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Author: Marillia Veldkornet

25 May 2020 GRDM holds 2-day Institutional Strategic Planning Session to discuss its strategic direction

Press Release

25 May 2020

For Immediate Release

Councillors and management from Garden Route District Municipality, together with representatives from labour unions and various government stakeholders, on 7 and 11 May 2020, convened through a virtual platform, a Strategic Planning Session, to review all operations of the municipality since July to March 2020 and also to discuss the strategic direction that the municipality aims to undertake over the short- and long term.

This annual engagement, as described by the facilitator, Dr Florus Prinsloo, allowed all participants to share their inputs with regards to the damage that the COVID-19 pandemic has done to the economy of the district and also the district’s readiness and the interventions of the municipality to recover from the effects of the pandemic.

When describing the objective of the session, Executive Mayor of GRDM, Councillor Memory Booysen, emphasised the importance of all stakeholders, especially representatives from the various political parties, around one table to discuss strategic issues of the municipality.

With reference to the COVID-19 pandemic that also affects the rest of the work, including Garden Route,, Executive  Mayor Booysen said: “Nobody foresaw that by this time, we would all be affected by this pandemic”. He said: “We all have had to change our lifestyles; we now have to change our management styles as well as our political approach to provide direction to the management in our collective fight of this pandemic. We must use this time as an opportunity to prepare ourselves for change. All the initiatives we are busy with are all enforced by COVID-19. Some would not be sustainable and affordable, but we know that some initiatives have to be adjusted. We now have to realign how we use to do business and how we are going to adapt to the new norm,” Mayor Booysen added.

Municipal Manager of GRDM, Mr Monde Stratu, acknowledged that the pandemic has revealed the levels of poverty in South Africa, e.g. hunger, inhumane settlements etc., but also at the same time how the pandemic brought to the fore that government indeed works. He said: “As we plan for the new financial year, it will not be the same going forward. We have to re-look and review our strategies”.

Mr Stratu also provided feedback about the compliance of all committees from July to date and reported that all Council meetings that were scheduled to take place have been executed, all reports that were prepared to serve at oversight committees were processed and the annual report was approved in time. He furthermore provided an update on the application for GRDM to be registered as a Water Service Authority as well as an update regarding the catalytic projects such as the fresh produce market ,Renewable Energy Projects, Development Agency etc. which are still in its planning phases.

In respect of intergovernmental relations and public participation all forums took place including IDP forums. Mr Stratu furthermore reported that the Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan and all planning processes to review the IDP and Budget have been undertaken and that all required financial reports have been submitted to the relevant structures. He therefore extended a word of appreciation to the political leadership for their role to ensure that the municipality complied with these legislative requirements. Mr Stratu also remembered and acknowledged the late Cllr Nomhiki Jacobs who participated in all these initiatives to ensure that Council adhered to all legislative requirements, however she sadly passed away on 18 March 2020.

In going forward, Mr Stratu highlighted the municipality is in a financially stable position, however, he said: “We now have to make serious changes in terms of the long term sustainability of the municipality”. He also acknowledged that the Cost Containment Regulations contributed to various strategies that had to be reviewed as many tourism and other projects came to a halt due to the lockdown.  He concluded with the following words:  “As a Council we do have the political will and we are confident to do everything possible to reignite the economy of the Garden Route in order to take our rightful place as a district municipality and lead as our vision reads”.

Dr Michael Sutcliffe, former City Manager of eThekwini Municipality made a presentation on the Municipal functions as outlined in section 84 of the Structures Act. He shared some findings on the research he has done on this functions and the recommendations that will be made with regards to possible review of Section 84 and 85 of the Structures Act. He acknowledged that the Garden Route District Municipality is capable of performing the functions of the district as outlined in Section 84. Dr Sutcliffe made an example that a district fresh model idea would address the needs of both the most impoverished communities to the richest of the rich.

Mr Walton Carelse from the Western Cape Government presented the Joint District Approach that started in July 2018. The model was developed in conjunction with Local Municipalities and was introduced at the Garden Route Municipal Managers Forum on 4 December 2018. The model included the identification and assessment of Municipal priorities throughout the district and developing a consolidated approach in achieving those priorities. Through these platforms the following themes were created to group the challenges of the municipalities, namely: climate change and water security, local economic development, immigration and urbanisation, infrastructure management, institutional governance, data management, intergovernmental planning alignment, partnering, partnerships and shared services, financial sustainability, citizen interface, political, administrative and social instability and waste management. Each district municipality had to identify their two/three top priorities from  the five top priorities identified across the Western Cape namely: community participation, infrastructure management, urbanisation, climate change and water security, as well as waste management. All these were identified prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the municipality may have to review the priorities, in light of  Covid-19 pandemic. Currently the District has identified the following priorities from the broad themes:

