Media Release: Garden Route Health Platform Update

For Immediate Release
4 September 2020

 GARDEN ROUTE HEALTH PLATFORM UPDATE

As of 4 September  2020, the Garden Route District has 9070 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Cases 

Garden Route cases and recoveries per subdistrict.

• Bitou 579 cases; 534 recoveries
• Knysna 1370 cases; 1275 recoveries
• George 3352 cases; 3079 recoveries
• Hessequa 275 cases; 252 recoveries
• Kannaland 110 cases; 106 recoveries
• Mossel Bay 2172 cases; 1998 recoveries
• Oudsthoorn 1212 cases; 959 recoveries

The Garden Route has recorded 309 Covid-19 deaths.

Hospitalisation

From our latest available information, there are currently 97 patients admitted in public and private hospitals of which 17 are in High Care/ICU.

Isolation and quarantine

People who cannot isolate or quarantine safely at home (risk to themselves or exposure risk to others), can be referred to an isolation or quarantine facility.

Isolation facilities are for patients who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus (with mild to moderate symptoms) where they can recover. Quarantine facilities are for those have been exposed and are awaiting test results. These facilities are safe, have been made as comfortable as possible and you will receive free transport, meals, and a laundry service. PetroSA (West Camp) is currently the only activated isolation and quarantine facility in the Garden Route. More facilities have been identified and will be activated, if and when the need arises or capacity is exceeded at PetroSA. We currently have 13 people at the West Camp facility.

Catching up on the most urgent essential health services without risking patient and staff safety

While the health service platform must remain geared to deal with COVID-19 pandemic (including a possible second wave of infections), the Department of Health wants to scale up essential health services in a balanced manner.  The Department’s risk and impact based approach is guiding the services to be reintroduced identifying those services which have low risk yet high impact (such as immunisation services). These services which had reduced significantly during the COVID pandemic, will have a significant long term impact for those clients who had missed immunisations, follow-up appointments and scheduled non-emergency treatment.

Please note that currently all preventative services are offered:

• Women’s health (family planning, antenatal and post-natal care)
• Men’s health
• Child health(immunisations)
• Chronic disease management (TB, HIV, Diabetes, etc.)

-END-

Nadia Ferreira
Principal Communications Officer
Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts
Western Cape Government Health
Town Clinic,Plettenberg Bay
Tel: 076 379 5423
Email: Nadia.Ferreira@westerncape.gov.za
Website: www.westerncape.gov.za

Media Release: Let’s talk more about the businesses we support

For Immediate Release
3 September 2020

COVID-19 has severely impacted businesses, including Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). It is for this reason that the Garden Route District Municipality has decided to launch a campaign in collaboration with Garden Route and Klein Karoo Tourism and the Garden Route Development Partnership to help these businesses to recover, remain open and to keep their current employees.

September is also Tourism month, with the focus on boosting tourism and rural development. These role players are critical and play a major role towards the development of rural communities through measures that could alleviate poverty, create jobs and stimulate the economy.

According to the GRDM Tourism Coordinator, Ms Amagene Koeberg, the impact of COVID-19 on the Tourism sector was devastating, causing most businesses not to operate for months. “This resulted in many communities to having no form of income, however communities can help get businesses back on track by promoting them amongst their friends and family on social media,” said Koeberg.

Call-to-Action

Garden Routers are therefore invited to participate in a campaign which seeks to boost the visibility of businesses on social media. This can be done by posting a positive review of a business you often support to your personal profile on social media. We recommend that people include photos/videos of the products or services rendered to make the post more appealing.

For the GRDM to be able to track the campaign success, hashtags of #gardenrouteandme and #myfavouritebusiness have to be used. Posts also need to be made public (shareable). If a person is not making use of social media, pictures or videos can be shared to communications@gardenroute.gov.za. The GRDM primarily uses Facebook and Twitter, but will monitor other social media platforms too.

What does this campaign offer to businesses

The primary benefit for a business is visibility. When Garden Routers promote a business by reviewing it and using the hashtags provided, posts are shared to social media pages of Local Government and Tourism offices. After this, possible re-shares, mentions and interactions might occur. Word-of-mouth is also at play here, because awareness is created about the existence of businesses that might not be known to everyone else. Also, the person sharing pictures and a word of support also means that a business might get some leads.

It is now more than ever before important for us to show businesses our support. Let’s all be committed to get the region back to work safely.

Download these free designs and share it to your social media profile(s) and page(s)!

