Notice Number: 96/2025
Notice is hereby given that a SPECIAL IN-CLOSED COUNCIL MEETING of the Garden Route District Municipality will be held at the CA Robertson Council Chambers, and via Zoom, 54 York Street, George,
on 10 September 2025 at 10:00.
3 September 2025
Last week, Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) course facilitators Gail Bekeer and Wouter Jacobs trained 30 unemployed young people in Oudtshoorn area. They were joined by GRDM Firefighters.
The GRDM Disaster Management Section throughout the year conducts several First Aid Level 3 training sessions at the GRDM Head Office in George, however, a need for expanding the training to areas outside George was identified as word of the success of the programme spread. The GRDM Executive Mayor, Andrew Stroebel, was subsequently requested by Oudtshoorn’s Mayor Johannes Allers, to also accommodate residents from Oudtshoorn in the training, but in their home town for logistical purposes. According to Andrew Stroebel, “This training is of vital importance because it equips people with advanced life-saving skills and prepares them to respond effectively to medical and other emergencies during various incidents”.
In Oudtshoorn, 125 people showed up for the training, but unfortunately only 30 unemployed young people could be accommodated. Samuel Misemengo from the Oudtshoorn Tourism Office, together with the Office of the Oudtshoorn Executive Mayor, shared a call-to-action to WhatsApp Channels, used word-of-mouth, shared messages at the Oudtshoorn Thusong Service Centre, and social media, to inform youth about the training opportunity.
The next training sessions will be on:
06 – 10 October 2025
10 – 14 November 2025
There is no cost involved if you do the training and sign up to become a Disaster Management Volunteer. However, if you are not planning to become a volunteer, the fee payable is R682.00 (rate valid till 30 June 2026).
Download the application form: https://tinyurl.com/m5sjuzmk
Send a completed form to gail.bekeer@gardenroute.gov.za or wouter@gardenroute.gov.za
For more information contact Gail Bekeer (044 803 1347) or Wouter Jacobs (044 803 1316)
Photo Caption: Garden Route DM facilitators pictured with unemployed young people who attended the training session in Oudtshoorn.
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Upgrading of the Gwaiing road between the R404 and the R102 remains the focus of the GRDM Road Construction Team.
The final tests have been conducted on the material and Basecourse layer on the right hand side (RHS) lane, and the team is awaiting the final results and approval before the RHS lane can be completed in full. After approval has been granted to proceed with works on the RHS lane, the surface will be slushed, primed, and the final seal will be placed on the road.
Preparation works on the left hand side (LHS) lane has commenced in the interim, with the sub-grade layer being bladed. Material for the second to last layer (subbase) will be imported from next week, after which the processing of the cemented subbase layer on the LHS will be done.
All concrete structures have been completed in full, and the team is in the process of completing the concrete lined side drains.
Completion date of the project still remains at 31 January 2026.
ENDS
Notice number: 81/2025
Notice is hereby given that the 2026/2027 IDP, Budget and PMS Time Schedule has been adopted in terms of Section 21 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (Act 56 of 2003) by the Garden Route District Municipal Council, at a Council meeting held on 22 August 2025.
Furthermore, the 2024/2025 Draft Unaudited Annual Report has been noted by Council in terms of Circular 63 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act, Act 56 of 2003. The Unaudited Draft Annual Report for the 2024/2025 financial year is open for comments. Comments must be lodged in writing to The Municipal Manager, PO Box 12, George, 6530 or by e-mail at rekords@gardenroute.gov.za before or on 30 September 2025.
The document will be available for public inspection during office hours at the IDP unit, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George as well as at all the satellite offices of the Garden Route District Municipality: Riversdale, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Knysna and Bitou. Copies will also be accessible at all main local libraries and on the municipal website here: https://www.gardenroute.gov.za/document-category/2024-25-annual-report/
Those who are unable to read or write are encouraged to contact the Garden Route District Municipality during ordinary office hours, where they will be assisted to formulate their written comments or objections. For any further enquiries, please contact: Ms M James (IDP Unit: Garden Route District Municipality) on telephone number: 044 803 1431.
Access the following documentation by clicking on the links below:
M G Stratu, Municipal Manager
The EPWP of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) is offering an exciting opportunity for unemployed youth who have completed Firefighter 1, Hazmat Awareness, and First Aid Level 3, and who are physically and mentally fit. This opportunity will run for a period of four (4) months, from 1 December 2025 – 31 March 2026.