  • Growing the Regional Economy
  • Developing Resilience as a Region
  • Integrated Management for Good Governance
  • Liveable Cities/Towns Social Cohesion
  • Sustainable Human Settlements

When presenting the COVID-19 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) support programme, Mr Rashid Teofy, Head of the Western Cape Government COVID-19 Economic Cluster, together with members of the Cluster, explained the role of the Cluster since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. These include the access to incentives, the collating of information on all support measures to ensure that these are available to SMMEs etc. Furthermore, together with Provincial Treasury, a database has also been developed to deal with personal protective equipment, which municipalities and government departments can access for procurement of personal protective equipment such as cloth masks. Together with this, WESGRO created a platform for the private sector where suppliers and buyers can interact with one another regarding Covid 19 PPE. The unit also engages with businesses and banks on a bi-weekly basis to discuss the challenges of SMMEs. Another initiative that is also in its planning phase is to transform spaza shops into mini supermarkets which will allow a more sophisticated shopping experience for the community.

The concept of a digital economy was furthermore presented, whereby various components and services have been brought into one platform that can be accessed by SMMEs as a guideline or a digital support tool. The platform, known as Jump for Entrepreneurs, furthermore seeks to assist small businesses to become more competitive and have access to more markets. This tool can be accessed via www.bizjump.co.za. The platform is updated on a regular basis and businesses are therefore encouraged to upload their profiles to interact with other businesses and remain competitive in this digital age.

The second day’s activities were in the form of presentations presented by the different Head of departments within the municipality.  Executive Managers used the opportunity to reflect on the past financial year’s achievements as well as the challenges experienced.  Councillors were enlightened with departments’ objective and strategies for the next financial year.  The impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on service delivery was also discussed. These presentations outlined various exciting projects that the Municipality will be engaged in to ensure self-sustainability and improve the regional economy.

ENDS

15 May 2020 Call for donations

Dear Members of the Public,

Don’t throw away old televisions and unused boardgames – donate it instead.

The management of sites housing homeless members from the Garden Route region kindly request members of the public to donate board games, chess sets and/or used televisions to the less fortunate.

To arrange for collection, contact Tippie Bouwer (Garden District Municipality official), Mon – Fri from 07:30 till 16:30.

E-mail: tippie@gardenroute.gov.za
Cell: 083 941 0885

15 May 2020 GRDM Disaster Management officials placed at municipalities to assist with disaster management

Press Release

For Immediate Release

15 May 2020

Disaster Management officials employed at Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) have been, since 2 March 2020, placed at local municipalities in the Garden Route to render a full basket of services related to the Disaster Management function.

Both officers were appointed in November 2019 to predominantly focus on the strategic mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery of all disasters that the district is faced with. They both also hold an Honours Degree BBA in Disaster Management from the satellite campus of the Stenden University based in Port Alfred. For the first three months, they received in-house training from the Head of the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre, Mr Gerhard Otto, before moving to local municipalities.  Ms Lee-Ann Joubert is stationed at the Bitou and Knysna municipalities and Ms Martina MacDonald at Hessequa and Mossel Bay municipalities.  Apart from the broad services they render at these municipalities, the coordination of COVID-19 related activities and the reporting thereof now also form part of their function after the pandemic has been declared a national disaster.

Given their expertise and experience in the field, their daily tasks include the regular updating of Disaster Risk Assessment (DRA) documents and the Disaster Management Plan (DMP).   A DRA is one of the first steps in planning an effective risk reduction programme. It examines the likelihood and possible outcomes of expected disaster events. This assessment contributes directly to effective decision making, planning and control. Stemming from the DRA, is the DMP, which is a planning guideline for all internal, as well as external stakeholders, advising them on their roles and responsibilities throughout the Disaster Management field. It is the basis to establish procedures and ensure maximum and efficient utilisation of resources and minimise the loss of life and/or injury. The documents have to be updated regularly, as the information needs to be integrated into the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) of local municipalities. Also forming part of their function, is to further address any gaps that the DRA and DMP might pose relating to the  effectiveness of the assessment and plan.

Since March 2020, these officials predominantly took part in the COVID-19 District Command Centre (DCC) meetings, the Joint Operation Centres (JOCs) at the respective municipalities, as well as Mayoral District Command Forums.  All these activities relate to the assistance and provision of support to local municipalities. Finer details include: ensuring that essential role-players form part of the JOC operations, administration, the coordination of support where required at the JOCs and to relay essential and disaster related information between various stakeholders through these relevant platforms.

From a broad perspective the roles of the officials are to assist where assistance from the District Disaster Management Centre is required, as well as to ensure that the local municipalities cooperate with regulations and directives from provincial and national government, to relay information throughout all processes and to escalate any enquiries and challenges that might derive from the local JOCs. And, even when the Covid-19 pandemic comes to an end, these municipalities will still be their permanent base of where they will work and report from.

