The Cape Town Weather Office has issued a weather warning valid for Saturday, 21 October 2023.
Areas affected by wet and windy conditions include Bitou, Oudtshoorn, George, Hessequa, Knysna, Kannaland and Mossel Bay.
Report weather related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at 044 805 5071.
16 October 2023
To commemorate National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Day on 17 October, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness will host several community events in appreciation of the province’s EMS men and women who play critical roles every day in bringing quality health care delivery closer to residents.
On the day, residents can interact with EMS personnel in their districts about service improvements or complaints, as well as write messages on ambulances and pledge their support to keep our province’s EMS personnel safe.
The Department is deeply disturbed by reports of EMS personnel being attacked by the very same community members they are serving. A total of 37 incidents have taken place in 2023, leaving 60 EMS personnel traumatised and disrupting essential healthcare services to the most vulnerable.
Media are invited to attend these EMS appreciation events on 17 October. There will be opportunities for photographs and interviews.
| District | Location | Time |
| Garden Route | Multipurpose Community Centre, Thembalethu | 08h00 |
| Central Karoo | Shoprite Park, Beaufort West | 10h00 |
| Overberg | Thusong Community Centre, Grabouw | 10h00 |
| West Coast | Moorreesburg Community Hall | 10h00 |
| Cape Winelands | Mountain Mall, Worcester | 09h00 |
| Southern Division | Watergate Mall, Lentegeur | 09h00 |
| Eastern Division | Macassar, corner of Burg and Hospital Street | 11h30 |
| Northern Division | Civic Centre, Delft | 11h30 |
| Western Division | Town Square, Fish Hoek | 11h00 |
Note to Editors:
Media wishing to attend these events can reach out to Megan Davids.
Contact
Media Liaison, Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness
Email: Megan.Davids@westerncape.gov.za
Mobile: 082 041 5203
Issued: Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness
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For immediate release
13 October 2023
As part of the Growth & Development Strategy for the Garden Route which was approved on 20 March 2021, and the Sustainable tourism cluster that flows from it, the Garden Route & Klein Karoo Tourism Unit of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), identified the film industry as an economic stimulant to potentially promote the Garden Route & Klein Karoo as the preferred tourism and film destination globally.
The GRDM received a request to assist with arranging a Famtrip for October. This led to a diverse delegation officially being welcomed by the GRDM Executive Mayor, Ald. Memory Booysen, in Bitou on 11 October. The Famtrip will conclude in Mossel Bay on 18 October 2023.
The following representatives form part of the trip:
Location Africa, a private sector entity, are set up to facilitate the promotion of Africa as a filming destination of choice. They are looking primarily at high-end producers locally, abroad and inter-continental to use the various regions of the continent as film locations.
The more the producers experience, the better they are able to imagine what can be produced in the region without having to cheat the location elsewhere, in post-production, or in studios. This ensures that they have a full idea of what is achievable in the region and thus promoting the Garden Route as a film-friendly destination
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For immediate release
11 October 2023
Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA) roadshow focused on the Garden Route
The Health Professional Council is a statutory body established in Terms of the Health Professions Act, 56 of 1974, to protect the public and guide professions related to the Act.
As part of their yearly roadshow, board members of the Environmental Health Profession visited the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) on Monday, 2 October 2023, to engage with management regarding the future of Environmental Health. In attendance were also the GRDM Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu, Chief Financial Officer, Rian Boshoff, Manager, Municipal Health and Environmental Health Services, Johan Compion and GRDM Chief Environmental Health Practitioners of the various regions within the Garden Route. This engagement discussed the scope of the profession of Environmental Health, continued professional development (CPD) and Community Services for students.
On Tuesday, 3 October 2023 a conference was held as part of the roadshow, which was also attended by Environmental Health Professionals. The event took place at Oubaai Hotel and Resort, George. The programme included presentations on current issues affecting the health and wellbeing of communities and the issue if illegal dumping, especially the illegal dumping sites, which is a country wide challenge. The need for research regarding illegal dumping was identified.
The rest of the presentations included ethical behaviour and decision-making by Environmental Health Practitioners registered with the HPCSA.
