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Author: Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe

PUBLIC NOTICE: THE WORKER’S COLLECTION POINT IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE: THE WORKER’S COLLECTION POINT IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

The Workers’ Collection Point has been temporarily closed with effect from 8 August 2022 until further notice. This point is situated at Industrial Avenue in George and was established for private individuals and businesses to make use of it as a central point for those who wish to collect workers.

For further enquiries, please contact the Economic Development department for any queries at 044 801 9477, extension 9994.

Issued by George Municipality

6 August 2022

ESKOM LOAD SHEDDING UPDATE 5-7 AUG 2022

ESKOM LOAD SHEDDING UPDATE 5-7 AUG 2022
Issued by George Municipality

Friday, 05 August 2022: Due to the continued shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 load shedding is currently being implemented until midnight. Stage 2 load shedding will again be implemented during the evening peak period of 16:00-24:00 both on Saturday and Sunday.

George will be affected as follows:

Friday 05/08/2022
20:00 to 22:30

Saturday 06/08/2022
20:00 to 22:30

Sunday 07/08/2022
None

Uniondale will be affected as follows:

Friday 05/08/2022
16:00 to 17:30
23:00 to 00:30

Saturday 06/08/2022
23:00 to 00:30

Sunday 07/08/2022
None

PUBLIC NOTICE: MUNICIPALITY CLOSED ON PUBLIC HOLIDAY (WOMEN’S DAY)

PUBLIC NOTICE: MUNICIPALITY CLOSED ON PUBLIC HOLIDAY (WOMEN’S DAY)

Please note that the George Municipality offices will be closed on Tuesday, 09 August 2022 for Women’s Day, a public holiday. After-hours emergencies: 044 801 6300. Fire emergencies: 044 801 6311

REFUSE COLLECTION ON WOMEN’S DAY, 9 AUGUST 2022

Refuse (black, green, and blue bags) will be collected as per the normal schedule on Women’s Day Tuesday, 09 August 2022.

Businesses ARE REQUESTED TO PLEASE ONLY put REFUSE BAGS OUT on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays AND only at designated spots, not on the sidewalk.

REFUSE REMOVAL: GENERAL

All refuse bags; black, green, and blue, must be put out by 07:00 am on the removal day ONLY.
Only 4 green bags are allowed, and unlimited blue bags.

All black bags will be collected on the Public Holiday (09 August 2022) and can also be substituted or combined with bundles of branches/ garden waste. Bundles must not be too big for one person to pick up OR more than 1m in length.

Broken glass should be wrapped in a newspaper when thrown into bags to prevent injuries to workers. Bulky waste must be disposed of at the Gwaiing Landfill Site on R102. The Gwaiing landfill site will be open Monday to Friday from 7:00 until 19:00, Saturdays and Public Holidays from 7:00 until 15:00 (except Christmas Day).

CONTACT
George Municipality Environmental Services
82 Meade Street, George. Phone 044 802 2900
Black bag-related enquiries: 044 802 2900
Blue and green bag enquiries: LGE Waste, 044 878 0688/ lgewaste@gmail.com

MAYOR APPLAUDS THE CIVIL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT FOR ‘METICULOUSLY’ PERFORMING EMERGENCY REPAIR WORK OF THE EDEN SEWER PUMP STATION

The George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Department successfully and meticulously executed a five-day emergency repair work into the Eden Sewage Pump Station.

The executive mayor of George, Alderman Leon van Wyk commended the team for their success. “I would like to congratulate the team for painstakingly repairing the pump station. The pump station was experiencing frequent and costly breakdowns, and this threatened the integrity of the sewage system it serves. We can safely say that the emergency repair work was completed excellently and I’m happy to confirm that the pumps are up and running again.”

According to Deon de Jager, Deputy Director for water and sanitation in the George Municipality, one of the isolating valves on the delivery manifold of the sewer pump station failed, therefore the Municipality had to cut in a new isolating valve on the sewer rising main outside the pump station to isolate the effluent inside the sewer rising main to enable us to replace the isolating valve on the pump station delivery manifold.

“The emergency work was completed from Saturday 23 July to the morning of 28 July at 5h30, with the most important part taking place on Wednesday night 27 July, from 08h00 to the morning of 28 July 2022 at 05h30,” de Jager said.

“All work was completed, but the emergency has been minimised with two duty pumps available to pump sewage from the Eden Pump Station.”

The work was completed with no incidents, and the raising-main (pump-line) is operational with 2 x pumps available to pump into the rising main that can now be isolated for emergency and maintenance purposes.