Media Release: Proposed Long-Term lease to develop, manage and operate Kleinkrantz Resort

For Immediate Release
3 September 2020

Notice is hereby given in terms of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act (No 56 of 2003), read with the Municipal Asset Transfer Regulations (R878 of 2008), the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (No 3 of 2000) as well as the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act (No 32 of 2000) that the Council of the Garden Route District Municipality in terms of Resolution H1 of the council meeting held on 25 August 2020 intends to enter into a long-term lease agreement (50 years) and an option to renew with Waterleaf Properties (Pty) Ltd to develop, manage and operate Kleinkrantz Resort. The lease agreement is the cornerstone of a key social-entrepreneurial venture which will have an immense socio-economic impact on the region. The lease will attract a multi-million rand investment into the local economy, boosting job creation and reducing unemployment, investment in relevant and quality skills development which increases employee earnings, an investment in green technology at the resort including solar energy which will be integrated with municipal infrastructure, thus bringing energy security to the resort and clients. The district will attract fiscal revenues from tourism and hospitality generated from the development.

The entire property (30ha) is proposed to be used for resort purposes. The George Municipality SDF states that Kleinkrantz is to be upgraded and formally developed sensitively in an ecologically sustainable way to minimise impact on its surrounds; minimise ongoing operational servicing costs; exploit economic opportunities primarily associated with the surrounding environment and heritage; and to discourage further growth of the settlement.

The developer recognises the sensitivities of the site and the need to conserve the natural environment as an asset to strengthen the social and economic environments. Therefore, prior to making any firm development or commencing any works, the developer acknowledged and agreed to undertake all required assessment and authorisation processes to determine the most appropriate form and spatial distribution of development.

Phased Development to the identified 5 areas

 Phase 1

• Conference Facility (Area 2)

The venue will offer a comprehensive array of services to clients, playing host to national, international conferences, events and tradeshows.

• Luxury Villas (Area 4)

The height of luxury and refined living, these opulent 3-and-4 bedroom villas will offer the most generous indoor and outdoor living areas, giving potential buyers, short-term tenants a true sense of space, freedom and privacy while stimulating the Garden Route economy by creating jobs.

• Roads and Infrastructure
• Access Roads to the resort
• The civil works and electrical
• Fencing and security

Phase 2

•  Hotel, Spa, Shops and Restaurants (Area 2)
• Garage, small shopping centre and take away (Area 1)
• Hiking trails, biking trails, and conservation area (Area 3 & 5) with walkways, look-out points and an adventure hub hosting cycling/canoe/canopy/bike carrier rental
• Beach access

The Applicant will also be responsible for all the costs involved. The property is, in terms of the provisions of section 14 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, 2003 (Act 56 of 2003) not required for the purposes of providing minimum basic municipal services.

Any comments and/or objections to the proposed long-term lease, with your reasons for such objection(s), must be submitted in writing and addressed to the Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, P O Box 12, George, 6530, by no later than Friday, 06 November 2020.

Any comments and/or objections which are received after the abovementioned closing date, may possibly not be taken into consideration. In terms of section 21(4) of the Systems Act, notice is hereby given that people who cannot write, may approach the Economic Development Department during office hours, where a member of staff will assist them in converting their comments or objections in writing. Any enquiries may be directed to Mr P Dongi, Planning & Economic Development, at telephone number (044) 801 1418 or email Lusanda@gardenroute.gov.za or Passmore@gardenroute.gov.za

File Reference: 8/3/1/1

MONDE STRATU
MUNICIPAL MANAGER

Media Release: Campaign to boost the economy

For Immediate Release
31 August 2020

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) is currently running a campaign to boost business activities in the Garden Route. This video by our Mayor, Alderman Memory Booysen, highlights what a person needs to do to participate in the campaign.

In short, the campaign is a call-to-action for members of the public to post something to Twitter or Facebook about a small business they support. GRDM hopes that a diverse range businesses can benefit from this and not only businesses in town.

It is important to mention the #GardenRouteAndMe and #MyFavouriteBusiness when posting about a local business. These hashtags will link back to the campaign.

When finding posts, GRDM will share the posts back to our Facebook page and tag all local municipalities. Local municipalities will therefore be notified about posts.

We might also try to track other platforms like Instagram and TikTok going forward.

Media Release: Garden Route Health Platform Update

For Immediate Release
28 August 2020

 Western Cape Government Health in the Garden Route is optimistic about the current COVID-19 situation. In the District, as a whole, we are experiencing a flattening of active cases and so also hospitalizations and deaths. Some sub-districts’ numbers are more satisfying than others but if we compare our statistics to a month before it appears that we are over the peak.

We must however remember that it is now even more important to adhere to the 5 ways to stay safe in order to keep our numbers as low as possible, and to prevent a second wave.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer (70% alcohol base)
2. Wear your mask in public
3. Cough or sneeze into the folds of your elbow or a tissue
4. Stay 1.5m away from others especially in public places like shopping malls.
5. If you feel sick, stay home

While the health service platform must remain geared to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic (including a possible second wave of infections), the Department of Health aims to scale up essential health services in a balanced manner. The Department has developed a risk and impact based approach which guides the services to be reintroduced and identifying those services which are low risk yet high impact (such as immunisation services). These services which had reduced significantly during the COVID pandemic, will have a significant long term impact for those clients who had missed immunisations, follow-up appointments and scheduled non-emergency treatment.    A phased approach will be adopted to return the comprehensive health service platform back to a new normal. The re-introduction of these services will be communicated to the public. However, currently, all preventative services are in fact offered i.e. women’s health (family planning, antenatal and post-natal care), men’s health, child health(immunisations) and chronic disease management (TB, HIV, Diabetes, etc.)

