Author: Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe

DRAFT ELECTRICITY SUPPLY BY-LAW
The draft Electricity Supply by-law was provisionally approved by Council on 20 April 2023 and a public participation process was also approved. The main purpose of the by-law is to supplement the Electricity Regulation Act, 2006 (Act 4 of 2006) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act 85 of 1993) issued to regulate the supply of electricity within the George Municipality jurisdictional area.

The objective of the by-law is to improve organizational efficiency and articulate the rules concerning the processes and practices in the electricity supply that are otherwise not expressed in the Act, thereby providing additional clarity on the aspects addressed in the draft by-law.

The proposed by-law elaborates and provides clarity on the following aspects pertaining to electricity supply including;
• approval required for all small scale embedded generation;
• unauthorized connections and reconnections;
• notified maximum demand;
• offences and penalties;
• and appeals.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION DETAILS
The draft Electricity Supply By-Law Notice will be published in the George Herald, on the Municipal Website and municipal social media sites. Follow this link https://www.george.gov.za/george-doc-categories/documents/bylaws-and-regulations/electrotechnical-services/ to find the draft by-law on our website. Hard copies will be provided at all public libraries in George for review. Feedback is required by no later than 12 June 2023. Comments and inputs can be emailed to, njikija@george.gov.za phoned in to 044 801 9148 or submitted in person at the George Electrotechnical Services Offices, Brick Road, George Industria.

Enquiries to Edward Nqumse Ennqumse@george.gov.za and copy Nolubabalo Jikija njikija@george.gov.za

Promulgated in Western Cape Provincial Gazette
A municipal by-law may be enforced only after it has been published in the official gazette of the Western Cape Province on request of the local municipality. The promulgated by-law is then uploaded to the municipal website for easy access by the public. Transgression of a by -law is treated the same as a normal law, if you break a by-law, you can be fined or prosecuted. Most transgressions are handled in the George Municipal Court.

Issued on Behalf of George Municipal Communications Department, Office of the Municipal Manager

The Executive Mayor of George, Alderman Leon van Wyk accompanied by the Portfolio Councillor for Electrotechnical Services and Fleet Management Nosicelo Mbethe did a sod turning in an approximately 1ha open land in the George Industrial area, to mark the beginning of the construction of 1 MWp solar farm.

“This plant is the forerunner of our fleet of 10MW plants that we will be erecting in George over the next couple of years to provide electricity not only to support our infrastructure that is owned by the Municipality but also to provide electricity into George’s grid so that we are ultimately able to get off stage 1 and stage 2 of load-shedding that we are suffering under and we wish to complete this project to get off stage 2 by the end of 2024,” said Mayor van Wyk.

The renewable energy power that will be generated through this plant, will be connected to the grid to reduce the municipal bulk purchases. This sod turning, therefore, signals the beginning of our initiative to take George off Stages 1 and 2 off load-shedding by the end of 2024.

The 1MWp PV plant will consist of approximately 1728 PV Panels & 10 x 110kW inverters at a total cost of R 24 843 090.36. The plant is expected to generate in the order of 1780 MWh per year.

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The Mayor of George, Alderman Leon van Wyk, is calling all residents of the George Municipal area to participate in the annual City Nature Challenge, which will run from 28 April 2023 to 01 May 2023 for the observation period, and the upload and identification period ending 08 May 2023. It is as easy as downloading a free application from your App Store and starting to snap within the specified dates.

There is nature all around us, and knowing what species are in our city and where they are, helps us to study and protect them, as a community – scientists’ land managers and the public working together to find and document our unique natural environment.
Participating in this event will teach you about your local environment and can also improve the environment for humans and other species that live in this wonderful place.

To date, the Garden Route has joined forces and competed in 6 international biodiversity events as a district, placing within the top 10 every time. The City Nature Challenge draws over 400 entrants worldwide per year and includes other Western Cape cities such as Cape Town, Hermanus, the Theewaterskloof district and more. With the assistance of the residents of George, we can make an even bigger impact in 2023.

Mayor Leon van Wyk says, “Benefit of supporting the challenge is that it provides an excellent opportunity for municipalities to gather biodiversity information that can be used in the management of properties for environmental, tourism and rezoning purposes, assisting George Municipality to make informed decisions about these aspects.”

“Participation will showcase the George area as a tourism destination and develop pride and awareness of the local environment, offering educational opportunities, especially for children, learning to value their natural heritage.”, says Tourism Manager, Joan Shaw.