Stakeholders involved include George Municipality which managed the sewage sumps with honey-suckers and Fire Department provided lighting. The replacement of valves inside the pump station was done by Coastal Armatures, meanwhile, Hidro -Tech / Rudcor – Manufacturing specialists assisted with cutting in a T-Piece and isolating valve on the rising main and constructing emergency overflow. IX Engineers and Sharples Environmental assisted the Municipality with the facilitation of the emergency works.  Other stakeholders assisting the Municipality on the legal and compliance side included the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) and Breede Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA).

 

Mayor van Wyk also thanked residents of the affected areas. “I would also like to thank the residents of Eden, Denver Park and Loerie Park for heeding our call to use water sparingly and limit water discharge into the sewer network.”

Ends.

 

UPDATE: REPAIRS ON GOING TO THE HEROLDS BAY SEWER PUMP STATION RISING MAIN

UPDATE: HEROLDS BAY SEWER PUMP PIPE TO BE REPAIRED ON FRIDAY

The Herolds Bay sewer pump station rising main failed this morning resulting in spillage in Gericke Street. The Civil Engineering Services teams immediately attended to the situation.

The rising main has been exposed. The repair work on the pipe is currently in process. The delay in exposing the pipe is due to other existing services crossing the pipework and breaking of the concrete encasement on sections of the pipeline.

Meanwhile, the public and residents in Herold’s Bay are kindly requested to use water sparingly during this time and to discharge as little water as possible into the sewer network.

The pipe will only be repaired by tomorrow (Friday, 5 August). Teams indicated that the pipe cracked further into the concrete.

Issued by George Municipality

4 August 2022

17:40

NATIS BACK ONLINE

NATIS BACK ONLINE

Natis which was offline earlier today, due to a national outage is now back online. The Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR), Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) and Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) are now able to render all traffic-related services.

Issued by George Municipality

4 August 2022

10:30

 

NATIS SYSTEM DOWN COUNTRYWIDE AFFECTING MVR, VTS AND DLTC

Natis is currently offline at Motor Vehicle Registration (MVR), Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) and Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC). We have been informed by the Department of Transport that NATIS is down countrywide. This means that customers cannot be assisted with traffic-related services.

Issued by George Municipality

4 August 2022

09:25

SEWER PUMP FAILURE IN HEROLDS BAY

SEWER PUMP FAILURE IN HEROLDS BAY

Herolds Bay Sewer Pump Station Rising Main Failure. The affected area by the sewer spill is Gericke Street. Residents to take note of the sewer spill. GM teams attending to the remedial works

time of repair by approximately 1 pm.

Issued by George Mun

 

ESKOM LOAD SHEDDING UPDATE

ESKOM LOAD SHEDDING UPDATE

Issued by George Mun

3 Aug 2022 @ 20:25

 

Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented at 05:00-16:00; then will increase to Stage 4 at 16:00 – 24:00 tomorrow due to the continued shortage of generation capacity

 

George will be affected as follows:

Thursday 04/08/2022

06:00 to 08:30

14:00 to 16:30

22:00 to 00:30

 

Friday 05/08/2022

12:00 to 14:30

20:00 to 22:30

 

Uniondale will be affected as follows:

Thursday 04/08/2022

09:00 to 11:30

17:00 to 19:30

 

Friday 05/08/2022

15:00 to 17:30

23:00 to 00:30

ESKOM’S LOAD SHEDDING UPDATE 3&4 AUG 2022: GEORGE & UNIONDALE

Due to the shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 16:00 – 24:00 this afternoon and tomorrow – Eskom.

George will be affected as follows:

Wednesday 03/08/2022
None

Thursday 04/08/2022
None

Uniondale will be affected as follows:

Wednesday 03/08/2022
None

Thursday 04/08/2022
17:00 to 19:30

Issued by George Municipality
3 August 2022

UPDATE: WATER TANKER AND EXCAVATOR TO BE USED FOR LANDFILL SITE FIRE

UPDATE: WATER TANKER AND EXCAVATOR TO BE USED FOR LANDFILL SITE FIRE

The fire flared up again from about 02h00 this morning as the smouldering pile was ignited by the wind this morning. The bulldozer is currently on site covering the spots that are ablaze with topsoil.

There seems to be a creep of the fire from the area where it started yesterday shifting towards the front but also still on the slope. It is still safe for the clients to access the area and continue with operations as normal. There is a bit of smoke which should subside once the dozer has effectively covered the area.

We have also hired a water tanker and Excavator to assist with extinguishing the fire. We will keep you updated as we progress.

