Notice Archive

George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services has made significant progress and restored water supply to Rietvlei in Uniondale.

Municipal teams successfully installed a steel cable across the Kammannassie River at the point where the bridge and raw water pipeline were washed away during the storm on Thursday, 8 May 2026. A temporary water pipeline was anchored to the cable, and water is now flowing to Rietvlei for the first time in a week.

In addition, raw water provision arrangem   ents remain in place to ensure sufficient raw water supply to the Uniondale Water Treatment Facility that feeds the rest of Uniondale, while materials are being sourced for permanent repairs to the damaged pipeline.

Residents in Uniondale and Haarlem are urged to use water sparingly and to adhere to current water restrictions while permanent repairs are being completed.

STORM DAMAGE TO ROADS

The recent storm also caused significant damage to local roads:

13 roads in Haarlem have been damaged.
11 roads in Uniondale have been damaged.

Motorists are requested to obey temporary road signs and to follow the instructions of municipal personnel and contractors working on site.

GEORGE WATER SUPPLY RESTORED

George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services has successfully restored the following weather-related water outages in the George area:
Whites Road, Wilderness
Sprigg Street, Twee Rivieren
Glenwood Avenue
Mossie Street, Denver Park
Rooiels Street, Heather Park
Victoria Heights

CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS

A fallen tree on 7 Passes Road damaged a water supply pipe. Tien Myl Avenue and a portion of 7 Passes Road is without water
7 Passes Road Wilderness

The affected section has been isolated. A contractor is currently cutting and removing the tree. Due to the location of the damaged pipeline in a heavily wooded area and limited daylight hours, repair work will continue tomorrow morning.

The estimated time of restoration is 11:00 on Saturday, 16 May 2026.

REPORT WATER AND STORMWATER ISSUES

George Area – Civil Engineering Services Customer Care
044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 9354 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 6300 (after hours)

Uniondale
Voortrekker Street, Town Hall
044 752 1024 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 6300 (after hours)

Haarlem
Berg Street, Grobbelaar Building
044 763 1013 (07:45–16:30)
044 801 6300 (after hours)

Please note that telephone lines may be unclear due to the current disaster situation and high call volumes. Residents are kindly requested to be patient and to call again if they are unable to hear the operator clearly.

REPORTING MUNICIPAL FAULTS
Residents are encouraged to report non-emergency municipal issues via:

Email: gmun@george.gov.za
My Smart City – George App (available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and via web access)
GENERAL CONTACT
Municipal Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45–16:30)
After Hours: 044 801 6300

Workers busy with coupling the pipeline at Rietvlei.

The fully installed temporary pipeline at Rietvlei crossing the Kammannassie River.

George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services continues to focus on restoring the raw water supply to Uniondale following severe storm damage to the original pipeline.
The raw water pipeline supplying Uniondale was washed away during the recent storm.
Alternative raw water provision arrangements have been made by the Directorate to ensure sufficient raw water supply to the Uniondale Water Treatment Facility while materials are being sourced for permanent repairs to the damaged pipeline.
A water tanker remains on site in Rietvlei to provide water to affected residents until normal supply is fully restored.
Residents in Uniondale and Haarlem are urged to use water sparingly and to adhere to current water restrictions while permanent repairs are being completed.

STORM DAMAGE TO ROADS
The recent storm also caused significant damage to local roads:
• 13 roads in Haarlem have been damaged.
• 11 roads in Uniondale have been damaged.
Motorists are requested to obey temporary road signs and to follow the instructions of municipal personnel and contractors working on site.

GEORGE WATER SUPPLY RESTORED
George Municipality’s Civil Engineering Services has successfully restored all major weather-related water outages in the George area since yesterday.
The following outages have been resolved and water supply restored:
• Sprigg Street, Twee Rivieren
• Glenwood Avenue
• Mossie Street, Denver Park
• Rooiels Street, Heather Park
• Victoria Heights

CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS
Whites Road, Wilderness
A water outage occurred in Whites Road, Wilderness, this morning. A municipal team is currently assessing the situation.
REPORT WATER AND STORMWATER ISSUES
George Area – Civil Engineering Services Customer Care
• 044 801 9262 / 044 801 9266 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 9354 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Uniondale
• Voortrekker Street, Town Hall
• 044 752 1024 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Haarlem
• Berg Street, Grobbelaar Building
• 044 763 1013 (07:45–16:30)
• 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Please note that telephone lines may be unclear due to the current disaster situation and high call volumes. Residents are kindly requested to be patient and to call again if they are unable to hear the operator clearly.