Planning to spend time in nature over this long weekend period, is the activity to involve friends and family while showcasing the beauty and diversity of our home region in this global event.

Whether you capture nature in your own backyard, or the urban sidewalks, visit the Garden Route Botanical Garden or the Garden Route National Park, climb a mountain, or submerge yourself in a local forest, you are bound to find a varied selection of plants, insects, and animals.

Prepare for the challenge by downloading and familiarising yourself with the iNaturalist application before the end of the month. To find out more about how you can contribute, contact Tourism Manager Joan Shaw at 044 801 9103.

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See TIPS FOR TAKING PHOTOS FOR THE CHALLENGE below:

TIPS FOR TAKING PHOTOS FOR THE CHALLENGE:
The photos you take during the City Nature Challenge are there to provide evidence of the organism you saw and to help confirm the identification of that organism. Therefore, taking good photos is key to participating in the CNC! Here are some tips for taking photos:

• Focus on one species in each observation in a close-up that fills the frame.
• Take several photos in one observation, including the leaves, the bark, flowers, or fruits.
• Discard blurry photographs.
• Get close, especially for small organisms – it will aid identification.
• An ideal observation has a picture showing the full organism and close-ups of important features.
• Remember only one species per observation. The more species, the more observations.

The George Municipality’s drive to improve the quality-of-service delivery is yielding good results said the Executive Mayor of George, Alderman Leon van Wyk after visiting two pilot projects in Syferfontein, an informal settlement South of Pacaltsdorp, aimed at introducing alternatives on-site sanitation technology in informal settlements to replace chemical toilets.

“Today we went on-site to Syferfontein to view the pilot project of a new technology toilet instead of the chemical toilets,” said Mayor van Wyk during his visit on Thursday, 13 April 2023. “These new toilets get erected on-site and make use of enzymes to dissolve solids and it also makes use of water, so there’s a water flush mechanism that is able to drain away into tanks underneath the ground and this improves the whole service routing where previously chemical toilets had to be serviced two to three times a week, this type of toilet would only require servicing once a month.”

George Municipality solicited proposals from suitably experienced service providers to implement a pilot project for alternative on-site sanitation technology in Informal Settlements to replace chemical toilets. The hiring and maintenance of chemical toilets is an expensive and unsustainable sanitation commodity which is unfortunately also the quickest method to respond to when an emergency situation presents itself.

It was thus imperative that sustainable alternative sanitation solutions be tested to replace chemical toilets in informal settlements where there is no sewer network and to alleviate the heavy financial burden on the Municipality and the Department of Infrastructure.

The Human Settlements, Planning and Development and Property Management Directorate of the George Municipality confirmed that this is a pilot project which will be tested for three months and the sanitation solution which is found to be most successful and sustainable will be extended to other informal settlement areas in the George Municipal precincts. “For this pilot project, we will be installing 3 different alternative sanitation units in Syferfontein, three in Wilderness Heights Informal Settlement and 9 units in Thembalethu in various Settlements,” said Lauren Waring, the department’s director.

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PHOTOS:

Photo 1: From left: Charne Floris (George Municipality Human Settlements), Brumilda Kirchner (George Municipality Human Settlements), Councillor Bazil Petrus (Portfolio Councillor for Human Settlements), Madoda Boke (Clerk of Works: Human of Settlements) Jurgen Graupe (Buffalo Tanks (Pty) Ltd, Alderman Leon van Wyk (Executive Mayor of George) Wendy Mentor (Manager Human Settlements) Mxolisi Ngwane (Racing Heart Group (Pty) Ltd), Siegfried Graupe (Buffalo Tanks) Lehlohonolo Mandlazi (Racing Group (Pty) Ltd.

Photo 2: From left: Councillor Bazil Petrus (Portfolio Councillor for Human Settlements), Wendy Mentor (Manager of Human Settlements), Alderman Leon van Wyk (Executive Mayor of George) and Jacques Rust (Envirosan).

The George Municipality’s Communication team was nominated as one of the top three most proactive communication teams in local municipalities in South Africa during the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Communications Awards last week.

The other two nominees were Umzimvubu Local Municipality from the Eastern Cape towns of Mount Frere and Mount Alyliff (the winners) and Thaba Chweu Local Municipality from Mashishing, previously called Lydenburg, in the north-western region of Mpumalanga.

The Awards Ceremony formed part of the SALGA 6th Annual National Communicators’ Forum that took place between 12 – 14 April 2023 at Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). SALGA’s National Communicators Forum offers a platform for Municipal Communicators to share insights, developments, and the latest trends in the communications industry. Municipalities across South Africa are nominated for various Communication Awards at the forum.

