If it contains a number followed by the website’s name, it is a spoof. A hijacked URL is shifted and blurry. Examine cookies and the status bar.

DON’T:

• Believe an email if it greets you by your e-mail address or “Dear customer”.
• Click on a link to a site in an email or from a chatroom.
• Try to log in immediately. Look for suspicious giveaways. Even if a ‘login failed’ message asks you to try again, do not enter your real login name and password, but watch for more clues.
• Panic if you receive an e-mail about account problems.
• Enter your PIN number. No bank will request such information online or by phone.
• Continue if the address bar doesn’t clearly show the real address. If in doubt, close the browser, then reopen and retype.

Ends.

UPDATE 8: Taxi Strike in George

The George JOC continues to monitor the suspension of taxi services in George with the assistance of municipal law enforcement and traffic officials.

Minor incidents of stone throwing in Thembalethu have been reported earlier this morning and addressed by SAPS with arrests made.

Critical Municipal Services such as electrical repairs, sewerage blockages will continue in Thembalethu and all other areas today,

Municipal Switchboard 044 801 9111
After Hours Emergency Number 044 801 6300
Dedicated Fire Only Number 044 801 6311

GARDEN ROUTE DAM LEVEL – Water Restrictions remain in place

Percentage storage at new raised dam wall height                       99,53%

Rainfall for the previous 7 days                                                            0.8 mm

(Measured up to and including 7 August 2023 )
The cooperation of all users of municipal water is essential and is greatly appreciated.

Follow this link for the detailed Stricter Water Restrictions in English/Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.
https://www.george.gov.za/george-doc-categories/public-notices/general/

Report water leaks and burst pipes to 044 801 9262/66 or after hours at 044 801 6300, as soon as you notice them.