Author: Marillia Veldkornet
Air Quality officials contribute to workshop held at NMU
The Sub-directorate: Environmental Law Enforcement (Region 3), George of the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning recently requested the Air Quality unit of Garden Route District Municipality, to do a presentation at the George Campus of Nelson Mandela University (NMU), as part of their annual Structural Practical Workshop.
The Air Quality Unit was invited for the purpose to share information and educate the NMU second year students registered on the University’s Forestry and Wood Technology programme, on the basic Environmental Law and Management Principles.
This year, the Air Quality Unit once again partook in the session. Dr Johann Schoeman, the District Air Quality Manager, and Mr Angus Andries, the District Air Quality Officer from Garden Route District Municipality, presented the topics ‘Introduction to Air Quality Management,’ as well as ‘Atmospheric Emissions Licencing and the roles and responsibilities of the emission control officers in the Wood Drying industry’.
The presentations were well received and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning commended the Garden Route District Municipality for their input at the workshop.
Final Tourism Strategy Workshop currently underway
The Final Tourism Strategy workshop is currently underway in Calitzdorp at the Town Hall. The workshops aim is to give feedback on the draft tourism strategy that has been developed. Also to consolidate final inputs into the document to ensure inclusivity.
2018/19 Final Reviewed IDP
Final Reviewed IDP 2018-2019
Visitors applaud Garden Route DM resorts after their 2018/2019 holiday stay
Employees of the Garden Route District Municipality (Garden Route DM) resorts were warmly commended by guests who visited one of the four resorts of Garden Route DM during the 2018/2019 summer holiday. These resorts include: Swartvlei Resort, Victoria Bay Caravan Park, De Hoek Mountain Resort and Calitzdorp Spa.
The Victoria Bay Caravan Park was fully booked from 15 December to 04 January, the Swartvlei Resort from 15 December to 2 January, De Hoek Mountain Resort was full from 24 December to 02 January and the Calitzdorp Spa was 65% booked from 24 December to 2 January. This period is regarded as the most critical period of the peak season.
“This year, visitors left from as early as 2 January, due to the early start of the schools,” Willie Fourie, Manager of Resorts at the Garden Route DM said. “With regard to the use of alcohol, visitors were prohibited from using alcohol at the pool areas to ensure the safety of all,” Fourie added.
Most guests described their stay as an “absolutely amazing experience” and the facilities and overall area as “neat, safe and as an area well-managed”. Apart from the experience of the stay, the staff members at all resorts were commended for their friendliness and helpfulness. One of the visitors said: “We felt safe all the time and really appreciated how well managed the entire area was”.
These four resorts are known for their diverse characteristics, practical and convenient locations and are liked by many for the quality of service they offer during a visitor’s stay.
Council and Management would like to extend a word of appreciation to all Resort staff for their continuous commitment and dedication to ensure that all visitors of the Garden Route DM resorts are well looked after. Visitors to these resorts will always regard their stay as an experience which they will always remember.
A selection of reviews received from the visitors:
- “Rarely do we appreciate the good that various government organisations are doing and I think that your establishment is definitely worth mentioning.”
- “You called from your cell number and assisted us in such a wonderful and friendly manner, even though it was passed midnight.”
- “Thank you for coming to check up on us on the Saturday as well, your efficiency and professionalism is truly the very reason the space is so well managed and kept so beautifully.”
- “The facilities and location was really well maintained, the toilets were always clean and the grounds beautifully maintained.”
- “Service staff were very friendly and helpful and always smiling and willing to help; even the law enforcement. We felt safe all the time and really appreciated how well managed the entire area is.”
- “We aren’t regular campers and this has made the experience and the concept of camping really amazing and we thank you and all the various team members, it has really been one of many trips to a place that is so amazing.”
- “Ons was baie goed ontvang en verwelkom deur kampeerders.”
- “Hoop dit gaan die begin wees van vele vir ons…baie dankie.”
- “Dankie vir ‘n netjiese en vredevolle kampterein :)”
- “Thank you for an amazing five day stay. What a super friendly place… It has been a long time since we stayed in a caravan park and I loved it.”
- “Ons het weer heerlik gekuier.”
- “Again to you and your municipality well done!”