As of 28 August 2020, the Garden Route District has 8757 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Cases 

Garden Route cases and recoveries per subdistrict.

• Bitou 570 cases; 514 recoveries
• Knysna 1338 cases; 1216 recoveries
• George 3269 cases; 2946 recoveries
• Hessequa 272 cases; 223 recoveries
• Kannaland 102 cases; 97 recoveries
• Mossel Bay 2088 cases; 1829 recoveries
• Oudsthoorn 1118 cases; 797 recoveries

The Garden Route has recorded 288 Covid-19 deaths.

Hospitalisation

From our latest available information, there are currently 115 patients admitted in public and private hospitals of which 24 are in High Care/ICU.

Isolation and quarantine

People who cannot isolate or quarantine safely at home (risk to themselves or exposure risk to others), can be referred to an isolation or quarantine facility.

Isolation facilities are for patients who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus (with mild to moderate symptoms) where they can recover. Quarantine facilities are for those have been exposed and are awaiting test results. These facilities are safe, have been made as comfortable as possible and you will receive free transport, meals, and a laundry service. PetroSA (West Camp) is currently the only activated isolation and quarantine facility in the Garden Route. More facilities have been identified and will be activated, if and when the need arises or capacity is exceeded at PetroSA. We currently have 42 people at the West Camp facility.

-END-

Nadia Ferreira
Principal Communications Officer
Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts
Western Cape Government Health
Town Clinic,Plettenberg Bay
Tel: 076 379 5423
Email: Nadia.Ferreira@westerncape.gov.za
Website: www.westerncape.gov.za

Speaker, Alderman Groenewald, once again I would like to extend my gratitude to all the frontline workers who are fighting COVID-19 that is causing havoc in our region and South Africa as a whole. We are all doing our best to fight this pandemic. Alderman Groenewald, we were also privileged as this District in our fight and awareness campaigns on COVID-19 over the past two weeks. We recently hosted the Western Cape Government (WCG) MEC for Public Works and Transport, Mr Bonginkosi Madikizela, a few days later we hosted the WCG MEC, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo. Alderman Groenewald, tomorrow we will have the privilege when we will host the WCG Premier’s Office, and on Thursday we will be host the WCG MEC for Human Settlements, Mr Tertuis Simmers. This is all part of our region and that of WCG of dealing with COVID-19. Over the next few days we will be visiting various areas, including hotspots in the Garden Route. These are some of our efforts and our response to the increase of COVID-19 figures in the Garden Route. We are still very concerned about figures in the Garden Route.

In addition, we will never forget our friends we have lost due to COVID-19.  Some are staff members; some are family members of staff members.  I want to praise God for the survivors among us. We pray that we are not going to lose any more lives.

Lastly, something, which is still a grappling matter we face on a daily basis, is Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It is with shock that I heard this morning that another lady in the Garden Route was murdered by her husband or boyfriend – I do not have the exact particulars.

I urge everyone not to keep quiet about GBV but to confront it, speak up and make your voices heard. There are still some bad…bad…rotten men out there – we need to identify these violent men, isolate them.  We need to stand by our sisters and mothers.

Lastly, I want to share my condolences to Alderlady Rosina Ruiters, our Deputy Executive Mayor who lost her sister recently.

Thank you Alderman Speaker.

Media Release: Alderlady status conferred upon another Councillor of the Garden Route District Municipality

For Immediate Release
25 August 2020

Municipal Honours was bestowed on Thobeka Teyisi today, 25 August 2020. She is the tenth Councillor to receive such a honour.  Cllr Teyisi will now be recognised as an Alderlady after she met the minimum 10-point criteria as set out in section 5(10)(a) of a GRDM Alderman and Alderlady policy .

Mayor Booysen congratulated Alderlady Teyisi by saying: “This conferment is proof that your experience and history in politics are being recognised – it is indeed priceless”.  Alderlady Wolmarans also congratulated Alderlady Teyisi and said that they have come a long way (since 2006), and got to know one another better when they attended a course in executive leadership during 2009/2010. Alderman Van der Hoven echoed the sentiments of other Councillors and also added: “I do not know of another Councillor who deserves this more than you”. Alderman Gericke shared the last congratulatory remark by saying – “mooi geloop”.

The item recommendations were proposed by Cllr Virgill Gericke and seconded by Cllr Pieter van der Hoven.

Photo caption: Alderman Memory Booysen (Executive Mayor for Garden Route District Municipality) and Alderlady Thobeka Teyisi.