Media Release: Holiday message by the GRDM Executive Mayor, Alderman Memory Booysen
For Immediate Release 22 December 2020
Good day, all Garden Routers and visitors to the Garden Route district.
We are fast approaching the end of 2020; a year that has taken a tremendous toll on all of us as Garden Routers, the nation and world. We, however, want to continue to welcome visitors and holidaymakers to the Garden Route, and we hope that you will enjoy your stay in our beautiful diverse region.
Since most of you already transitioned into the holiday and festive spirit and are inviting friends and family to functions and get-togethers, we want to advise you to always stay vigilant, to avoid large gathering if you can, to always wear your mask properly by covering your mouth and nose and to continue practicing social distancing. Should you have Covid-19 related symptoms stay at home and arrange for a test.
To my fellow brothers out there, I would like to plea to you during this festive season to act responsible and protect our women and children against the evil phenomena called gender-based violence.
As a district, we cannot end this year without remembering those who have lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to gender-based violence and to other forms of violence. We know that many families are currently heartbroken and we want to encourage you to use the time to celebrate their lives by reliving your memories of them. Do things differently this year – stay at home and spend time with your love ones – as this is the safest thing to do. Also, reflect on your purpose and rethink how you can improve it in the next year to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
We also want to extend a special word of thanks and encouragement to our essentials worker and health care community at the forefront and centre who have worked selflessly and courageously in saving lives – we appreciate you!
On behalf of the Garden Route District Municipality and its Council, I would like to wish you all a blessed and prosperous Christmas and festive season ahead. May it be a joyous time spent with your loved ones and may you all keep safe.
The year 2020 will indeed be a year to be remembered for generations to come. We wish and pray for health and safety for every one of us and our communities for 2021.
Media Release: COVID-19 Business Safety Kits rolled out in the Garden Route District
For Immediate Release 11 December 2020
The Garden Route District Municipality recently received a total of 1000 COVID-19 business safety kits from the Western Cape Provincial Government (WCG), Department of Economic Development and Tourism. These are already being distributed to Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and informal traders in the Garden Route district.
This intervention by the WCG is primarily geared towards supporting businesses, to safeguard jobs and the economy during the present COVID-19 crisis. Furthermore, to guide and assist businesses to implement the necessary safety and health protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and to protect clientele.
The COVID-19 business safety kit has been designed to enable SMMEs and informal traders to operate their business safely and responsibly, with each kit containing:
two bottles of alcohol-based sanitizer – for hands and surfaces;
ten (10) re-usable cloth face masks;
information posters on preparing and staying safe before work, how to be safe at work and while taking breaks. It also contains information on what to do when returning home from work, and leaflets for customers on shopping safely.
These COVID-19 business safety kits are currently being distributed to small business and informal traders identified by the local municipalities in hotspot areas across the district. The process is managed by the Local Economic Development Managers of the respective municipalities. All recipients of these safety kits will sign a register upon receipt for record and audit purposes. The distribution process will be completed by middle December.
The project aims to reduce the current rate of community-related infection spreading, assisting and enabling businesses to stay open and also illustrate how COVID-19 can be managed responsibly, allowing businesses to operate and for more businesses to open.
In addition to the COVID-19 business safety kits project, the Western Cape Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism also provide other workplace safety support and resources with regards to preparing the workplace; preventing infections and managing workplace infections.
Media Release: Adherence to all Health Protocols is critical in combatting COVID-19
For Immediate Release
7 December 2020
It is very important that every single person in the Garden Route District (GRD) either starts or continues to observe and adhere to all covid protocols. This is the only way we would be able to bring a speedy halt to the current surge in terms of the high infection rate in the area. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who are adhering to the health protocols and also thank our frontline staff for their continued commitment in fighting against the virus.
As at Sunday, 6 December 2020, the GRD had 18 406 cases, of which 13 765 recovered, meaning there are currently 4 078 active cases in the area. Compared to a week earlier, on 29 November 2020, the GRD had 16 197 cases with 12 025 recoveries and 3675 active cases.
As the lead for the Western Cape Government (WCG) in the GRD, I’m deeply concerned with these statistics. Over the coming days, I intend engaging the leadership in the GRD Municipality, Faith Based and other relevant organisations, as well as community leaders, as we have to as a collective address the current surge in the area.
It is deeply worrying to note that there are still those who do not see the need to wear a mask when they’re outside of their homes. We can avoid a situation where stricter measures are enforced if we actively work together to combat the spread of the virus.
We might sound like a stuck record, but must urge all resident in the GRD to wear a mask, sanitise or wash their hands, keep a safe distance of over 1,5m in social settings and wherever possible, avoid large gatherings, particularly in small spaces where social distancing might be a challenge.