The HPCSA in conjunction with the twelve (12) professional boards that function under its jurisdiction including Environmental Health; and the Association is committed to:
Feature Image: Environmental Health Practitioners attended the HPCSA roadshow in George.
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For immediate release
6 October 2023
After receiving accreditation to be a Skills Development Provider from the Quality Council for Trades and Occupation (QCTO) in the latter part of 2022, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) officially kicked off its pilot Occupational Firefighter Training programme to 24 aspiring firefighters.
The programme recently commenced at the Municipality’s Calitzdorp Hot Springs Resort, 25km from Calitzdorp, and will conclude in June 2024.
This is a milestone for the GRDM. Key stakeholder, the QCTO, plays a significant role in promoting and supporting quality occupational training and development in South Africa, ultimately contributing to a skilled and productive workforce. The main aim of QCTO is to ensure that occupational training and qualifications, in this case the one relating to firefighting, is relevant to industry needs and align with national standards.
The participants who are currently undergoing the training programme represent all seven (7) municipal areas of the GRDM, including Bitou, Knysna, George, Oudtshoorn, Mossel Bay, Kannaland and Hessequa Municipal areas.
The programme comprises of knowledge modules, practical modules as well as a workplace-based component where students are required to apply the knowledge and practical skills. The skills and knowledge are applied through relevant assignments and ultimately aid them in reaching the required exit level outcomes.
GRDM’s lead facilitator is Platoon Commander Brian Afrikander, supported by a Skills Mecca Administrator.
At this stage, the training programme is going well and as per schedule.
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Feature Photo: GRDM’s Lead Facilitator and Platoon Commander, Brian Afrikander (11th from right), with participants of the pilot Occupational Firefighter Training programme
For immediate release
6 October 2023
Recently, Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP) from Knysna reached out and presented health and hygiene training sessions to early childhood development facilities in their region.
Mendy Tyhawana, GRDM’s EHP, conducted sessions at the northern area of Knysna, as well as at Isiseko Creche situated in the Damsebos residential area.
More than 50 children and their caretakers participated in the sessions. The focus area was again the washing of hands and overall hygiene practices.
The following topics were addressed during the session:
Why is it important to wash hands?
Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of bacteria and is one of the most important steps to take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.
What are good and bad bacteria, and bad bacteria – how do these affect humans?
When should hands be washed?
What are the IMPORTANT steps linked to washing hands properly?
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For immediate release
5 October 2023
Last week, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Fire and Rescue Services responded to a request to assist the Overstrand Municipality with water provision in Hermanus and surrounding areas.
After impacts of severe rains that hit the western part of the Western Cape on the weekend of 25 September 2023, many water systems were severely impacted, so much so that multiple towns were left without drinking water for an extended period of time.
On Thursday afternoon, 28 September 2023, two (2) firefighters from the GRDM Fire Services left the Garden Route with a fire truck that carried 5500 litres of water to assist Overstrand. GRDM’s Martino Jacobs and Petrus Jordaan further assisted by delivering water to various residential areas, carting water from Standford to Hermanus for a four-day period.
Chief Fire Officer, Deon Stoffels, indicated: “It was a humble and proud experience for the GRDM firefighters to assist a neighbouring district and towns with residents that were in real need of an essential commodity. As usual GRDM is proud to be of assistance in times of crisis,” he concluded.
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For immediate release
02 October 2023
“Degradation along the Western Cape coastline is well documented and is increasingly a cause for concern as valuable properties and infrastructure ends up either damaged or destroyed, and even lives are lost due to severe storm surges surprising the unsuspecting unable to move to higher ground and swept away by powerful waves. But what would be the long term effect of coastal degradation?”, asks Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
Ironically, Marlene Laros heading up the Biodiversity and Coastal Management Division of the Western Cape Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP), in June 2023, did a presentation on coastal vulnerability at the Annual GREF Climate Change and Environmental Management Indaba explaining the indicators used to determine where the future high water mark would be and how drastic the implication to land owners and authorities would be in terms of climate change and sea level rise, and the most recent climate induced disasters causing billions of Rand to mend is a stark warning that the change is real.