REPORTING MUNICIPAL FAULTS
Residents are encouraged to report non-emergency municipal issues via:
• Email: gmun@george.gov.za
• My Smart City – George App (available on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and via web access)
GENERAL CONTACT
• Municipal Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45–16:30)
• After Hours: 044 801 6300
George Municipality thanks residents for their patience, cooperation and continued support while teams work to restore all services.

Photos:

A temporary pipeline that assist waterflow to Uniondale area.

Some of the water supply pipelines that washed away in Uniondale.

Images of the state of damaged roads in Haarlem.

Images of the state of damaged roads in Haarlem.

George Municipality will continue with clean-up operations across the city following the severe weather events experienced over the past two weeks.

Municipal Street Cleansing teams will continue working throughout the weekend together with Parks and Recreation teams, who are actively cutting up and removing felled trees and storm-related debris across affected areas.

TEMPORARY WOOD CHIPPERS
A temporary wood chipper has been placed at the corner of Merriman and Union Streets to assist residents with the disposal of storm-related tree branches and green waste. Residents may bring branches measuring between 6cm and 10cm in diameter for chipping instead of travelling to the landfill site.
In addition, residents may also drop off suitable storm-related green waste and tree material at the George Road sports grounds in Blanco, where material will be collected and chipped on-site. Chipping times at the Blanco site will be the same as the Merriman and Union Street site from tomorrow onwards.

The temporary chipping sites will operate:
Friday: 08h00 – 16h00
Saturday: 08h00 – 16h00
Sunday: 08h00 – 16h00

The temporary chipping sites have been established to assist with the increased volume of green waste resulting from fallen trees and storm damage across the municipality.

SKIPS AT KEY LOCATIONS
To support the wider clean-up effort, skips will be placed at key locations across the municipality and brown refuse bags will be made available to residents where possible.

EXTENDED LANDFILL SITE OPERATING HOURS
Saturday: 07h00 – 17h00
Sunday: 07h00 – 13h00

Residents are requested to cooperate with officials on-site and to ensure that only suitable green waste is brought to the facilities. No general household waste or building rubble will be accepted.
George Municipality thanks all residents, volunteers, businesses, and partner organisations for their continued support and cooperation during the disaster response period.

Residents please take note that green bag refuse collection will take place throughout the George and Wilderness areas tomorrow, Saturday, 16 May 2026.

Residents are kindly requested to place their green bags outside for collection before 07:00.

Please ensure that bags are securely tied and placed in a visible and accessible location for collection teams.

George Municipality thanks residents for their cooperation and patience as refuse removal services continue to return to normal following recent weather-related disruptions.

George Municipality will host a two-day training course on Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS), focusing on practical implementation and technical foundations.

The training forms part of the GIZ Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Water and Wastewater Management Project and supports the Municipality’s Sponge City goals.

The course is open to built environment professionals, consultants, engineers, planners, landscape architects, and members of the public.

Please RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/5ne8br7v

George Municipality advises the public that some municipal facilities and services are temporarily unavailable due to storm-related damage.

CLOSED FACILITIES
Worker Collection Point – 12 Industrial Street – operating from 4th floor, Main Municipal Building. Damage assessments will be conducted today

REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC
• BLANCO MVR – Open to the public
• Wilderness Tourism Offices
• EPWP Database Offices

INTERMITTENT TELEPHONE/ INTERNET SERVICE
The service provider has resolved all known issues with regard to telephone system.
1) Landfill Site and Social Development Offices -currently no internet or telephone connectivity available.
2) George Library – currently no internet or telephone connectivity available.
3) Blanco Library – power outage; no public internet access
4) Touwsranten Library – antenna damaged; no public internet access
5) Waboomskraal Library – no internet connection
6) Thembalethu Library – unstable and intermittent connectivity

GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS
Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45 – 16:30)
General public queries (non-emergency): gmun@george.gov.za

REPORTING MUNICIPAL ISSUES
Residents are encouraged to report non-emergency municipal-related issues via the My Smart City – George App or by emailing gmun@george.gov.za which provide a reference for your fault.

