Category: <span>Garden Route</span>

20 October 2022 Media Release: GRDM Executive Mayor wishes the matric class of 2022 the best of luck!

Media Release: GRDM Executive Mayor wishes the matric class of 2022 the best of luck!

20 October 2022
For immediate release

I am Memory Booysen, Executive Mayor of the Garden Route District Municipality.

We know it’s that time of the year when our matriculants have to write their final exams. We want to wish them all the best. And for those who have not started studying yet, the time is now!

We would also like to ask the parents to please bear with the kids and to create a conducive environment at home so that the kids can study under relaxed and quiet circumstances.  The mere fact that matriculants have reached this time of the year throughout the pandemic, is a good sign that this is a resilient district.

I also want to say that we are aware that there are a lot of youth that have already finished matric and who are frustrated because they do not have work or are still sitting at home. But, on behalf of the Mayors of the Garden Route, we are in contact and we are negotiating with our Provincial Government as well to see how we can hold hands and come up with projects that can assist the youth.  We would also like to include the business community so that going forward we know that we have a roll-out that will change the youth’s future and the future of the Garden Route.

– End-

19 October 2022 Media Release: Garden Route domestic tourism trip attended by Journalists and Bloggers

Media Release: Garden Route domestic tourism trip attended by Journalists and Bloggers

19 October 2022
For immediate release

Early this year, the Western Cape Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Wesgro) entered into a three-year partnership agreement with Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) to accelerate the region’s economic growth, investment, trade and tourism. Clear targets and deliverables were set out in this agreement.  In order to increase domestic demand along the Garden Route & Klein Karoo, a familiarisation trip was organised with business and media delegations from Gauteng and Western Cape. The focus of this trip/educational was mainly on family and budget friendly packaging that is on offer in our region.

The trip consisted of 15 participants, including tour operators offering family-friendly packages, media representatives (print and online) focusing on family-friendly experiences, Wesgro representatives, and GR&KK representatives. The five-day trip took place across the entire Garden Route & Klein Karoo region

The initiatives are in line with the Growth and Development Strategy and Garden Route Economy Recovery Plan to boost the Garden Route economy.

Itinerary summary and highlights of the GR&KK Famtrip

Day one, the group met each other for the first time as they arrived at George Airport from their different flights with the tour operator – Tours 4 SA receiving the group. The drive to Garden Route Game Route was indeed pleasant with inviting weather and the group commenting on the diverse landscape witnessed enroute.

GRDM’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Memory Booysen, and a delegation from Council welcomed the group with a networking lunch at Albertina’s Garden Route Game Lodge, highlighting the region’s beauty and splendour.

Day two, was utilised to explore the Garden Route Game Lodge property and to engage with management. The purpose of the trip was to promote the region as a tourism destination.

The group enjoyed the Western Cape Butterfly Sanctuary in Ruiterbos, which was officially opened in November 2021 and is the first and only butterfly sanctuary in the region.

On the third day, the group experienced the Karoo in its true essence in Oudtshoorn, from an ostrich farm safari to visiting the Cango Caves. A highlight of any trip to Oudtshoorn is this experience. The evening ended with an amazing night game drive at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge. This was an experience of the nocturnal side of wildlife, with many animal sightings and a coffee break under the stars while on the game drive which ended the night on a high note.

Day four, saw the group once again experiencing why many visitors to the Garden Route & Klein Karoo enjoy self-drives through the region Guests travelled from Oudtshoorn to Plettenberg Bay to visit the SAASA sanctuaries (Jukani and Birds of Eden). Feedback from the guests was that it felt like an ‘Amazon’ experience as they navigated through the world’s largest free flight aviary and bird sanctuary.

Day five offered a taste of adventure that included zip lining, climbing and hanging from ropes at the Timberlake organic village between Sedgefield and Wilderness at Acrobranch. This wasfollowed by a boat ride in the Wilderness National Park.

As the group left George after a closing lunch at Redberry Farm, they felt invigorated on the one side, but also sad that they had to bid farewell to the beautiful Garden Route and Klein Karoo.

According to Mrs Amagene Koeberg, GRDM Tourism Coordinator, “continuous engagements are still underway with the group as they publish their experiences and share it with their various audiences through different platforms, as some of the participants have already shared TikTok videos, images, videos and some of the tour operators already engaging with our products/services to include the offerings into their packages. These platforms are being monitored and more statistics and reach will be relayed over a period of time as content gets released, “she said.

