Author: Nadine Payle

Front: New Dawn Park Primary School; Middle: Young stars Green Team; From the back: Young starts Red Team

Young netball enthusiasts from Pacaltsdorp, created much excitement last week Friday as the teams competed in a friendly game at the New Dawn Netball court, in Pacaltsdorp. Girls and boys from New Dawn Primary School and the Young Stars Netball Team played an impressive game, noticeably showing how much they love the sport.

In support of the Netball World Cup 2023, the girls and boys showed off their artwork of all the various countries that will be competing this year. Some of our own staff at the George municipality showed their support by having a bit of their own fun. In partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and George Municipality will host the World Cup Trophy Tour on 5^th July and a Netball World Cup 2023 Fan Park at Rosemore Stadium from the 28 July to 6^th August. The trophy will be received with great excitement, by Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk and Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport upon its arrival in George on the 5^th of July at Unity Park.

Watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c78eg84ztsU

Alongside municipal officials are the girls and boys showing off their artwork of various countries competing in the World Cup this year.

In the photograph from left are  Jandre van Zyl(VE Electrical Contractors), Ralton Abrahams(BDE – Electrical Consulting Engineers), Cllr Khayalethu Lose, Louden Roelfse (VE – Electrical Contractors), Nocicelo Mbethe Portfolio Councillor for Electrotechnical Services), Deon Esterhuysen (Manager: Projects Planning and Design ), Ward 9 Cllr Thembinkosi Lento, Joubert Theart (Zutari – Civil Consulting Engineers), Mayor of George Ald Leon van Wyk, Kevin Grunewald (BDE – Electrical Consulting Engineers), Bongani Mandla (George Director Electrotechnical Services)  and  Daniel Greeff(Deputy Director Planning and Design).

 George Municipality as with many other municipalities is constantly faced with enormous challenges regarding the electrification of new approved housing projects such as Erf 325, Golden Valley, Thembalethu UISP where these housing projects are implemented by the Western Cape Provincial Department of Human Settlements. The financial responsibility for the supply of services such as water and electricity falls to the George Municipality, and the municipality is reliant on grant funding to implement.

The immense growth in illegal informal housing in areas has further increased the funding deficit, as well as increased damage to the overall electrical infrastructure due to ongoing illegal connections. The Electrotechnical Department in an effort to formalize the provision of electrical services to informal settlements have drafted the minimum criteria that will be adhered to for the electrification of informal areas in the future. As of May 2014, up to April 2023 a total of 1600 informal structures have been added to the network at a cost of just over R17 million. The cost per structure for electrification is between R10 000 – R13 000 which includes a prepaid meter.

In line with Council approved item the Electrotechnical Directorate has embarked on the electrification construction work, which started at Telkom informal area, and is spreading through Sityebi-Sityebi Informal area and thereafter Edameni.

The Municipality is working tirelessly to expedite these connections, in order to roll-out even more electrification of informal settlements connections in the future years. A pilot to supply informal settlements with renewable energy is also progressing well and should be commissioned in the upcoming months. This pilot project will also assist in the plans to expedite electrification of informal settlements.

The Executive Mayor, Ald Leon van Wyk, noted that  is happy to see the progress made in the electrification of the Telkom informal structures and looks forward to switching on the  consumers in the near future. “It is always to good to see the plans approved by Council, being implemented and improving the lives of our residents.. We need to continue this drive and expedite the commissioning of the pilot projects so that the municipality can continue addressing the enormous challenge of illegal connections.

Netball World Cup 2023 Local Organizing Committee on the Rosemore Stadium pitch from left are: Eddie Myners (Head of George Correctional Centre); Sisanda Velembe (George Sport Maintenance);  Yonella Kibido (George Community Services);  Aviwe Kroba (DCS:Southern Cape Management Area’s Acting Communications Officer); Fozia Philander (Western Cape Department of Culture and Sport: Head Coach George); Granville Campher (George Sport Development); Suretha Pick (George MVR); Rene Booysen (President of Eden Netball Federation); Jonique Claasen-Gozongo (George Sport Development); Haily Oktober (George Corporate Services); Leandri Soko (George Corporate Services); Roland Hardnick (George Law Enforcement); Claudine Carelse (George Tourism) : Tembani Ngwenze (Western Cape Department of Culture and Sport: Sport Promotion Officer Eden District); Jonathan Fortuin (George Community Services);Rowan Botha (George Law Enforcement; Leveinia Botha (George Sport Development); Lizelle Petersen (George Human Settlements) and Timu-Charlie Pieterse (George Law Enforcement).

It’s World Cup time again – Netball!  George Municipality applied and has received the honour of being the only city in the Garden Route District that has been allocated a Netball World Cup Fan Park to be hosted at Rosemore Stadium in primary partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport(DCAS) from 28^th July to 6^th August 2023. The Fan Park will allow up to 2000 residents to participate on a daily basis in the family friendly netball world cup experience with viewing screens, stalls, music and so much more on offer.