Issued by George Municipality
3 August 2022
18:00

 

UPDATE: FIRE STARTED AGAIN THIS MORNING AT THE LANDFILL SITE BUT IS UNDER CONTROL

The fire started again at about 2h00 this morning as the smouldering pile was ignited by the wind this morning. The bulldozer is currently on site covering the spots that are ablaze with topsoil. There seems to be a creep of the fire from the area where it burns now towards the front but also still on the slope. It is still safe for the clients to access the area and continue with operations as normal. There is a bit of smoke which should subside once the dozer has effectively covered the area.

Issued by George Municipality

3 August 2022

08:15

CAPTION: Pacaltsdorp passengers may need to take an earlier bus to reach work or school on time.

Construction work in York Street will impact bus service

Construction of two new traffic circles in York Street starting shortly will impact road users, including the GO GEORGE bus service.

Work on the planned circles on the section of road between the Hope Street circle and the George Link bus depot, near Mount View Resort, will start on the 5th of August if all goes according to plan, and will last until at least the end of the year. The circles are required to accommodate the additional traffic which is expected to be generated by proposed developments in the area and are funded by private stakeholders.

According to Morné Lakay, acting GO GEORGE Manager, no rerouting of buses is being planned. “Since the project will be executed with one lane open at all times, we will be able to keep our Pacaltsdorp buses on route, but passengers will unfortunately have to prepare for delays, especially during peak times,” he said. “For this reason, we encourage passengers to take an earlier bus than usual, to still reach work and school on time. We apologise for the inconvenience but trust that everybody will find a way to plan around the delays which are out of our control.”

Affected bus stops

The two Skatelab bus stops close to the George Link bus depot will be closed during the construction period, with passengers normally using these stops being requested to use their closest alternative stop in the area. Stop Hope 112 between the Mount View entrance and the Hope Street circle will temporarily be moved to the bridge side of the circle for passengers’ convenience.

Passengers who need assistance with planning their trips are welcome to phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre on 0800 044 044 or send an email to info@gogeorge.org.za.

 

 

Possibility of load shedding on Tuesday to Thursday

Due to the shortage of generation capacity, Stage 2 load shedding might be implemented at short notice between 16:00 and 24:00 over the next three days (Eskom)

If Eskom implements stage 2, then George will be affected as follows:

Tuesday 02/08/2022
22:00 to 00:30

Wednesday 03/08/2022
None

Thursday 04/08/2022
None

If Eskom implements stage 2, then Uniondale will be affected as follows:

Tuesday 02/08/2022
None

Wednesday 03/08/2022
None

Thursday 04/08/2022
17:00 to 19:30

POWER SUPPLY RESTORED IN PARKDENE

The power supply is restored in Parkdene, except for the Meul River pump station which will remain off until the repairs are done.

 

Issued by George Mun

2 August 2022

10:43

 

UNPLANNED POWER OUTAGE IN PARKDENE

There is an unplanned power outage in Parkdene. A contractor has damaged our poles, lines and cables with a JCB vehicle. We are trying to restore all clients from alternative feeds. The Meul Rivier pump station can only be energised when the repairs are done.

Issued by George Municipality
2 August 2022
10:25

PLANNED POWER INTERRUPTION SUPPLY CHANGED TO ALTERNATIVE DATE

PLANNED POWER INTERRUPTION SUPPLY CHANGED TO ALTERNATIVE DATE

A planned interruption of electricity supply that was scheduled to take place in the portion of Dormehlsdrift (Panorama, Windsor, St John, Victoria, Progress and Ivy Streets) on Tuesday, 2 August 2023 went ahead in the morning for 11 minutes only.

This was due to additional faulty equipment that was discovered on the remote end. Therefore, the area was switched back on and the planned power supply interruption will continue tomorrow’s alternative outage date of 3 August 2022 between 09:00 and 16:00 in the same area, as the additional faulty equipment must first be attended to, today.

The purpose of the planned power interruption supply is to modify 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.

Issued by George Mun

2 August 2022

 

 

 

FIRE BROKE OUT AT THE GWAIING LANDFILL SITE

A fire started at the Landfill site last night. The fire department was on site this morning to extinguish the fire. The burning area, however, is not easily accessible.

A bulldozer has been arranged to dump the soil in the area, to extinguish the fire.

Issued by George Mun

2 Aug 2022

08:20

GO GEORGE SCHEDULES ON NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

GO GEORGE SCHEDULES ON NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Issued 1 Aug 2022

 

With National Women’s Day coming up on Tuesday 9 August, GO GEORGE passengers need to take note that the Saturday bus schedules will be followed on this public holiday.

