Author: Marillia Veldkornet
Garden Route and Klein Karoo Regional Tourism office is currently exhibiting at the World Travel Market Africa
Garden Route and Klein Karoo Regional Tourism Office is currently exhibiting at the World Travel Market Africa show in Cape Town. The Regional Tourism Office is exhibiting on stands P24 and Q23, together with the Local Tourism Offices: Plett Tourism, George Tourism, Oudtshoorn Tourism, Hessequa Tourism and Calitzdorp Tourism.
The following products are also exhibiting on the stands, namely: De Rusta Estates, Redberry Farm, Oubaai Hotel Golf and Spa, Destination Garden Route, Gourikwa Reserve, the Knysna River Club, Hog Hollow Trails and the Ocean Sailing Charters.
Forum to commemorate the Knysna fires of 7 June 2017
“The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), incorporating the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF), is looking at the establishment of an annual commemoration event for the 2017 Knysna fires. The forum is currently planning to host a seminar on Friday June 7 to review the environmental preparedness of the Southern Cape regarding risks associated with fire and drought,” says Nina Viljoen, Manager: Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation at the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and a spokesperson for the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
“Much has happened in terms of regional disaster prevention and management since the widespread destruction caused by the 2017 Knysna and Plettenberg Bay fires, not to mention the 2018 devastation of some 100 000 hectares along the Outeniqua Mountains, Still Bay and Vermaaklikheid, claiming still more lives and causing untold damage to the regional economy,” says Viljoen.
At a recent workshop hosted at the Nelson Mandela University’s (NMU) Saasveld Campus, options were discussed to generate funds sufficient to address and reduce risks associated with invasive alien biomass in the Southern Cape landscape. In dealing with the aftermath of the respective fire disasters, the Executive Mayor of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), Councillor Memory Booysen, was quoted as suggesting a tax on landowners to generate funds for invasive alien plant biomass reduction on the landscape. This was merely a discussion point and what was meant by his point-of-view was that we should be open for a debate on how we, as a collective, can become more prepared for future disasters.
Booysen pointed out that there was general agreement that much more must be done by both landowners and authorities to reduce risks if we were to safeguard the region from a recurrence of the 2017 and 2018 fires.
Fire-risk reduction is but one of several environmental matters hitting the GREF spotlight
The proposed 7 June Fire Commemoration seminar will look at the overarching research and strategy development that has taken place over the past two years regarding environmental risk reduction in the region, and the physical measures that have been implemented. The seminar will also provide a roadmap of what is planned for the region in the coming months.
Further announcements on the seminar will be made in due course and information will be published on the GREF website: https://www.scli.org.za/GREF/ closer to the event.
** The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) is a regional forum for collaboration in conservation, environmental adaptation and community interaction. The forum aims to coordinate regional conservation efforts, serve as a catalyst to drive climate adaption practices in the Southern Cape and strive to establish a better-coordinated approach to environmental management.
Community members from Thembalethu educated about communicable diseases
Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) from the Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM’s) Community Services Department recently held a communicable disease awareness session at Kuyasa Clinic in Thembalethu, George. Educational talks were delivered by Ms Jessica Erasmus, Mr Gcobani Tshozi and Ms Wandile Magwaza from the Wilderness region – one of the eight (8) areas served by the GRDM. A total of approximately 150 adults, who were present at clinic, including staff members, were educated during the session.
The topics discussed, include:
- Viral meningitis
- Measles
- Hepatitis
- Cholera
The district distributed pamphlets to everyone and discussed each topic in length in English and Xhosa. Cholera was especially emphasized because of the recent outbreak in Mozambique. It is important to keep abreast with what is happening in and around South Africa because people migrate all over the continent which can cause the further spread of communicable diseases.
Hand Hygiene
The main focus area of the day was good hand hygiene practises. It stays one of the central points of preventing the spreading of germs. Proper hand-wash steps were explained and demonstrated.
One of the most important personal hygiene habits that the community needs to be reminded of and educated about, is how to properly wash their hands.