My Smart City – George App can be downloaded via the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via www.mysmart.city Residents may also scan the QR code printed on their municipal statement.

George Municipality thanks residents for their patience and cooperation during this challenging period.

George Municipality will continue with clean-up operations across the city following the severe weather events experienced over the past two weeks.

Municipal Street Cleansing teams will continue working throughout the weekend together with Parks and Recreation teams, who are actively cutting up and removing felled trees and storm-related debris across affected areas.

TEMPORARY WOOD CHIPPER
A temporary wood chipper has been placed at the corner of Merriman and Union Streets to assist residents with the disposal of storm-related tree branches and green waste. Residents may bring branches measuring between 6cm and 10cm in diameter for chipping instead of travelling to the landfill site.

The temporary chipping site has been established to assist with the increased volume of green waste resulting from fallen trees and storm damage across the municipality. The wood chipper will operate today from 08:00 to 16:00, Saturday 8:00 to 16:00 and Sunday 8:00 to 16:00.

SKIPS AT KEY LOCATIONS
To support the wider clean-up effort, skips will be placed at key locations across the municipality and brown refuse bags will be made available to residents where possible.

EXTENDED LANDFILL SITE OPERATING HOURS
Saturday: 07h00 – 17h00
Sunday: 07h00 – 13h00

Residents are requested to cooperate with officials on-site and to ensure that only suitable green waste is brought to the facility. No general household waste or building rubble will be accepted.

George Municipality thanks all residents, volunteers, businesses, and partner organisations for their continued support and cooperation during the disaster response period.

Following the strong winds experienced earlier this week, municipal electrical teams initially focused on restoring high-voltage and medium-voltage power lines to ensure that critical infrastructure, including water treatment works, wastewater treatment works, and sanitation systems, remained operational. Teams also assisted with Eskom-related outages where possible.

The Electrical Engineering Services Directorate has divided George area into six areas each supervised by a Senior Superintendent. Each Superintendent has a number of staff which can make up two or more teams to

to address multiple low-voltage outages across various affected areas in George.

Teams have been restoring substations and implementing quick repairs to reinstate the electricity supply. In several areas, however, poles were damaged, trees fell onto power lines, and infrastructure sustained significant storm damage. In these instances, restoration takes longer, and power lines are isolated for safety reasons. Members of the public are urged to always treat all power lines as live.

THE FOLLOWING PROCESS IS FOLLOWED WHERE TREES HAVE FALLEN ON POWER LINES:

• The line is isolated
• The tree is cut and removed
• Damaged poles are replaced
• Lines are restrung and secured to poles
• The line is re-energised

Please note that the re-energising process can take several hours.

George Municipality is aware of several hundred low-voltage complaints affecting individual houses and streets. These are being attended to systematically by the various teams.

Residents who have reported outages and received reference numbers can be assured that their complaints are receiving attention. At this stage, no estimated times of restoration (ETRs) can be provided.

WILDERNESS HEIGHTS RESTORED

Steyn line and 8 transformers in Wilderness Heights were restored (From Heights Road to Wilderness Heights. Only one customer down in Remskoen Ave)

POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED / PARTIALLY RESTORED IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

• Oubaai en Le Grand Estate restored
• Blanco (Du Plessis Street, Golden Valley Streets and Blanco MVR) restored.
• Rosemoor (Meester, Twight and Van Till Streets) restored.
• Zone 8, Thembalethu (restored)
• Portions of Victoria Bay (partially restored, excluding M. Lammers Antiques, Vodacom Tower and Overdale B&B)
• Power is restored in the Glenwood area, NMU George Campus is still off. The line there suffered multiple breaks and is being rebuilt completely.
• Dutoit line Geelhoutboom restored.
• Modderrivier line: Contractor did survey, will inform later when more of their resources are available
• Herold’s Bay line (3 customers). The terrain is very wet farmland with down slopes for crane trucks to enter. Once more resources are available, they will start.
• Gelderbloem, Sauer, and Chris, April Street repairs progressing well, vegetation cleared in Glenwood Ave
• Shallot Street restored
• Denneoord 100% restored
• Witpeer Street, Heatherlands (In progress)
• Outstanding Myrtle Street, Golden Valley (In progress)
• Power restored to Victoria Bay Blackwood Area
• Victoria Bay Heights restored
• Rademachers (restored)
• Pine Dew: The construction team will start tomorrow morning.  ETR 20:00 tomorrow.
• Hoekwil – Vegetation Contractor on site.
• Wilderness, pole excavation started on the main line.?
• Le Grand Line: restored
• Hansmoeskraal (in Progress)