21 April 2020 Businesses urged to put measures in place to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus

The Western Cape Government issued a circular (H51/2020) to guide various businesses and organisations with regard to measures that they need to put in place to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid 19). The circular is specifically aimed at the transport, retail, petrol stations, banking, the post office and essential services sectors. The Garden Route District Command Council suggests that while the peak period of essential business activities approaches, businesses in the Garden Route should adhere to the guidelines provided to them in the circular.

RETAIL, BANKING AND POST OFFICES

The retail, banking and post office environments are advised to not allow their establishments to be overcrowded. A limited number of people to enter the building should be allowed. Together with this, the method to manage queues outside an establishment to ensure social distancing must also be put in place, for example marker lines that serve as an indication to consumers on where to wait. Furthermore products should be spread out in aisles to prevent people shopping too close to one another. Each staff member should be reminded to avoid touching his/her eyes, nose and mouth, particularly when hands are not clean – regular hand washing is advised. Customers on the other hand should be offered alcohol-based hand sanitisers before entering the establishment – employees should spray the sanitiser to manage the usage thereof. When customers leave a paypoint area the counter top and credit card machine must be wiped before the next customer is assisted. To close off all business activities of the day, each counter and the entire business area should be thoroughly disinfected.

Pay point areas and counter tops should be wiped before the next customer is assisted. Photo: Pexels

FUEL STATIONS

In the fuel franchising sector, staff should encourage customers to remain in their vehicles, unless they have to go to the shop. Attendants have to keep a 1,5 meter distance from the window of the vehicle unless they are offering a card machine to the customer or have to collect money. Before payments are made, attendants are encouraged to offer the customer alcohol-based hand sanitiser to clean their hands. Subsequently machines should be cleaned after the customer has left. All machines, pumps and surrounding equipment have to be cleaned with a disinfectant. Petrol attendants must avoid touching doors, windows and door handles of vehicles.

TAXI INDUSTRY

Drivers or owners in the taxi industry also have a big responsibility to ensure that personnel are aware of proper hygiene practices. Drivers/personnel are encouraged to clean buses and taxi ranks with soap and water to close off business operations of the day.

By doing so, surfaces at the bus depot and taxi ranks should be cleaned each hour while the area is in use. Passengers must keep a minimum social distance of 1,5 meters – markers are also regarded as an effective method to give guidance. When handling doors, no customers should be allowed to touch door handles of minibuses or buses. Drivers have to open doors for customers on their arrival. Doors should furthermore be left open while the vehicle fills to its limit. Again, alcohol-based hand sanitisers have to be offered to customers before they enter the bus or mini-taxi. After receiving money from customers, all drivers have to clean their hands with the sanitiser. Social distancing, even inside the bus/minibus should be practiced; meaning enough space should be allowed between passengers. Windows should be kept open to allow droplets to escape through the windows, when a passenger coughs or sneezes. After each trip, all surfaces touched by passengers have to be cleaned. These include: door handles, window ledges and seats. Furthermore, the inside and outside of the vehicle should be thoroughly cleaned twice per day. This can also be done with an alcohol-based sanitiser.

METERED TAXI AND E-HAILING TRANSPORT

In the metered taxi and e-hailing transport environment (Uber, Bolt, etc.) drivers are encouraged to transport one to three passengers per trip, depending on the size of the vehicle. All doors should be handled by drivers. As in other industries, hand sanitisers should also be offered to passengers and when money is exchanged,

drivers are advised to clean their hands immediately thereafter with alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Credit card machines should be wiped each time before use. Windows should be kept open throughout the trips for dirty air to escape, particularly when passengers cough or sneeze.

Customers should be offered hand sanitisers before they are assisted. Photo: Pexels

After each trip door handles and window ledges have to be cleaned and the inside of the vehicle should be disinfected twice per day.

Some general hygiene practices everyone should remember, include:

  • coughing into the elbow, keep hands clean by washing both hands with soap or cleaning it with alcohol-based hand sanitiser is still widely advised;
  • keep a minimum of 1,5m social distancing from others and avoid crowded areas or gatherings.

To ensure that we contribute to eliminate the spread of the virus to others, it is the duty and responsibility of everyone to take ownership of their health and to protect the health of others. If we respect all the guidelines of the World Health Organisation and National Institute of Communicable Diseases, obey all the rules and regulations of the South African Government, provincial governments and municipalities then soon we will be able to do business as usual again.

Stay home, stay safe.