During the session, it was explained how germs are transferred from one item to another, merely by touching it. A person who touches his/her food with hands which had been in contact with contaminated areas can lead to a range of illnesses. Proper hand-washing with soap and water is a simple. It is the easiest method used to get rid of disease-causing bacteria on surfaces. Hand-washing is not only important after eating, playing or any other activities, but especially before such activities too.
The district firmly believes that prevention is better than cure and by instilling a culture of good hand hygiene, the health of communities will improve.
Photographs:
001 Community members at Kuyasa Clinic educated about communicable diseases.
002 Community members at the Kuyasa Clinic in Thembalethu who were educated about communicable diseases. Ms Jessica Erasmus, Garden Route DM EHP is featured in the middle.
GRDM hosts its 2nd IDP, Budget and Performance Management Representative Forum
The 2nd Integrated Development Planning (IDP), Budget and Performance Management Representative Forum, hosted by Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), took place on Thursday, 14 March 2019 at the Civic Centre in George. This event was a second of its kind to be hosted by the District. The event housed approximately 150 delegates, varying from Councillors and municipal officials, to representatives from sector departments in the Garden Route district.
Apart from representatives from B-municipalities, various Government organisations were also given the stage to talk about their initiatives and plans for the future. This was the part on the programme which municipal representatives waited for in anticipation.
Soon after Mr Mzukisi Cekiso, Manager of Integrated Development Planning at GRDM, recapped the resolutions of the 1st Forum that took in Mossel Bay last year 2018, Executive Mayor of GRDM, presented an overview of the Garden Route district. Mayor Booysen emphasised that the Garden Route is the second biggest district in the Western Cape and is still growing in terms of population statistics.
When highlighting his plans for the Garden Route, Mayor Booysen pointed out one of the initiatives of the GRDM and said: “Big events, such as the Garden Route Investment Conference, hosted by the municipality last year have resulted in negotiations to take place with an investor for a R1 billion contract. This contract will be of benefit to all municipal areas in the Garden Route,” he added. Although Mayor Booysen brought good news to the various representatives in relation to the District’s plans, such as to appoint a development agency for the district etc., he also changed his tone and raised his concerns about various challenges which the entire district is faced which. One of these challenges is the drop-out rate of high school learners. He subsequently pleaded with municipalities to plan for programmes to be put in place to reverse this trend.
GRDM Municipal Manager, Mr Monde Stratu, during his address said: “We have received correspondence from the Western Cape Government that the IDP Indaba is coming back in April 2019”. Stratu encouraged municipalities to make use these opportunities to engage on matters of public interest”. When referring to public participation, he furthermore explained that the District will be going to the next phase of the IDP and Budget process. “We need to work very hard on our communication as stakeholders of Government, as we are not all on the same page and should work hard in achieving better coordinated,” Stratu said.
Municipalities on the other hand raised their municipal concerns of which many spoke about the drought issue in their area, over population in relations to adequate services such as a need for health facilities etc, unemployment, housing, provision of electricity – to name a few. Although many municipalities appeared to be despondent when sharing their municipal budget constraints or shortcomings, many of them also saw the light at the end of the tunnel when sector departments announced their future plans for the Garden Route. One such good announcement, was that of the Department of Health in the Garden Route/Klein Karoo District, when Mr Manie Abrahams highlighted that in the 2019/2020 financial year, R462 million will be spent on hospitals and R498 million for primary health care services. Abrahams said: “One of the reasons for the spending, especially at primary health care facilities and hospitals, is to decrease the waiting time of visitors”. He added: “The Department’s infrastructure upgrading this year for the district amounts to R10 to R30 million for the Mossel Bay hospital which is in progress, as well as a new hospital for Bitou of which the date still needs to be confirmed”.
In concluding the activities of the day, Portfolio Chairperson for Finance at GRDM, Cllr Jerome Lambaatjeen thanked all municipal officials and representatives from sector departments who attended the event.
The programme was facilitated by Cllr Eleanore Bouw-Spies, Speaker of Garden Route District Municipality.