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13 October 2022 Media Release:  GRDM Disaster Management Section developed a GreenBook to plan for future climate change

Media Release:  GRDM Disaster Management Section developed a GreenBook to plan for future climate change

13 October 2022
For immediate release

As part of International Disaster Risk Reduction Day (IDRR), the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) focused on Climate Change adaptation. According to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, new risks will be prevented, and existing risks will be reduced. The document outlines seven targets and four priorities for action, including:

  • Understanding disaster risk;
  • Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk;
  • Investing in disaster reduction for resilience; and
  • Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

According to Gerhard Otto, GRDM Head of Disaster Management: “As part of a partnership with Santam and CSIR, GRDM recently launched a Greenbook, which is an open-access tool to support municipalities in planning climate resilient communities”.

“GRDM forms part of a national climate change adaptation initiative that has been launched in three provinces in South Africa,” said Otto.

The purpose of the Greenbook is to encourage resilient, sustainable, and liveable settlements by incorporating climate change adaptation into municipal development planning. The Greenbook provides an overview of current and likely future trends to the year 2050, related to settlement dynamics, climate hazards, and impacts that climate change will have on South African towns and cities. The tool is capable of linking every settlement risk profile to customizable adaptation actions also known as risk reduction initiatives that can be integrated into local strategies, programs and projects.

Furthermore, the GRDM recently updated its Disaster Risk Assessment and is able to use the tool to identify areas in need of urgent intervention. Not only does the tool provide an extensive overview of priority risks (current and future trends), it also provides disaster risk reduction initiatives recommendations to be considered and their likely impacts if implemented correctly.

In order to achieve the seven targets and the four priorities outlined in the Sendai Framework, the Greenbook has been launched. You can access it at http://greenbook.co.za/ .

All local municipalities in the region will be trained to incorporate climate change adaptation and promote climate resilient communities into their future development planning processes.

-End-

27 August 2022 Media Release: The GRDM salutes a true public servant

Media Release:  The GRDM salutes a true public servant

For immediate release
27 August 2022

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) announces with great sadness the passing of Georg Hendriksz on 23 August 2022. He was a beloved, hardworking and dedicated colleague who started his career at the then Klein Karoo Divisional Council in Oudtshoorn in 1984.

The 63-year-old Georg Hendriksz worked for the GRDM Municipal Health Services in Oudtshoorn for 39 years as an Environmental Health Practitioner.

As a true servant of the public, Hendriksz is remembered by his colleagues as a humble individual who made a significant impact on the lives of many people. “We will forever be grateful for the work he did at the GRDM’s Municipal Health Section. As colleagues, we will truly miss him. ‘May his soul rest in peace,’ said his long-time colleague Desmond Paulse.

26 July 2022 Media Release: HealthNET Pilot Project Garden Route improves access to care

Media Release: HealthNET Pilot Project Garden Route improves access to care

For Immediate Release
26 July 2022

George Hospital and Western Cape Emergency Medical Services (EMS) introduced an exciting and new six-month project for patients from the Garden Route who need access to specialist investigations/treatments at tertiary healthcare facilities in Cape Town.

The HealthNET pilot project commenced on 11 July 2022 when an additional HealthNET vehicle started transporting patients between Garden Route and Cape Town hospitals, improving access to specialised care.

“Our rural location poses many challenges for our patients to access specialised services at our tertiary hospitals. Patient centred care remains a cornerstone of our service redesign and as such the addition of transport capacity to safely transport our patients from across the Garden Route to tertiary healthcare services in the Metro goes a long way in achieving our vision to provide the right care at the right time in the right place,” says District Director for Health, Mr Zee Brickles.

Jannie Israel with Clarence Stefaas (middle) and Colin Claasen (right).

HealthNET in Garden Route currently has two buses that transport 20 patients each, four days a week providing 200 patients a week with the opportunity to seek treatment at a tertiary healthcare facility in Cape Town and being transported safely back home on the same day.

“There has already been a noticeable impact on the length of time patients wait for discharge from Cape Town hospitals back to the Garden Route, which is encouraging,” says Michael Vonk, CEO of George Hospital. The outcome regarding discharges and waiting times of patients will be measured through data on the HealthNet system. “There is more than enough capacity to transport patients and access to planned transport should not be an obstacle for any patient to access specialist investigations and treatments,” says Vonk.

Fernando Erasmus, HealthNET manager for EMS, and all Emergency Care Officers pride themselves in the service they deliver. In fact, they are so serious about good service delivery that they provide compliment and complaint forms for patients in their vehicles and encourage patients to comment on driver behaviour in order to maintain a quality service. “We are very excited and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that this project will be fruitful and a success”, adds Erasmus.

Before the new addition of the HealthNET bus, complaints were lodged stating that there was a lack of transport for patients in the Garden Route to travel to Cape Town.  “Now with the new addition, there has been a huge improvement. Patients can get to their appointments in Cape Town on time and on the correct date to get the treatment they need,” says Erasmus.