PERIOD: 4 Months
Candidates who wish to apply must meet the following minimum requirements:
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
· Completion of Firefighter 1 course at an accredited firefighting training institution.
· Completion of Hazmat Awareness course at an accredited firefighting training institution.
· Completion of First Aid Level 3 course at a registered first aid training institution.
· Valid police clearance or proof of payment for police clearance.
· Ability to speak at least two of the three official languages of the Western Cape.
· Must be unemployed and not registered on any other Learnership, Internship, or WIL Programme.
· Must reside within the borders of the Garden Route region.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
· Certified copy of Identity Document.
· Proof of police clearance or proof of payment.
· Proof of Firefighter 1, Hazmat Awareness, and First Aid Level 3 completed courses.
· Completed Curriculum Vitae.
· Completed EPWP application form.
APPLICATION FORMS AND FURTHER INFORMATION:
Please submit a completed EPWP application form, together with your Curriculum Vitae (CV), a certified copy of your Identity Document, and proof of police clearance at one of the Garden Route District Municipality Satellite Offices listed below, or via email to: epwp@edendm.co.za.
Click here and download the EPWP Database Application form.
Click here and download the Official Advert.
CLOSING DATE: 19 October 2025
Notice number: 86/2025
MG Stratu
MUNICIPAL MANAGER
For immediate release
1 September 2025
Tourism Month, celebrated every September, highlights the vital role tourism plays in South Africa’s economy and communities.
In the Garden Route and Klein Karoo (GR&KK) region, tourism is a powerful driver of sustainable transformation, creating jobs, attracting local investment, and fostering a sense of regional pride. By promoting cultural exchange and showcasing the area’s rich heritage and traditions, tourism not only strengthens the local identity but also encourages responsible travel practices that preserve the environment and empower communities for future generations.
A basic intro of the GR&KK
The Garden Route and Klein Karoo (GR&KK) region is one of South Africa’s most breath-taking and diverse travel destinations. Stretching over 24,000 km from Witsand in the west to Plettenberg Bay in the east, this region is home to lush forests, pristine beaches, majestic mountains, and charming towns like Still Bay, Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Calitzdorp, and Ladismith and more!
As a key tourism hub, the GR&KK offers something for everyone from thrilling outdoor adventures and rich wildlife to cultural heritage and culinary delights. Under the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” the region continues to grow in ways that protect its natural beauty, celebrate its people, and create lasting opportunities for local communities.
Find out what the Garden Route & Klein Karoo has to offer or for more information, visit/contact:
ENDS
01 September 2025
The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) will join the nation in celebrating National Arbor Week from 01 to 07 September 2025. This annual campaign raises awareness about the importance of trees and encourages communities to plant indigenous species, conserve our natural heritage, and contribute to sustainable environmental management.
Arbor Week also highlights South Africa’s Champion Trees – some of the country’s oldest, largest, and most culturally significant trees, such as the Sophia Town Oak Tree and the Sagole Baobab Tree in Limpopo. These trees symbolize the connection between our natural and cultural heritage, which is celebrated during Heritage Month in September.
The key objectives of Arbor Week are to:
• Emphasise the importance of planting and protecting trees.
• Increase knowledge and appreciation of indigenous tree species.
• Promote sustainable and eco-friendly living practices.
Why trees matter
Trees supply oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, improve air quality, support biodiversity, stabilise soil, and provide both medicinal and cultural benefits. By planting and caring for trees, communities can actively contribute to tackling climate change and building a greener, healthier environment for future generations.
Restoring what we’ve lost
In the Garden Route, Arbor Week takes on even greater importance as we work to restore areas affected by the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB). First detected in George in 2018, this invasive beetle has spread rapidly and is likely present in other parts of the municipality where susceptible trees, such as English Oaks, occur. Residents are encouraged to be vigilant for signs of infestation, report sightings to their municipality, and chip infested wood to prevent further spread. Planting new indigenous trees during Arbor Week will help replace lost trees, restore biodiversity, and ensure our communities remain shaded, resilient, and beautiful for generations to come.
Community involvement
Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) encourages residents, schools, community-based organisations, and businesses across the district to participate in tree planting and greening activities. Greening refers to the planting, care, and management of vegetation in urban and rural spaces — ensuring that disadvantaged areas, such as townships and informal settlements, also benefit from parks, trees, and green open spaces.