George Municipality together with DCAS will jointly host the World Cup Netball Trophy Tour which reaches our shores on 5 July 2023. Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport,  Anroux Marais and Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk will accept the Trophy at a high energy, musical and fun event. The Official Trophy is currently doing its rounds of South Africa and has been received in KZN, Gauteng,  Mpumalanga and Limpopo. From George the Trophy Tour will head to Riversdale and finish up  in Cape Town, the venue for the official World Cup tournament which will consist of 60 games and will take place at the CTICC Arena 1 and 2.

The Local Organizing Committee which includes DCAS, the George Branch of Department of Correctional Services and Eden Netball Federation has been hard at work with all of the planning and logistics and have many more Netball surprises to unveil as we get closer to the 28 July. George is a Legacy point on this whirlwind Trophy Tour having received funding for the upgrade of the Netball Courts at Rosemore Stadium and various schools will receive netball equipment at the Trophy Tour handover.

The Rosemore Stadium Netball World Cup Fan Park will host an official opening ceremony on the 28^th July and the closing Ceremony on the 6^th August. 25 Schools have been invited to participate in a Primary and High School Netball Tournament during the week running from 3 – 7 July with Federation and Social Clubs being given an opportunity to participate over the two weekends.

Portfolio Councillor for Community Services: Social Development, Libraries and Sport Brendan Adams expressed his delight at the opportunity presented to George to host this once in a lifetime Fan Park. “ I am thrilled at the level of awareness of the sport the World Cup Netball Fan Park will create within George and it is an incredible opportunity for the sport as a whole in South Africa.  I am proud that George will host a Fan Park.”

NETBALL World Cup Fridays – every Friday at George Municipality!
In the run-up to the World Cup NETBALL Friday’s are being rolled out across South Africa. George Municipality, DCAS and DCS invite all businesses and institutions to show your solidarity with the participating Netball Teams, by dressing in your netball uniform OR any colours (flags or netball uniforms) of your team of choice, who will participate during the Netball World Cup. Participating Teams will be South Africa, Australia, Barbados, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Wales and Zimbabwe.

Vendor Opportunities at the Fan Park, Rosemore Stadium
Do you want to run a stall at the Netball World Cup Fan Park? Follow this link, complete the application and submit before 14 July. Only six stalls will be successful.  https://www.george.gov.za/george-document/gm-netball-world-cup-informal-trading-application-form/

The Directorate has yet to raise enthusiasm among our male counterparts, but the participants are enjoying the fellowship during lunch breaks and are bonding as colleagues and teams.

Preparations for Madiba Day 2023 started early in the Directorate: Human Settlements, Planning and Development when management agreed in May to mobilize staff to donate and contribute to the production of hand knitted or crochet blankets to comfort Cancer patients, receiving chemotherapy.  This project aligns with a local initiative by volunteers of the Sunflower Support Project who support cancer patients of the George Regional Hospital.  The Directorate has set an ambitious target to deliver 20 blankets by Madiba Day and is relying on donations and the skills of staff to make this happen.  The project has been received with great enthusiasm by some that are keen to learn a new skill and even ticks a box on their list of new year’s resolutions.

Delia Power, (Deputy Director Planning) and Nonki Shelane (Senior Administrative Officer to Director’s office),  are shown the finer points of crochet by Pat Brits.

Two ladies that are actively involved in this community project, Pat Brits and Bets Martins, or known to the municipal staff as the ‘breitannies’ visited the offices during the last week of May, to provide lessons in how to crochet and knit.  In just two days, many grasped the basics and became ‘hooked’.  The trend has caught on at speed and in less than two weeks the directorate is proud to say that a supply of squares, sufficient to produce two blankets has been built up.

Zanele Norawana (Chief Clerk to Planning office),  concentrates hard while Pat Brits provides encouragement.

n the photograph are from left Municipal Manager, Dr Michele Gratz, Ald Leon Van Wyk holding the trophy, Portfolio Councillor for Finance and Strategic Services,, Dirk Wessels and Chief Financial Officer, Riaan Du Plessis.

Executive Mayor Leon van Wyk and Municipal Manager Dr Michele Gratz were thrilled to be awarded a Clean Audit Trophy at the most recent Municipal Manager/Mayor Forum held in Saldanha Bay on 2 June 2023.. George Municipality has attained a clean audit two years in a row now for 2020/21 and the 2021/22 financial years. For the 2021/22 financial year the  Auditor-General report acknowledged the great strides which the George Municipality has made over the past two years and specifically commended the implementation of consequence management to ensure officials do their work diligently and efficiently. George remains committed to clean governance and will strive to continue to improve on systems and processes.

“George Municipality has undergone a major turnaround in the past 2 years and the success of the turnaround strategy is reflected in the two consecutive clean audit outcomes. Thank you to the management team and all officials involved for the commitment and hard work to achieve a clean audit, an outcome which very few municipalities achieve,” said Municipal Manager, Dr Michele Gratz.