Author: Ntobeko Mangqwengqwe

In order to raise the standard of hospitality service in the area, while creating an enabling environment for both employers and job seekers in the industry, the tourism section of George Municipality has joined forces with the Department of Employment and Labour in George to host a job matching event on the 21^st of July 2022 at the George Municipality’s Banquet Hall.

The Department of Employment and Labour has identified 38 prospective, qualified job seekers to match the 30 vacancies identified by George Tourism, along with their industry partners.

Vacancies identified are varied and range from Cleaners, Room Attendants to Spa Attendants and Therapists, Receptionists, Housekeeping Supervisors, Reservationists and Receptionists and also several Management Positions.  There are also positions for catering staff, including chefs.

The project was initiated in April last year and is finally coming to fruition.  Joan Shaw, Tourism Manager said “The idea was inspired when I was fortunate enough to meet Sulette Cronjé, Career Counsellor at the Department of Employment and Labour.  We discovered our common passion for getting people employed.  Matching the right person to the right job is paramount, and I have been ably assisted by both Melanie Martins, our Community Tourism Development Officer and Lindi Harley, our Product Specialist to make our vision a reality.”

If you are looking for hospitality staff and want to participate, you have a last chance to register your vacant posts with Melanie Martins, on mmartins@george.gov.za or if you are a job-seeker with the relevant experience or qualifications for any of the posts above, you can still register with the Department of Employment and Labour to be selected, but only until Friday, 15 July 2022.

ENDS

Caption: Joan Shaw & Melanie Martins finalising the program for the Speed Dating Event.

The new 66/11 kV 40 MVA electrical substation which is currently under construction in Thembalethu, will not only improve reliability and provide adequate capacity of electrical supply to the area but is also one of the largest of its kind in the Southern Cape and a major bulk infrastructure milestone for the city. The new substation will alleviate load on the substations that are currently supplying Thembalethu and serves as an important catalyst for investment funding from both the state and business.

“George Municipality is a key growth area for many investors, but it requires certain very expensive bulk infrastructure to support the growth. The allocation of supportive funding from the national Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to build this substation signals trust in the local authority to facilitate growth and service delivery. In turn, the municipality can provide the kind of infrastructure required for outside manufacturers and business to invest and for housing supportive facilities to be developed across the municipal area,” said Executive Mayor Leon Van Wyk.

Adequate capacity will be provided
Municipality Director for Electrotechnical Services, Bongani Mandla said when completed, the substation will provide power to Thembalethu and other suburbs east of the N2 that are currently supplied from substations across the highway. The overall impact on the city’s grid will be adequate capacity for a growing city and more reliable supply to especially the eastern areas,” said Mr Mandla.

Construction Update
Construction on the Thembalethu 66kV substation will run across three financial years. The first phase, costing about R30-million, is funded two thirds by the municipality and the rest by the Integrated National Electrification Programme grant (INEP) of the national Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. The entire project is costed at an estimated R58 million.

The construction is well underway with the civil engineering works to construct an engineered platform for the new substation. The construction of the platform, roadworks, oil dam, concrete plinths, installation of the watermains, sewer lines, the erection of the security fence and electrical infrastructure, that form part of the platform, are due for completion by the end of October 2022. The electrical design and procurement of material as per the final design for the electrical works has progressed well and this includes the steel supports, switchgear, earth mat, electrical protection and ripple control.

The substation’s construction consists mostly of the manufacturing, supply and installation of 11 kV and 66 kV equipment, two new 66/11 kV 20MVA power transformers and ancillary protection and control equipment and will commence early in 2023.

Background:
The planning for the substation goes as far back as 20 years ago, when the Ballots Bay 11 kV substation in the southern part of Thembalethu was established. This 11 kV substation project at the time also made provision for a 66 kV substation. The electrical masterplans for George indicated that a 66 kV substation would be needed in the future. An Environmental Impact Study (EIA) was finalized in 2008 to gain approval for the 66 kV powerline routes to the various proposed substations in George which included the powerlines to Thembalethu.