The Southern Cape and Garden Route economy and tourism sector is highly dependent on its coastline, scenic rivers and lakes, forests and mountains, and degradation of these assets over time can negatively affect the allure of the region as a world class destination, and planning for change is paramount.
Regional authorities, including the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and all the coastal municipalities are acutely aware of where their respective vulnerable infrastructure is in terms of exposure to storm surges and flooding, and where possible are already planning to move assets away from potential exposure, and not rebuilding where history no doubt will repeat itself.
Regular and severe flooding did hit the Western Cape badly throughout 2023, and the damage to infrastructure, agriculture and the economy at large, is substantial. Coupled with damage inflicted by storm surges and regular power outages caused by load shedding is not helping the regional economy as even the most resilient is affected one way or the other. Addressing coastal degradation requires substantial investments in mitigation and adaptation measures and may include beach nourishment, seawalls, and other engineering solutions to protect coastal areas. The long-term costs of these measures can be significant, and does not bode well for cash strapped municipalities.
Governments globally lack the funds to assist coastal communities exposed to sea level rise and the destruction of storm surges, and South Africa is certainly no exception. Fixing bridges, hard infrastructure and roads after severe flooding are extremely expensive with significant knock- on socio- economic impacts as products cannot reach markets and power and water security is compromised for prolonged periods of time.
From an environmental point of view, coastal degradation often leads to the destruction of valuable coastal habitats, including wetlands, dunes, and estuaries. These ecosystems provide essential breeding grounds and shelter for many marine species.
In summary, coastal degradation in the Western Cape, as in other coastal regions, has far-reaching and potentially devastating long-term consequences for the environment, economies, and communities. Addressing these issues typically involves a combination of strategies, including sustainable coastal management, land-use planning, climate change adaptation measures, and conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts and preserve coastal ecosystems.
Feature Image: Plettenberg Bay main beach after storm surge – coastal degradation and washed-away beaches caused by the 16 September 2023 storm surge leaves coastal economies dependent on tourism in dire straits.
Issued: Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF)
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For immediate release
28 September 2023
The theme of World Environmental Health Day which is celebrated on 26 September 2023 was “Global Environmental Public Health: Standing up to protect everyone’s health each and every day”.
As part of the build–up activities towards World Environmental Health Day, the Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP) from Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) in the Klein Karoo region engaged in various activities to reach out to food handlers, crèches and community members to create awareness about the impact of the environment on our overall health and well-being.
The emphasis of the various awareness actions was to convey the message of the importance of a clean environment to ensure a good quality of health and life.
Illegal dumping awareness was done at crèches and in the community and health and hygiene awareness information was provided to persons in charge of -and food preparers of food premises.
It is important that children learn from a very young age to prevent littering and waste pollution and to use acceptable and appropriate methods that are available to dispose waste effectively. A clean environment encourages outdoor play without fear of children being injured by playing near waste heaps and trash.
Community members were sensitised on the fact that a clean neighbourhood free from illegal dumping holds many benefits to our communities and that a clean environment is a healthy environment. No illegal dumping means no pollution from hazardous substances and chemicals that could cause damage to the soil, the air and the surrounding groundwater. An environment, free from illegal dumping prevents the presence of insects like flies and mosquitoes, rodents like rats and mice, as well as bad smells. It furthermore ensures the health, safety and well-being of communities.
According to the World Health Organisation statistics, an estimated 600 million people in the world fall ill because of contaminated food. A shocking 420 000 of these cases end in death each year. Regulation 638 of 2018 requires that all food premises, new and existing, have to be in possession of a Certificate of Acceptability. Also, the person in charge of -and any other person(s) working on the food premises must be adequately trained in the principles and practices of food safety and hygiene. Additionally, new innovations in food production, as well as the re-emergence of food-borne diseases must be adequately addressed to adapt to the changing conditions and environments.
Furthermore, in Mossel Bay the GRDM Environmental Health Practitioners, serving the area, created awareness and shared valuable advice and useful information on how to keep food safe during periods of load shedding. The session took place at the Evethu Clinic. As part of the programme, EHPs also disseminated pamphlets to visitors that were present during the session.
Click here to read more on how to keep food safe during loadshedding.
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