20 April 2020 Emergency Food Relief provided to vulnerable residents of the Garden Route

Press Release

For Immediate Release

20 April 2020

The Department of Social Development (DSD) and Municipalities in the Garden Route recently started with the distribution of food parcels to the most vulnerable households affected by Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

Social Relief of Distress (SDR) program of DSD

Ms Marie Hendricks, regional director of the DSD for the Garden Route and the Karoo explains as follow: “Prior to the distribution of parcels a thorough process to assess all applications for food relief from the various communities takes place and will continue, until approved beneficiaries are reached.  Potential beneficiaries either apply through their respective local municipalities, NPO’s or through contacting the Western Cape Government call centre. Should applicants struggle to reach the call centre, they can also, as alternative, contact the DSD Local Offices in the District”.

Food parcels ready for distribution in the Bitou area.  Photo & feature photo: Bitou Municipality

As at 17 April 2020, DSD has received 4503 applications for the Garden Route district alone, of which 2153 were assessed by social workers as a normal social work social relief of distress practice. This process takes place in relation to determining the socio-economic situation/status of every applicant, directly or indirectly affected. Social workers employed by DSD assess the information supplied by applicants telephonically, against the set criteria, provided below. A total of 1108 applications assessed were approved of which 615 deliveries took place across the towns in the District. Applications, thus far, were received from within the following municipal areas George, Knysna, Bitou, Mossel Bay, Hessequa, Oudtshoorn and Kannaland. This DSD process continues on a daily basis and progress is monitored and reported on a daily basis to the District command centre . All other partners contributing to food relief coordinated by DSD also meet as a separate cluster under the District command centre .

The criteria for applicants to apply for emergency food relief. Image: DSD

As there are various role players making a contribution to food relief in the District the DSD is also currently busy with a mapping exercise to show the food relief footprint in each municipal area, so as to place all role-players in a position to see where, how and by whom food relief is provided. In addition, how the various communities and how these different services can be accessed by community members are dependent on their needs.  It is also measured against a particular criteria used by each food relief role-player. It is further important that residents who need food aid during this time knows where to go to get relief and as such a fair process of benefit to those who need it most, is being maintained whether directly or indirectly affected by the COVID 19 disaster.

DSD also provide general social work services to families in distress. Their offices can be contacted on a daily basis where social workers are available to telephonically assist in response to the emotional/social wellbeing needs of families.

DSD office numbers in the Garden Route District:

  • Eden Karoo Regional Office – 044 814 1687
  • George  – 044 814 1920
  • Knysna – 044 382 0056
  • Mossel Bay – 044 690 3943
  • Hessequa  – 028 713 4147
  • Kannaland – 028 814 3020
  • Oudthoorn – 044 272 8977

Donations from Municipalities

In a quest to also address the shortages of food various local municipalities intervened to provide emergency food relief to the vulnerable. The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) set the example and donated half a million rand to distribute approximately 800 food parcels to local municipalities in the district on 9 April 2020.

Employees from Mossel Bay Municipality prepare food parcels for their Mossel Bay residents.  Photo: Mossel Bay Municipality

Bitou Municipality so far distributed 3500 food parcels to the value of R1 050 000 to their vulnerable residents, with Hessequa Municipality who made R1 million available to provide food relief to their residents. Mossel Bay Municipality also reached out to the vulnerable in the area and provided meals to more than 1000 households to the value of R500 000. Although George Municipality also donated food parcels, the municipality predominantly utilises soup kitchens in the area to feed their residents. The number of meals served at these soup kitchens currently stands at 17 000 – two meals per person per day. Knysna Municipality also distributed nearly food parcels to nearly 150 households in its area, however the municipality works closely with the private sector businesses to assist with their food relief initiative, as per a press release issued on April 15. Oudtshoorn Municipality also made funds available for its food relief programme, but the process is still in progress and is done in collaboration with DSD and SASSA to finalise the assessment of all applications received. As soon as the process is completed, the distribution will take place in the Oudtshoorn areas. Kannaland Municipality, at this stage could not make any financial commitment to distribute food parcels, however it does provide meals to vulnerable residents through its soup kitchens and is continuously in discussion with the private sector businesses to assist with donations. The municipality is thankful towards GRDM for the food parcels donated to vulnerable residents of its area of jurisdiction.

Donations from the Public

Last week the the GRDM command centre called upon members of the public to make donations of essential items as a means to further fill the time gap of the SRD Programme of DSD.  This process was rolled out in collaboration with the local municipalities in the Garden Route. All donations received are distributed according to the criteria set by DSD and some are distributed to the soup kitchens that are in operation in the respective municipal areas. Items that are donated include: food items, cleaning and hygiene products. Clothing for men, women and children at home shelters are also needed.

While there is much uncertainty of how long the lockdown will stay in effect, more donations are required to assist with the needs of the vulnerable in the district. Individuals or business are requested to contact their Local Municipalities or DSD to make arrangement for donations.

DSD and partners would like to thank the public for their generosity! Every donation counts and support helps to further alleviate the dire conditions that so many community members have to endure every day. Support is invaluable to DSD, and the public is thanked for their ongoing support.