M05 November 2018
M05 November 2018
Notice of the election of Speaker of Garden Route District Municipality
This serves as official notification that Cllr Eleanore Bouw-Spies, on Thursday, 13 December 2018, during a Special Council Meeting, was inaugurated in as Councillor of the Garden Route District Council.Soon after her inauguration, she was also elected as the Speaker of the Garden Route District Municipality.
Council warmly welcomed Cllr Bouw-Spies as the new Speaker of the Garden Route District Municipality. Cllr Piet van der Hoven said: “We have full confidence in your ability to fulfill your task with dignity and fairness. Councillor Claudia Lichaba welcomed Cllr Bouw-Spies and said: “Congratulations, now we have a clear direction going forward and for that you should direct us with your leadership. We have now a lot of women in leadership positions,” she added.
The Speaker position became vacant after Councillor Mark Willemse (former Speaker) resigned on 11 June 2018. During the absence of the permanent speaker, Cllr Barend Groenewald acted as Speaker of Council and served for a period of 7 months.
Cllr Groenewald in his resignation letter as the acting Speaker, extended a word of gratitude to the Garden Route District Council. He thanked Council for the trust they bestowed on him during his acting period. In response to that, fellow councillors highly praised him for his leadership role during the past months and the excellent manner in which he directed all proceedings of Council.
Western Cape Department of Transport hands over R5.7 million new bulldozer to the Garden Route DM Roads Department
A new Caterpillar (CAT) D7R bulldozer was officially handed over to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Roads Department on Thursday, 6 December 2018, at the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Handre Strydom, Chief Engineer at the WesternCape Department of Transport, together with Mr Henk van der Merwe from CAT South Africa, complemented the GRDM Roads Services’ fleet count when they officially handed over the machine.
The machine was taken into acceptance by GRDM Portfolio Chairperson of Roads Services, Cllr Rowan Spies, in the presence of GRDM Executive Manager of Roads Services, Mr John Daniels, GRDM Manager for Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, Mr Japie Strydom, GRDM Deputy Manager: Re-gravel, Mr Lionel Coetzee, and officials from the GRDM Roads Department.
Garden Route District Municipality Portfolio Chairperson for Roads Services, Cllr Rowan Spies (2nd, left), Executive Manager of Roads Services, Mr John Daniels (2nd, right), Deputy Manager: Re-gravel, Mr Lionel Coetzee (left) and Manager for Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, Mr Japie Strydom (right), at the official handover ceremony.
The new R5.7 million bulldozer is one of two machines that were delivered to GRDM by the Department of Transport this year and it is just what the Roads Department needsto intensity and more regularly maintain the roads of the Garden Route district. Mr Japie Strydom admits that the process tomotivate for the machine of this magnitude does not happen overnight. “The process required months of thorough planning and motivation to the Department of Transport, to finally be inpossession of a machine of this nature,” Strydom added. He further extended aword of appreciation, on behalf of the GRDM Management and Council, to MrHandre Strydom and the Department of Transport for the years of continued support in ensuring that the GRDM Roads Department has the resources available to give the Garden Route roads the necessary attention it need.
Describing the mechanical features of the bulldozer, Mr Handre Strydom said: “This 28 ton machine is strong enough to handle a mass of up 30 tons”. He further added that the machine has a lifespan of 20 years but can be in use for up to 30 years, if well maintained.
In answering a question posed by Mr Daniels, on whether the parts of the machine are locally available, Mr Strydom responded: “All parts of the machine are available in South Africa, therefore if parts need not be replaced, it will not cause a delay in the road maintenance operations”.
The face of the brand new CAT D7R bulldozer. The machine is already showing off its capabilities at the borrow pit near Riversdale.
Mr Japie Strydom elaborated that the bulldozer will be utilised to stockpile useful road material from 38 borrow pits situated in the Garden Route, but will mostly be responsible for stockpiling of material from the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Strydom said: “Material hauled from a borrow pit is transported to a specific road section for further processing. When the material is finally approved, the re-gravelling of the road can commence. This process will repeat itself over a certain period of time e.g. 10 years, as small amounts of material get lost over the years, which results in the deterioration of the road. The material gets lost due to environmental factors, traffic counts and weather conditions, such as rain and wind” Mr Strydom added.