According to SALGA, the award for which the George Municipal Communications team was nominated, is for a communications team that is always proactive in its work. “It ensures that it takes part in information sharing, creates more awareness, or even profiles certain service delivery programmes and events. This team remains committed to actively participating in various platforms and programmes in the three spheres of Government. This is quite an outstanding team indeed!”

“We would like to congratulate our communication team for doing outstanding work that caught the attention of the SALGA adjudication team, as there was no entry submitted. This certainly is a sign that the George Municipal Communication team strives to ensure that the municipality communicates in an effective, transparent, coordinated and professional manner, which increases public confidence in the municipality and participation in the municipal processes,” said Dr Michele Gratz, George Municipal Manager.

The George Municipal Communication team comprises Chantel Edwards (Communications Manager), Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe (Senior Communication Officer) and Debra Sauer (Communication Officer).

#salgancf23
Watch highlights of the Award Ceremony:
https://fb.watch/jU1ROmVE8B/?mibextid=Nif5oz

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From left: Chantel Edwards (Communications Manager), Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe (Senior Communications Officer) and Debra Sauer (Communications Officer)

The George Municipality’s five-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and which was adopted in May 2022 is currently being reviewed and the Municipality encourages the citizens of George, including Uniondale and surrounds to participate meaningfully and be part of the development of the city.

George Municipality, like all local municipalities in South Africa, must use the IDP as a method to plan the future development of its area. The IDP, according to Lauren Waring, the George Municipality director for Human Settlements, Planning and Development and Property Management, the IDP is an approach to planning that involves the entire municipality and its citizens in finding the best solutions to achieve good long-term development.

“The IDP is a super plan for an area that gives an overall framework for development. It aims to coordinate the work of local and other spheres of government in a coherent plan to improve the quality of life for all the people living in an area. It should consider the existing conditions and problems and resources available for development. The plan should look at economic and social development for the area. It must set a framework for how land should be used, what infrastructure and services are needed and how the environment should be protected,” Waring added.

The Municipal Systems Act (MSA) and Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) require municipalities to review their five-year IDP and budget documents annually to remain relevant and respond to the municipality’s developmental needs. The MSA further requires that municipalities create an opportunity to encourage local communities to participate in municipal matters such as the IDP and budget.

Public Participation engagements underway

“Between 11 and 18 April 2023, the George Municipality conducts a series of meetings with ward committees who are representing both the geographical setting and existing sectors within the 28 wards in the George Municipal area,” Waring said. “The wards are clustered to meet at different venues to discuss the draft IDP and the draft budget.

The George Municipality furthermore extends an invitation to the citizens from all 28 wards to comment on the following documents:
• Draft 1st Review of the 5th Generation Integrated Development Plan (IDP) 2023/2024
• The Draft Medium Term and Revenue Expenditure Framework (MTREF) 2023/24 – 2025/26 and the Draft Property Taxes, Tariffs, New and Revised Budget-related Policies for 2023/24, as envisaged by Section 17 of the MFMA for the George Municipality

The above documents are available for inspection, public representation, inputs, and comments. The set of Council resolutions and all other relevant documents are made public at all libraries and ward offices during normal office hours and are also displayed on the George Municipality’s website at: www.george.gov.za. Hard copies of the above-mentioned documents are also available at all libraries and area offices in the George Municipal precinct.

Submission of IDP and budget comments

Comments must be in writing and addressed to the Municipal Manager, PO Box 19, George 6530, or to WhatsApp: 060 779 7634; or sent to the following email address: idp@george.gov.za, clearly stating “Comments: Draft Amendment of the 5th Generation IDP 2022 – 2027 or Draft Budget 2023/24 – 2025/26”.

Persons wishing to comment on the Draft Budget documentation (inclusive of the policies and tariffs/charges), but cannot read or write will be assisted during office hours by the Manager: Budgets: Mr Renaldo Coetzee at rcoetzee@george.gov.za or 044 8019122

Ward Councillors and ward committee members wishing to comment on the Amendment of the 5th Generation IDP 2022 – 2027, but cannot read or write will be assisted during office hours by the IDP Officer Mrs Ronel Le Fleur- Valla at rlefleur@george.gov.za, Fourth Floor, York Street, George. Alternatively, at 044 801 9075.

The public participation closing date for comments is Tuesday, 25 April 2023 at 16:30.

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