AREAS STILL WITHOUT POWER:

The following customers and areas remain without electricity due to broken poles, damaged overhead feeder lines, and difficult terrain:

• La Vallia restoration still in progress
• Heather Park remains without power due to broken poles (David Murry, Airway, Cypress, Protea, Willow, Pine, Cluster streets)
• Turn off at Blue Whale remains off.
• Blanco (Maitland, George Road, Montagu, Die Rus) are still without power (area partially restored)
• Pacaltsdorp (Back Street, Heather Road)
• New Dawn Park (Aaron Street)
• Rosemoor (MS Miller Street)
• George CBD (Newton Street)
• Glenwood Avenue remains without power due to broken poles and damaged lines – Contractor will start repairs on Friday, 15 May
• Qawa Substation in Thembalethu remains offline due to overloading problems. Teams will continue with storm damage repairs this morning
• Bo Dorp (Pollie Gerber Street) (contractor will start with repairs on Friday 15 May in the morning
• Ballotsview, teams regrouped this morning to continue attending to outages in surrounding areas
• Portions of Victoria Bay (partially restored, excluding M. Lammers Antiques, Vodacom Tower and Overdale B&B)
• Pollie Gerber – Contractor will start with repairs on Friday, 25 May
• Hoekwil (vegetation and electrical teams will start tomorrow morning at 07:30 again)
• Portions of Pine Dew
• Elvis Blue
• Nursery
• Farmers’ Labourers’ Cottages
• Strawberry Farm
• Farmlands
• Woodlands / Du Toit line

PLEASE NOTE:

Service providers (local contractors) are currently assisting various municipalities across the Garden Route with storm-related electricity repairs. This may impact the progress of repair and electrification work within the George municipal area.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Telephone lines are currently experiencing high call volumes. If the phone rings without being answered immediately, this does not mean calls are being ignored; the system operates on a call-waiting basis. Please also note that calls may occasionally drop due to network congestion, which is a broader issue currently affecting George.

Members of the public are encouraged to report power outages or live cables via the following channels:

• Email: gmun@george.gov.za ( a reference number will be provided)
• After-hours and emergencies: 044 801 6300
• Office Switchboard: 044 801 9222 / 044 803 9222 (07:45 – 16:30)
• Customer Care: 044 801 9202 / 9258
• My Smart City APP

Photos:

The Electrical Engineering Directorate and contractors working into the night in Thembalethu.

Teams working in La Vallia, George on power outages.

George Electrical teams working iwell into the evening in Primrose Street, New Dawn Park.

The George Municipality Civil Engineering Customer Care continue to experience ongoing intermittent telephone service following severe storm damage caused by extreme high winds on 11 May.

We continue to experience significant difficulties where calls are connecting; and in many cases staff are unable to hear residents on the line due to technical disruptions.

To improve access during this period, all Civils Customer Care telephone lines have been diverted to mobile phones until 21:00 tonight. Emergency Repairs will be affected tomorrow.

Please note the following important temporary arrangements:
* There is no call queuing system in place during this diversion period
* Calls will either ring until answered or may return a busy signal depending on line capacity
* Residents are strongly encouraged to keep calling back if the line is not answered

We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate the public’s patience while our service provider continues restoration work.

REPORTING MUNICIPAL FAULTS
Residents are encouraged to continue reporting all non-emergency municipal issues via the following channels:
Email: gmun@george.gov.za
My Smart City – George App: My Smart City – George
(Available on Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or via website access)

GENERAL CONTACT
Switchboard: 044 801 9111 (07:45 – 16:30) and After Hours 044 801 6300

George Municipality thanks residents for their continued patience and cooperation during this challenging period.