While facilitating the discussions of the handover ceremony, Mr Daniels, highlighted: “Now we can continue to deliver services to our road users by ensuring that the quality of our roads in the Garden Route is on standard” and he added: “I am confident that with this type of machine, we will definitely achieve our goals of effective service delivery and well maintained roads”.
Mr Japie Strydom concluded: “With all these resources to our avail, we will be able to do a high level of preventative maintenance on the machine to ensure that we indeed reach the lifespan of more than 20 years and more”. For this reason, Mr Jaco Gunter,the machine operator, underwent specialised training on 11 December 2018, which was conducted by a Barloworld Specialist Operator Trainer, Mr Elias Shabalala. Within a few days’time, this brand new machine will be housed at the GRDM Riversdale depot, while its operator and mechanical staff will enjoy the festive period with their family.
Western Cape Department of Transport hands over R5.7 million new bulldozer to the Garden Route DM Roads Department
A new Caterpillar (CAT) D7R bulldozer was officially handed over to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Roads Department on Thursday, 6 December 2018, at the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Handre Strydom, Chief Engineer at the Western Cape Department of Transport, together with Mr Henk van der Merwe from CAT South Africa, complemented the GRDM Roads Services’ fleet count when they officially handed over the machine.
The machine was taken into acceptance by GRDM Portfolio Chairperson of Roads Services, Cllr Rowan Spies, in the presence of GRDM Executive Manager of Roads Services, Mr John Daniels, GRDM Manager for Maintenance, Construction and Mechanical Services, Mr Japie Strydom, GRDM Deputy Manager: Re-gravel, Mr Lionel Coetzee, and officials from the GRDM Roads Department.
The new R5.7 million bulldozer is one of two machines that were delivered to GRDM by the Department of Transport this year and it is just what the Roads Department needed to intensity and more regularly maintain the roads of the Garden Route district. Mr Japie Strydom admits that the process to motivate for the machine of this magnitude does not happen overnight. “The process required months of thorough planning and motivation to the Department of Transport, to finally be in possession of a machine of this nature,” Strydom added. He further extended a word of appreciation, on behalf of the GRDM Management and Council, to Mr Handre Strydom and the Department of Transport for the years of continued support in ensuring that the GRDM Roads Department has the resources available to give the Garden Route roads the necessary attention it need.
Describing the mechanical features of the bulldozer, Mr Handre Strydom said: “This 28 ton machine is strong enough to handle a mass of up 30 tons”. He further added that the machine has a lifespan of 20 years but can be in use for up to 30 years, if well maintained. In answering a question posed by Mr Daniels, on whether the parts of the machine are locally available, Mr Strydom responded: “All parts of the machine are available in the Republic of South Africa, therefore if parts need not be replaced, it will not cause a delay in the road maintenance operations”.
Mr Japie Strydom elaborated that the bulldozer will be utilised to stockpile useful road material from 38 borrow pits situated in the Garden Route, but will mostly be responsible for stockpiling of material from the DR1524/18.5/0.5R borrow pit near Riversdale. Mr Strydom said: “Material hauled from a borrow pit is transported to a specific road section for further processing. When the material is finally approved, the re-gravelling of the road can commence. This process will repeat itself over a certain period of time e.g. 10 years, as small amounts of material get lost over the years, which results in the deterioration of the road. The material gets lost due to environmental factors, traffic counts and weather conditions, such as rain and wind” Mr Strydom added.
While facilitating the discussions of the handover ceremony, Mr Daniels, highlighted: “Now we can continue to deliver services to our road users by ensuring that the quality of our roads in the Garden Route is on standard” and he added: “I am confident that with this type of machine, we will definitely achieve our goals of effective service delivery and well maintained roads”.
Mr Japie Strydom concluded: “With all these resources to our avail, we will be able to do a high level of preventative maintenance on the machine to ensure that we indeed reach the lifespan of more than 20 years and more”. For this reason, Mr Jaco Gunter, the machine operator, underwent specialised training on 11 December 2018, which was conducted by a Barloworld Specialist Operator Trainer, Mr Elias Shabalala.
Within a few days’ time, this brand new machine will be housed at the GRDM Riversdale depot, while its operator and mechanical staff will enjoy the festive period with their family.