Author: Marillia Veldkornet
Financial Assistance towards Tertiary Studies – 2020
Applications are invited from students who are currently studying at tertiary or TVET institutions, as well as learners who are currently in Grade 12, or have passed Grade 12, for financial assistance towards further studies for the 2020 academic year. The award is restricted to full-time studies and attendance at SAQA accredited Tertiary or TVET institutions and is ONLY eligible to students whose parents permanently reside within the Garden Route municipal area.
Application forms are available at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and satellite offices of GRDM, during normal office hours (Monday – Thursday 07:30 – 16:30 and Friday 07:30 – 13:30). Application forms are also available on the GRDM’s website at www.gardenroute.gov.za.
GRDM WILL ONLY CONSIDER APPLICATIONS COMPLETED IN FULL, AND IF THE DOCUMENTS MENTIONED BELOW, AS AND WHERE APPLICABLE, HAVE BEEN INCLUDED.
A detailed curriculum vitae and covering letter, application form and certified copies of the following documentation must be attached: Latest or Grade 12 results or equal qualification; latest examination results of students currently enrolled at tertiary institutions; certified copy of ID; Affidavit of parents` combined income; proof of residential address (municipal account).
Please forward the application form and all documents to: Records, Garden Route District Municipality, PO Box 12, George 6530, for attention: Training and Development Section.
For any enquiries, do not hesitate to contact Mr Reginald Salmons at 044-803 1363, Ms Angeline Naidoo at 044-803 1420 or Mrs Angela-Ziva Coetzee, at 044 803 1344 during office hours (7:30 – 16:30 Monday to Thursday and 7:30 – 13:30 Friday).
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Should candidates not be contacted within two months after the closing date, they must consider their application as unsuccessful.
Closing date: 25 October 2019
Notice number: 112/2019
Click here to download the full advert.
Financial Assistance towards Tertiary Studies – 2020
External bursaries garden route district municipality
GRDM and Mossel Bay Municipalities launch Schools Composting Programme in Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay Municipality in collaboration with Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), on 17 September 2019, launched a Schools Composting Programme in Great Brak River. During the launch, a delegation from both municipalities handed over composting bins and worm farms to the Great Brak River Primary and Great Brak River Secondary Schools, respectively. The composting bins and worm farms were provided by Mossel Bay Municipality.
The initiative followed after Mossel Bay and Garden Route District Municipalities met with five local schools in the Mossel Bay area with the aim to implement school composting programmes at their respective schools. Large amounts of organic waste is generated from schools e.g. vegetable and fruit peels etc. from school hostels and feeding schemes, as well as grass cuttings and garden waste from school and sport grounds. This initiative will furthermore create a perfect opportunity for awareness and education regarding composting, worm farms and organic waste diversion, for the learners at the schools.
According to Mr Johan Gie, District Waste Management Officer at GRDM, after the handover, workshops will be conducted by GRDM at the schools to educate the responsible educators and identified learners (champions) regarding the use of the bins and worm farms. “The workshops are scheduled to take place in October this year,” he said.
Garden Route Municipality hosts 6th Green Energy Forum
The 6th Garden Route Green Energy Forum was recently held at the Council Chambers of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) with representatives from municipalities in the Garden Route district, as well as relevant stakeholders in attendance.
During these meetings, green energy opportunities are continuously identified and the realities of green energy in the district discussed. When the GRDM Communication Unit conducted an interview with chairperson of the forum, Mr Passmore Dongi, Project Manager of GRDM, it became evident that the aim of the forum fits into the bigger picture – to reach two of seventeen sustainable development goals of the United Nations, which are: Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy; as well as Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. Mr Dongi stated: “These two goals are interconnected, as we want to use green energy to drive employment creation through this green energy initiative and bring sustainable growth”.
GRDM path to a more sustainable energy future
In the 1st State of the District Address delivered by the Executive Mayor, Cllr Memory
Booysen, on 12 April 2019, Mayor Booysen emphasised our collective future – in particular, about the challenges we face in developing a secure, more resilient and sustainable energy system in the Garden Route region. In light of this, Mayor Booysen added that the GRDM Economic Development and Planning Department is doing a scenario approach to energy as the driver of the local economy. “The scenarios cannot predict the future, but they can give us the tools to anticipate what could happen. In other words, they deepen our strategic thinking,” he said.
Mayor Booysen continued by saying that when looking at the future energy challenge and in aligning our functions and mandates, as stated in Section 84 of the Municipal Structures Act, we believe that three actions should be taken now to get us firmly on the road towards a more sustainable energy system:
- “Firstly, we need to take advantage of the region’s abundant solar, wave and wind resources;
- Secondly, we want to support development of renewable energy technology and local manufacturing of components and storage technology to complement the reliability of renewable energy and this will be coupled with human capacity development more especially youth and women; and
- Thirdly, we need to promote smarter urban planning to reduce energy demand, especially in transportation e.g. manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (EV) in the region and conversion of waste to energy”.