In 2011, the new 132 kV Schaapkop substation was established to provide sufficient capacity after the existing ESKOM bulk supply had reached capacity in George. The bulk municipal electrical supply to Thembalethu also reached capacity and had to be increased to enable the electrification program to continue. Funds were provided for the first phase of the establishment of the municipal 66 kV substation and the 66 kV power line from SS Protea in Pacaltsdorp to Thembalethu was built in 2014/15. This power line is energized at 11 kV to supplement the capacity and will be energized at 66 kV to supply the new 66 kV substation once it is completed.

During a UISP* (Upgrading of Informal Settlements Programme ) community presentation in Thembalethu on July 2014, the public was updated about an analysis completed to determine the impact of the additional electrical load on the existing Thembalethu electrical network as a result of the electrification projects that had been completed. At this stage the first section of the 66 kV power line between Protea substation and Thembalethu’s 66/11 kV substation would have to be established and operated on 11 kV before any further electrification can take place. Further urgent upgrades included the establishment of the municipal 66/11 kV substation.

The electrification of the formalised, as well as informal areas in Thembalethu, cannot continue without the upgrading of the bulk services in Thembalethu. The establishment of the substation is a key project in this regard. Subsequently, the 66 kV power line section between Thembalethu and the Glenwood Substation in Knysna Road has also been completed to place the new Thembalethu 66 kV substation on a ring feed.

Ends.

Photograph for illustrative purposes only.

Please watch the Director for Electrotechnical Services, Bongani Mandla https://youtu.be/3Z75D-RbhG8
Please watch the Portfolio Cllr for Electrotechnical Services, Nosicelo Mbete https://youtube.com/shorts/kdpI0-pNbwg?feature=share

The Council meeting held on 30 June 2022 brought to a conclusion a half-year during which Council approved a vast number of Policies and Strategies. That meeting involved 52 items covering almost 2500 pages.

At the outset I would like to congratulate and thank the management team led by Dr Gratz, each of the Directors, senior staff members and the rest of the team who researched and prepared each of these documents. As citizens we owe an enormous gratitude to this team for their dedication and determination to turn George around and to ensure that policies, by-laws and strategies have been updated to a benchmark standard.

A new set of staffing regulations for municipal employees has been introduced in legislation to take effect from 1 July. This meant a multitude of staffing policies had to be prepared and approved. We approved the land use items for three new water reservoirs to be constructed in Pacaltsdorp and Thembalethu. At Electro-tech, the renewable energy strategy, electricity master plan for the 66KV network and an approach for the electrification of informal areas was approved.

At Panning and Housing, a review report for the zoning scheme received attention, along with the policy on telecommunication infrastructure, problem premises, outdoor advertising, street naming, priority housing development areas, sustainable human settlements, emergency accommodation and the unlawful land occupation bylaw. Other items included the regional waste management facility, information technology, the appointment of a water leaks team, revised rules of order and delegation of powers.

Our management team has worked long hours at night and over weekends to complete these reports. Over the past few months as batches of these policies are completed, they have been dealt with by Council to ensure that progress takes place.

The Council meeting had to be managed for completion within the painful constraints of loadshedding. Residents will no doubt have noticed that many of our traffic lights are operating during loadshedding following a program to implement uninterrupted power supply systems at 40 intersections.

Over the past few weeks we have engaged at senior management level with a major optic fibre provider in an effort to improve communication regarding the timing of technical upgrades to that network. We have also met with significant property developers to identify their expectations. In early June, during a First Thursday engagement we suggested that a property development forum chapter be established in George. We are very proud that these stakeholders effected its establishment before the end of June.

Lastly, the South African Local Government Association has released a pilot perceptions surveys ranking the 19 intermediate cities. George is ranked as the best performing well ahead of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, the next placed cities.