END

 Nadia Ferreira

Principal Communications Officer

Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts

Western Cape Government Health

Tel: 044 813 1831

Email: Nadia.Ferreira@westerncape.gov.za

Website: www.westerncape.gov.za

12 July 2022 Media Release: Blanco health outreach to youth

Media Release: Blanco health outreach to youth

For immediate release
12 July 2022

Community health workers (CHWs)from Blanco had an outreach to youth in Golden Valley in June to raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health. CHWs informed the groups of youth they met on the range of contraceptives methods available and to use contraceptives in addition to condoms every time during sexual intercourse to protect them from unwanted pregnancies and sexual transmitted infections, including HIV. They also touched on voluntary male medical circumcision to prevent the acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Information packages were shared and the CHWs referred youngsters to the Blanco health facility for contraception.

‘It was good to hear that the young boys knew what medical male circumcision was and where to go for the services,’ said health promoter, Claudel Draai.

The CHWs also discussed the dangers of cigarettes, dagga and hookah pipes with the youngsters. ‘We can only inform them of the dangers of using any form of drugs and hope that they will make an informed decision regarding their health.’

Emphasis was specifically on the importance of visiting the nearest healthcare facility when not feeling well and to go for sexual reproductive health services when needed.

Western Cape Government Health and Wellness invites youth to make use of our services through their local clinic.

‘We welcome youth to Blanco clinic to make use of the services on offer. These include family planning, HIV and AIDS and TB screening and testing, mental health services, substance abuse and health promotion. We have a dedicated time slot from 14:00 to 16:00 for youth, but you are welcome to visit us throughout the day,’ said operational manager, Barinda van der Merwe.

END

Nadia Ferreira

Principal Communications Officer

Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts

Western Cape Government Health

Tel: 044 813 1831

Email: Nadia.Ferreira@westerncape.gov.za

Website: www.westerncape.gov.za

11 July 2022 Impact Based Weather Warnings for Western Cape and Namaqua: Yellow level 2: Damaging Waves 12/07/2022 – 14/07/2022

The Cape Town Weather Office has issued an Impact Based Weather Warning for Western Cape and Namaqua for Damaging Waves  valid from Tuesday, 12 July 2022 (12:00) to Thursday, 14 July 2022 (00:00), as follows:

 Hazard Alert Level Affected Municipalities Valid From
(SAST)		 Valid To
(SAST)
Damaging Waves Yellow(L2)
(High likelihood of Minor Impacts)		 M_Bitou, M_Cape Agulhas, M_Cape Agulhas, M_City of Cape Town, M_George, M_Hessequa, M_Knysna, M_Mossel Bay, M_Overstrand, M_Saldanha Bay, M_Swartland, M_Table Bay 12/07/22 – 12h00 14/07/22 – 00h00

Discussion: High energy waves with periods of between 15 and 16 seconds will result in significant south-westerly waves of 4.5 to 5.5m between Saldanha Bay and Cape Agulhas tomorrow spreading to Plettenberg Bay from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, these conditions may result in difficulty in navigation at sea.

Impact: Difficulty in navigation at sea for small vessels and personal water crafts (e.g. kayaks) is possible, small vessels at risk of taking on water and capsizing in locality as well as localised disruptions of small harbours and ports for a short period of time.

Instruction: Small vessels are advised to seek shelter in harbours, bays or inlets.

Legal notice:
“This warning from SA Weather Service must be communicated as received and may not be altered under any circumstance.
It must be forwarded or communicated in its entirety and no portion hereof may be replicated or copied and distributed.”

Report any weather related incidents to the Garden Route Disaster Management Centre at 044-805 5071.

WC_IBF_DM_Warning_Damaging_Waves_L2_11072022

6 July 2022 Media Release: Calitzdorp Hot Springs to host a Music, Arts, and Food Gathering with a purpose

Media Release: Calitzdorp Hot Springs to host a Music, Arts, and Food Gathering with a purpose

6 July 2022
For Immediate Release

Echo Outdoor Gatherings is no stranger to the regional electronic music scene and for years they have hosted events of the highest quality.

After holding their flagship event – Elements of Life – successfully at De Hoek Mountain Resort near Cango Caves for the past five years, Daniel Mentz (event organizer), branched out to Calitzdorp Hot Springs in March with another exciting festival: Valley Of Dreams. The three-day event turned out to be a huge success, which was sold out completely, with people trekking from across the country to attend. According to David, the event attracted nearly 600 festival-goers, which was also a much-needed boost for business and tourism. Festival-goers venture out into the area during an event to explore and some opt to stay for longer as they usually travel from all over the country to attend such festivals.

“Our festival-goers want to make the best of their stay and frequently talk about what they were up to when venturing out to explore the area,” said Mentz.