Mayor Booysen added that around the world, we have already seen realistic energy policies put in place to prepare for a future in which energy demand will rise. “Therefore the GRDM is taking a pro-active role to address issues of energy and as such – we are the only District Municipality to:
- held the green energy summit in 2018,
- launched a Green Energy Forum,
- currently develop a comprehensive Renewable Energy Master Plan,
- currently participate in the Small Systems Embedded Generation (SSEG) programme”.
“This goes on to show how much the district value and prioritise renewable energy as the future of the region. The country faces an incredible challenge to meet our future energy demand, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and manage the stresses on our water and food resources,” he added.
Mayor Booysen continued by stating that the GRDM believes governments and industry can take far-sighted actions now that will reap benefits for decades to come. “These actions include taking advantage of the region’s abundant natural resources, localised manufacturing and storage technology, and focusing on smarter urban planning. The District would also like to leverage some of its properties to support this goal of energy sustainability in the region that will, in turn, promote socio-economic development. We therefore remain committed to working with all the stakeholders to realise the region’s ambitious energy objectives of energy driven regional economy, energy driven job creation and energy driven livelihoods”.
Mr Dongi also referred to the various green energy projects that are already up and running or are still in progress, such as the solar park behind the GRDM head-office, the George Municipality that is busy with a process to put up solar panels on their civic centre and also Witsand, near Riversdale, that has a desalination plant powered by solar. Mr Dongi furthermore made mention about the solar farm that will be built in Oudtshoorn.
“We intend to place much thought into wind energy, biogas, wave energy – as combination of various forms of renewable energy,” he said.
In saying this, Mr Dongi emphasized the diversity and unique characteristics of the Garden Route and how the respective areas in the district can contribute to renewable energy. He made an example of what areas would be most suitable to unlock specific green energy opportunities, e.g. Oudtshoorn and Kannaland areas have the potential for solar energy, due to their long hours of sun, the climate and high temperatures, the coastline has the potential for wave energy and wind, to name a few.
Through all these initiatives, we aim to become a pioneer that will drive the Garden Route nationally as the first district that is going green,” Mr Dongi concluded.
The District would like to encourage all citizens of this region to register their solar systems with the municipality’s SSEG programme.
The next forum meeting is envisaged to take in October 2019.
GRDM Roads & Transport Planning – A leader in new machinery and women empowerment
Officials from the Garden Route District Roads and Transport Planning Department, on 6 September 2019, welcomed a brand new Chip Spreader to their yellow fleet, at a road construction site in Friemersheim near Great Brak River.
The R4.9 million machine was officially handed over by Mr Gottfried Handler from Compaction & Industrial Equipment to the Executive Mayor of GRDM, Cllr Memory Booysen on 6 September 2019. Also witnessing the official handover were Executive Deputy Mayor, Councillor Rosina Ruiters, Portfolio Chairperson of Roads and Transport Planning, Cllr Rowan Spies, the Executive Manager of Roads and Transport Planning, Mr John Godfrey Daniels, and staff.
The main purpose of the machine is to ensure a good quality of road surface dressing work. These machines are designed to accurately apply a controlled amount of stones to a road surface during a road sealing or resealing process. When officially handing over the machine, Mr Handler said: “We have many machines of this kind operating in South Africa, but this is the first for the Western Cape”. Mr Handler furthermore explained the benefits of the machine, that it covers a wide area of three meters and can extend to cover a road width of six meters. “The spreading mechanism is fully computerised; therefore any spreading amount can be registered on the computer,” he added.
At the same occasion, Mr Daniels also announced the appointment of Ms Simile Mqota as Deputy Manager for Roads and he emphasised that Ms Mqota is the first African female in the Garden Route district to be appointed in a position of this nature. Mr Anton Steenkamp previously filled the position, but retired earlier this year. Mr Steenkamp will now mentor Ms Mqota for 18 months to ensure a smooth handover of all duties related to the post.
During his address at the ceremony, Cllr Rowan Spies praised the Roads and Transport Planning Department for the developments and progress of the department over the past year. He said: “It is heart-warming to see how much change is coming to the Garden Route, especially with regard to the diversity and expertise of the team. Cllr Spies added: “This Chip Spreader is an impressive machine, but the Roads and Transport Planning team, is more impressive”. Cllr Spies also shared a word of gratitude to Mayor Booysen and said: “Thank you for allowing the Municipal Manager and officials to take forward a vision of what Garden Route aims to be and can be”.
In his address to all stakeholders present, Mayor Booysen highlighted: “This is once again a moment to be proud of, as we continue to be a leader in experiencing new things. We have to use this machine to the benefit of the economy of the Garden Route,” he added. In his congratulatory remarks to Ms Mqota, Mayor Booysen further said: “This event is also a confirmation that we are a leader in empowering our staff – more specifically our women”. Mayor Booysen further requested all male employees at the site to support Ms Mqota in her new position. He furthermore shared a word of appreciation with Mr Anton Steenkamp for his 24 years of dedicated service to the organisation. He also thanked him for his willingness to mentor Ms Mqota and to share his valued skills that will only benefit the road users and economy of the region.