From a health perspective our hospitals do have the required equipment and personnel to ensure that patients are assisted, as additional resources have been made available.
Let’s do our bit to vigorously fight against the spread of the virus.
Media Release: Garden Route District Community Safety Forum established – another first for the Garden Route
For Immediate Release 11 November 2020
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility”
28 October 2020 marked a historic occasion for the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) when the GRDM in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Community Safety, launched the first-ever Garden Route District Community Safety Forum in Mossel Bay. This event follows after several engagements and workshops, including an Alcohol Harms Reduction Work session, a Safety Plan Workshop and a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) workshop in 2019.
In December 2018, the Premier of the Western Cape, Mr Alan Winde, hosted a meeting with District Mayors – and Municipal Managers in the Western Cape. The purpose of the engagement was to introduce the Western Cape Provincial Cabinet’s District Safety Initiative Project, funded by the Department of Community Safety for four years.
Subsequent to the meeting, a Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA) was signed between the municipalities in the district and the Department of Community Safety where after funds were transferred to the GRDM. The TPA obliged the District Municipality to submit safety- and business plans in support of safety initiatives in the district. This approach emphasises the establishment of effective safety structures to facilitate and co-ordination role-players at the district and local municipal level. As part of this agreement, the WC Department of Community Safety will guide and assist each District Municipality with the development of a resilience model, to build safe and cohesive communities, which will be monitored through the municipal safety structures.
The launch was attended by Mayors and Deputy Mayors from across the district, Councillors and representatives from the Western Cape Department of Community Safety, the South African Police Services, Department of Correctional Services, Department of Social Development, Department of Home Affairs, the Provincial Traffic, the District Men’s Sector and senior municipal officials. During the official welcoming address, the GRDM Deputy Executive Mayor, Alderlady Rosina Ruiters, thanked the Western Cape Department of Community Safety for initiating and rolling out the project in the Garden Route and emphasised the critical importance of safety in the district.
Mr Justin Lottring, Deputy Director for Community Police Relations at the Western Cape Department of Community Safety did a presentation on what he called ‘the milestones reached” in leading up to the launch. He gave a brief background report on the progress made since 2018, future plans in terms of safety initiatives in the district and what stakeholders can expect from the Garden Route District Safety Forum. “Today we are pleased to be in a partnership with the GRDM to improve safety in the district. I believe that there is a link between well-being and safety, and that trust clearly influence and flow out of it. If partners don’t trust one another, they wouldn’t be able to work together,” Lottring said.
Alderman Memory Booysen during his keynote address.
The GRDM Executive Mayor, Alderman Memory Booysen during his keynote address was persuasively stated that fighting crime is a collective effort. “What happens after today is the ‘real science’ of what is important. We collectively need to work together and address the current situation of over-crowdedness at correctional facilities within the district,” Alderman Booysen said. He said: “As a District Municipality, we do not want to overstep or interfere in the local municipality’s business. We are aware that some of the municipalities in the district are struggling and for that reason, we want to form partnerships and work together to combat crime.” In conclusion Alderman Booysen thanked stakeholders for their presence and support and said: “Let’s all keep on spreading the message by taking a ‘whole of society’ approach”.
In support of the newly established Forum, the different municipal- and sector department representatives each delivered a short message of support to the District Municipality for leading the district in a safer environment. As a token of their commitment, representatives signed a pledge, manifesting their support and willingness to partner with the GRDM.
As for the way forward, the GRDM will coordinate the establishment of local Community Safety Forums in each Local Municipality in the district to identify, develop and implement safety strategies, safety plans and safety projects. Safety plans will be captured in the IDP processes and existing safety partners will be utilised to assist the GRDM and local municipalities to combat COVID-19 and promote social distancing in the local hotspot areas.
Affected Municipalities: Beaufort West, Hantam, Kannaland, Khâi-Ma, Laingsburg, Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert.
Valid From (SAST): 27/10/20 – 12h00
Valid To (SAST): 28/10/20 – 18h00
Discussion: Weather conditions which include hot temperatures, moderate to fresh winds and low humidity might result in the development of veld/bush fires.
Impact: Conditions are such that the FDI index is above 75. Under these conditions, fires may develop and spread rapidly resulting in damage to property and possible loss of human and/or animal life.
Instruction: All personnel and equipment should be removed from the field. Fire teams, labour and equipment are to be placed on full standby. At the first sign of smoke, every possible measure should be taken in order to bring the fire under control in the shortest possible time.
Report any severe weather related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at telephone number 044 805 5071.
According to the latest media reports, critical fire weather remains in effect across much of Northern California, with firefighters on high alert for the possibility of new fast-moving wildfires. Some media reports refer to the 2020 wildfire season as the first ‘gigafire’ in modern history.