This July, Echo Outdoor Gatherings will return to Calitzdorp Hot Springs with an even bigger event called ‘Elements of Fire’.

From Friday, 29 July to Sunday, 31 July festival-goers can look forward to a weekend that promises to be a visual and sonic experience like no other. Food stalls will sell falafels, breakfasts, steaks, and freshly pressed juice. Vegan and vegetarian options will also be made available.

Various craft stalls will sell items like dream catchers, leather works, jewellery, clothing brands, and macrame. There will also be two fire shows every night.

Winter Warmer Drive

Echo Outdoor Gatherings wanted to say thank you to the community of Calitzdorp for their warm welcome and decided to give back. This is why they are currently running a food and blanket drive for Friends Of Calitzdorp Animals (FOCA).

FOCA was launched six years ago when the founding member helped some friends to look after stray animals. Today they feed 250 dogs, 70 cats and facilitate up to 30 sterilisations a month. FOC are also constantly building kennels and continues to educate the local residents on animal welfare.

‘The amount of neglect FOCA witnesses every day is horrifying, to say the least,” said Mentz.

To supplement the Winter Warmer Drive, Echo Outdoor Gatherings and Feel Good Entertainment will donate 10% of the bar proceedings for the weekend to FOCA.

Garden Route District Municipality is proud to host the Echo Outdoor Gatherings events as Daniel takes pride in what he does. Every event is carefully planned and those attending must adhere to strict rules.

“Family is at the core of Echo Outdoor Gatherings and will always be,” said Mentz

ends

01 July 2022 Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality launches electronic job application platform

Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality launches electronic job application platform

For immediate release 
01 July 2022

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) is pleased to announce that, as of 1 July 2022, it will introduce its own E-recruitment system. The aim of the system is to make it convenient for applicants to apply for a vacant position at the municipality.

This paperless online job application system will allow applicants to apply for a vacancy without having to complete an application form, make copies of their Curriculum Vitaes (CV) and relevant qualifications every time they apply for a vacancy.  GRDM’s vision is to be a leading, enabling, and inclusive district. With this in mind, this system will provide a platform where job vacancies can be advertised, viewed, and applied for online, enhancing the recruitment and selection process by increasing responses.

When a candidate registers and creates a profile on the E-recruitment system, it is mandatory to upload their CV and qualifications, which is stored on the system and can be updated at any time.  This makes the application process for a vacancy flow more efficiently.

Why an E-recruitment system?

  • E-recruitment will improve the efficiency of filling vacancies because of semi-automated digitisation processes;
  • The system stores a backup file of all the applicant information; and
  • A move from paper to an electronic system improves auditing processes.

What does this system mean for the public?

  • To apply for a vacancy, a person can use any computer or visit a Thusong centre or library in his area;
  • No more traveling to the post office or the GRDM offices to submit a completed application;
  • No more emailed applications because, once applying for a position, the system will automatically send an email informing an applicant that they’ve applied and successfully uploaded their application; and
  • Candidates will be able to track how far along the vacancy process is on the e-recruitment system.

How does the application process work?

  • The vacancy will be advertised on several platforms, clearly marked that only online applications will be accepted;
  • Applicants will be reminded to register and create their profiles on the system;
  • Others who are already registered are welcome to apply for a vacancy;
  • Once registered, one can apply for any vacancy by selecting the vacancy and filling out the mandatory fields; and
  • The recruitment process will be fast and accurate since there will be no manual capturing of information.

When will the system be officially active?

  • The system will be live from Friday, 01 July 2022.
  • One vacancy will be advertised on the E-recruitment system as a trial run to monitor and evaluate public response.
  • In the beginning, only vacancies on T10 and above will be advertised on the system.
  • After two months an evaluation will be done to see how effective the system was.
  • After that, the system will be fully implemented for vacancies below T9.
  • Please note, currently the system is not mobile-friendly; it is only functional on a computer for now, but it will be compatible with a cell phone during the next phase or the system enhancement.

How to access the system?

Brows to http://www.gardenroute.gov.za/apply-for-work/ and it will take applicants to the landing page to start their registration process.  This page also gives applications the option to update their profiles or to apply for a vacancy.

GRDM calls upon the public to start registering and creating their profiles on the e-recruitment system.  If anyone doesn’t have access to a computer, the GRDM encourages those to visit any of the Thusong centres or libraries in their respective areas where they can register and create their profiles.

Who should I contact if I need assistance with the system?

Ms Amanda Booysen – GRDM Human Resources Representative – 044-803 1389 / 078 450 7950

Ms Margaret Powell – GRDM IT Representative – 044 803 1409

Click on the link below to view a short training video that will help you to understand how the Garden Route District Municipality E-recruitment system works and how to apply for vacancies.