For any enquiries, please phone the GO GEORGE Call Centre on 0800 044 044, or visit the GO GEORGE Facebook, or the web page (www.gogeorge.org.za) where all routes, maps and schedules can be viewed and downloaded.

 

PERSVRYSTELLING: GO GEORGE-SKEDULE OP VROUEDAG

Uitgereik 1 Aug 2022

 

Met Nasionale Vrouedag voor die deur, is dit belangrik vir GO GEORGE-passasiers om kennis te neem dat die Saterdagskedules gevolg sal word op hierdie openbare vakansiedag, Dinsdag 9 Augustus.

Vir enige navrae, skakel gerus die GO GEORGE-inbelkantoor by 0800 044 044, of besoek die GO GEORGE Facebook- of webblad (www.gogeorge.or.za) waar alle roetes, kaarte en skedules besigtig of afgelaai kan word.

INVITATION TO COMMENT ON THE DRAFT STANDARD EVENT PERMITTING POLICY

INVITATION TO COMMENT ON THE DRAFT STANDARD EVENT PERMITTING POLICY

The Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) is in the process to review the existing municipal policies and by-laws across the Western Cape that are related to event permitting.

The DEDAT’s appointed service provider, Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) has developed a draft Standard Event Permitting Policy that will then be adopted, with minor customisation, for use by Municipalities across the Western Cape Province. The service provider will then be required to develop a set of model by-laws for Event Permitting to assist municipalities within the province to regulate and process the issuing of permits for the events industry.

As a key part of the finalization of the model policy and subsequent development of the by-law, key inputs are sought from stakeholders within the events industry on the prescripts of the policy (highlighting any foreseen impacts – both positive and negative). These initial inputs will form the basis of a subsequent engagement between the events industry, which will be scheduled in August.

Accordingly, it is requested that comments on the draft policy be submitted to DEDAT via Benson.Mchunu@westerncape.gov.za and Pontsho.Mfolo@westerncape.gov.za by Wednesday 3 August 2022.

Please see the attached notice for your review:

ECON-063-21-Standard-Policy-V3-20220707-EVENTS.pdf (george.gov.za)

NOTIFICATION OF THE INTERRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

PLANNED POWER OUTAGE – 2 August 2022
Issued George Municipality, 28 July 2022

NOTIFICATION OF THE INTERRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY.

THE FOLLOWING AREAS WILL BE AFFECTED:
PORTION OF DORMEHLSDRIFT – PANORAMA, WINDSOR, ST JOHN, VICTORIA, PROGRESS, IVY STREETS

NOTICE is hereby given that the electricity supply will be interrupted on TUESDAY 02 AUGUST 2022 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 WEDNESDAY 03 AUGUST 2022 FROM 09H00 TO 16H00

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

KENNISGEWING VAN DIE ONDERBREKING VAN DIE ELEKTRIESE TOEVOER.

DIE VOLGENDE AREAS SAL GERAAK WORD:
GEDEELTE VAN DORMEHLSDRIFT – PANORAMA, WINDSOR, ST JOHN, VICTORIA, PROGRESS, IVY STRATE

KENNISGEWING geskied hiermee dat die elektriese toevoer onderbreek sal word op DINSDAG 02 AUGUSTUS 2022 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 WOENSDAG 03 AUGUSTUS 2022 VANAF 09H00 TOT 16H00

Mayor’s newsletter for George Herald of 28 July 2022

Following a recent discussion with some citizens about the new electricity tariff structure that was introduced from 1 July 2022, I believe it is useful to provide the following explanation.

George is one of the last municipalities to shift over to the separation of fixed and energy charges for electricity as required by NERSA. The principle being applied is that there needs to be a recovery (in the form of a fixed charge) for the operational and maintenance costs relating to the fixed network infrastructure owned by the municipality valued at R2,5 billion. This network comprises the transformers, substations, powerlines, etc.  This makes up the distribution network that delivers energy to households and businesses. Each consumer has a different capacity requirement depending on their specific needs and usage patterns.

Due to the tariff changes, all customers had to be placed in a certain capacity. The Municipality has used the historical kWh usage patterns to determine this capacity. Although this is not a definitive factor to determine the capacity required it is the most realistic data available.  If the actual installed capacity were to be applied, the majority of consumers would be on 60 Amps which would expose consumers to a fixed charge of more than R350 per month.  That is why consumers are requested to make the selection themselves or remain with the capacity selected by the municipality based on historical consumption.