Says Meiring, “In comparison to the wildfire disasters that affected the Southern and Western Cape over the past three years, the size and scale of the Western American wildfire theatre is simply staggering. To date, well over two million hectares have been reduced to ashes, and well over 9 000 dwellings and structures destroyed, including untold damage to grid infrastructure, the natural environment and productive agricultural land, with no clear end in sight yet.”
“Just like in South Africa, climate change has set the perfect platform for intense wildfires across the American West over past decades.”
“A marked increase in American, and South African, day and night temperatures, changes in rainfall and snow patterns, shifts in plant communities, stronger winds and other climate-change-related factors all contribute to setting the scene for ever more severe wildfires over much larger areas than ever before.”
Knysna burnt landscape with flower
“The only reason Southern and Western Cape communities have not suffered from severe wildfire disasters in recent times is because much of the flammable invasive alien plant material, accredited for providing the fuel for intense and out-of-control wildfires, has been destroyed by recent fires and is only now maturing to sufficient mass.”
“In mitigation of environmental conditions conducive to out-of-control wildfires, the persistent drought experienced during the past decade has largely been broken by the return of favourable rains in most parts, and, as a result, flammable material is currently not as dry as it were during the harsh drought in many parts. The rapid suppression of wildfires also allowed biomass to grow and accumulate over time.”
“Monitoring the present-day aggressive regrowth patterns of invasive alien plants along known fire paths by SCLI in the Southern Cape, following the 2017 and 2018 wildfire disasters, puts justice to the term ‘Knysna reloaded’.”
“In as much SCLI and many landowners have gone to great lengths to draw up and implement Invasive Alien Plant Control Plans to eradicate and control invasive alien plants on private land, unwanted biomass, potentially providing the fuel for a recurrence of the 2017 and 2018 Garden Route wildfire disasters, is clearly visible and growing rapidly on the landscape,” warns Meiring.
He says funding streams generated to assist landowners in dealing with invasive alien plants in the aftermath of the Knysna fires have since been diverted in order to serve COVID-19 relief efforts. Landowners now have to take full responsibility for controlling what grows on their land. They have little choice but to adhere to strict environmental management guidelines governing invasive plant control and eradication or face stringent penalties issued by environmental management authorities such as the Green Scorpions.
In an all-out effort to create more wild spaces and to enlarge the conservation footprint of the Southern Cape through the rehabilitation of regional river systems, SCLI and private landowners are collaborating to create conservation corridors linking the Outeniqua Mountains with the Indian Ocean. This collaboration is of particular importance in the rural-urban interface where most invasive alien plants are present and the most significant wildfire damage is recorded.
For more information on how to deal with invasive alien plants on their land, landowners can visit the SCLI website at http://www.scli.org.za.
“Many Knysna and Plettenberg Bay landowners are setting the scene for a repeat of the intense 2017 wildfire disaster by allowing the large-scale return of invasive alien plants on the landscape. All that is required for the next fire disaster is the right climate conditions, sufficient fuel loads and a spark,” says Cobus Meiring of SCLI.
** The Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI) is a public platform and think tank for landowners and land managers with an interest in invasive alien plant management, water stewardship and land management. SCLI is supported by the Table Mountain Fund (TMF), a subsidiary of WWF SA. SCLI also manages the Secretariat of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Cobus Meiring: Chairperson of the Southern Cape Landowners Initiative (SCLI)
Affected Municipalities: Bitou, George, Knysna and Mossel Bay.
Valid From (SAST): 09/10/20 00h00
Valid To (SAST): 09/10/20 00h00
Discussion: Rain is expected along the south coast and adjacent interior from Thursday into Saturday (08-10/10/2020) with rainfall accumulations of 5 to 15mm reaching 20 to 40mm over the eastern parts of the south coast. Due to recent rain in the area and more rain forecasted for Thursday into Saturday morning, there is a possibility of localised flooding to susceptible areas between Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay on Friday.
Impact: Localised flooding of susceptible informal settlements. Minor motor vehicle accidents due to slippery roads and reduced visibility increasing travelling times. Minor motor vehicle accidents due to slippery roads and reduced visibility increasing travelling times.
Instruction: If possible stay indoors and off the roads, avoid crossing rivers and swollen streams where water is above your ankles. If trapped in a vehicle during a flood, abandon it and climb to higher ground. In buildings, move valuables to a safe place above the expected flood level. Switch off electricity at the supply point to the building. In rural areas protect/relocate animals to a safe place on higher ground. Abandon your home immediately if evacuation is recommended before access is cut off by floodwater. NEVER drive on a road covered by water. If the vehicle stalls, leave it immediately and seek higher ground. Be especially cautious at night when it’s harder to recognize flood dangers. Listen to the radio or TV for warnings and obey the instructions from disaster management officers.
Report any severe weather related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at telephone number 044 805 5071.