In this way, domestic consumers using less than an average of 600 units (Kilowatt Hours) monthly (approximately 75% of domestic users) are placed on a 20 Amp capacity. If they manage their load well, they should be able to function on this capacity. A 20 Amp supply is equal to 4.6 kW.  There are on average 730 hours in a month which means if used continuously more than 3300 kWh can be consumed per month.  A consumer using 600 units per month therefore only uses about 18% of the capacity of the supply.

If a consumer is able to manage with 20 Amp capacity, they will only pay an all-inclusive tariff (240 cents/unit plus VAT) without the additional basic or capacity charge. A consumer using more than 600 units may require 30-40 Amp capacity depending on their usage patterns. The capacity needed is determined by different appliances being used simultaneously. A geyser would require 15-16 Amps while water is being heated, while hairdryers could use 7-8 Amps. Other appliances such as kettles, toasters, ovens or tumble-dryers would require capacities between these ranges.

The capacity charge has been introduced for those domestic consumers using more than a 20 Amp capacity. There will be a lower energy charge of 208 cents (plus VAT) for users paying fixed and capacity charges.

Consumers should call 044 801 9243 during office hours (with account and meter numbers at hand) to select their Amp capacity or email their request to elec.applications@george.gov.za

 

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED RENEWABLE ENERGY INITIATIVES SHOW GEORGE MUNICIPALITY’S PROACTIVENESS TO ADDRESS THE ELECTRICITY CRISIS IN THE COUNTRY – MAYOR VAN WYK

The George Municipality is proud to announce that it has already heeded President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to contribute to interventions to overcome the scarcity of energy in South Africa as the Municipality has already embarked on several renewable energy projects, to address the power requirements of our own buildings and facilities.
 
Reacting to President Ramaphosa’s address on the electricity crisis in South Africa on Monday evening, 25 July 2022, the Executive Mayor of George, Ald Leon van Wyk said: “We are pleased to confirm that the George Council has already been proactive in finding solutions to the crisis South Africa faces on electricity shortages. Two weeks ago, we widely issued a media release announcing the envisaged installation of Photovoltaic (PV) solar plants projects in our facilities and buildings to reduce Energy Consumption from Eskom and thereby cutting down on electricity costs and increasing sustainability.”
 
“We are also boldly driving the building of a total of 10 MWp PV Solar plants (1 MWp plus 8-9MWp). The municipality has been proactive in simultaneously negotiating with Eskom on load curtailment and discussing funding solutions, bearing in mind that every 1 MW costs roughly an R18million to install. Our Electrotechnical Directorate will be going forward to evaluate projects received from independent private producers, to determine the next steps as well as the feasibility of some of these proposals. The municipality is also finalising work on the scaled-up Solar Projects and Battery Storage, and once concluded will be announced to the public. Much of the work we are undertaking is pioneering in the local government space,” Mayor van Wyk added.
 
The seven envisaged projects to be rolled out over the next three years:
• 400 kilowatt peak (kWp) PV at the Outeniqua wastewater treatment facility
• 500 kWp at the PV Gwaing Wastewater treatment facility
• 400 kWp PV plant at the Denneoord New Water Works facility
• 20 kWp PV + 40-kilowatt hour (kWh) battery storage for the Electrotechnical Services building
• 4 kWp PV + 10 kWh battery storage for the Tourism building
• 1 kWp PV + 5 kWh battery storage for Schaapkop substation
• 1 MWp solar farm (ERF464 – Municipal land)
• 8-9 MWp bigger solar farm (location still to be finalised)
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0798.JPG

“A footprint of PV solar plant installation in one of the municipal properties has already been created. The 300 Kilo Watt peak solar plant at the Civic Centre parking lot was the first solar project to be completed and was commissioned last year September and has already demonstrated positive results. The energy produced from the system supplies the Civic building and the excess flows into the grid and supplies the neighbouring houses.”

 
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0817.JPG

“The Municipality also recently announced that Forty (40) major road intersections in George are free from Eskom’s load shedding, planned and unplanned power outages and the traffic flow continues seamlessly. This is due to the installation of the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) units that energise the traffic lights during outages.”

 
“George is ready to be a party in solving this problem as the Council has also recently approved a policy on Renewable Energy Policy that essentially facilitates the commitment of George to a resilient, integrated municipal energy system with a diversified energy mix to provide the least-cost, reliable energy for our residents and businesses”
“It is critical that George can integrate more renewable energy to keep electricity prices down to aid the provision of low-cost energy to residents and businesses to drive economic growth and job creation,” Ald van Wyk concluded.
 
Ends.