How to plant a tree
• Selection: Choose the right tree for your location — indigenous and endemic species are recommended.
• Location: Plant trees at least 3 metres away from walls, powerlines, and municipal utilities.
• Planting: Dig a 1m x 1m x 1m square hole, remove stones, and separate or mix topsoil and subsoil. Place the tree in the hole, refill with topsoil first, and water thoroughly.
The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) calls on all residents to join hands during Arbor Week to create a greener and more sustainable Garden Route. Together, we can grow a living legacy that benefits both people and the environment.
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1 September 2025
Annually, on the third Saturday of September, volunteers around the world take part in the world’s biggest coastal clean-up – the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) day, which will be held on the 20th of September 2025. This event encourages volunteers to clean and record trash along coastlines and other water bodies throughout the month of September, with 2025 marking the 29th year of the country’s participation in this global effort. The ICC event is also used as the platform to address issues concerning coastal pollution, as well as to stimulate change in the behavioural patterns that negatively affect the marine environment.
The ICC event has been held internationally each year since 1986, and started when communities rallied together with the common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering their coastline. Over the years, this movement has created a family that spans oceans and country borders.
This year’s coastal clean-up efforts align with the 2025 World Ocean Day theme, “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” which emphasises protecting the ocean to sustain life and build resilience against climate change. A major goal is to shift harmful behaviours that lead to pollution, and emphasising responsible waste disposal. Beach cleanups are important mitigation tools that helps to create an understanding of the global trash problem and encourage people to engage in solutions. Awareness is the first step to creating behaviour change!
The Garden Route District has 300 km of coastline and some of the most diverse marine environments of the world. The benefits derived from the oceans include climate regulation, waste absorption, sustenance (sea food), economic development (tourism, seafood distribution), transportation (shipping), medicine (biomedical products from marine plants and animals) and recreation (swimming, diving etc.). In addition to this, estuaries are sensitive environments, due to its ecological uniqueness, and are increasingly being regarded as important ecological infrastructure to protect and enhance given the ecological services that it provides. It is however typically in these sensitive systems where the problem of marine litter is seen to manifest itself so clearly and profoundly.
Due to human activities along estuaries and beaches (due to increasing population and urbanisation), marine litter creates one of the major threats to our beaches and marine life. Every year thousands of tons of marine litter finds its way onto our coast, most of which ends up in our oceans with devastating effects to our sensitive marine ecosystem.
This year, the Garden Route district’s Municipalities and organisations will be embarking on various awareness campaigns, litter collection / clean-up activities on beaches, estuary and river clean-ups, educational talks and speeches. The Garden Route District Municipality would therefore like to encourage its citizens to get involved in the various activities within their areas. Citizens must unite – communities, volunteers, learners, and officials must come together to take action for the ocean.
Some important key dates to know are:
September 2025 – Clean-up & Recycle SA Month
14–20 September 2025 – Clean-up & Recycle SA Week
17 September 2025 – River Clean-up Day
19 September 2025 – National Recycling Day
20 September 2025 – International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)
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Open for Comment
Notice is hereby given in terms of Section 21(a) and 28(1) of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000(Act 32 of 2000), Section 20(3) of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, 2013 (Act.16 of 2013) and Section 11 of the Western Cape Land Use Planning Act,2014 (Act. 13 of 2014) that the Draft Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Spatial Development Framework (SDF) is now open for public comment.
The SDF is amended in terms of Chapter 2 section 3 of the Municipal Planning and Performance Management Regulations (2001) and Section 11 of the Western Cape Land Use Planning Act, 2014 (Act 13 of 2014).
Interested and affected parties are hereby requested to provide comments on the Draft SDF of the GRDM.
The document is available on the GRDM website.
Furthermore, the draft document is available for inspection at the GRDM Municipal Office at 54 York Street, George.
Motivated comments must reach the Municipality on/or before 29 October 2025 and should be directed to the Municipal Manager (Reference: SDF), Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, GEORGE, 6530 / andisiwe@gardenroute.gov.za. Comments received after the closing date will not be considered.
For any queries, please contact Ms. Monalisa Gcilitshana via email at monalisag@gardenroute.gov.za or at (044) 803 1440.
Persons who cannot write, are invited to visit the above-mentioned office of the Municipality for assistance to transcribe and submit their respective comments and/or objections.
MG Stratu
Municipal Manager
54 York Street / PO Box 12
GEORGE
6530
Tel: 044 803 1300
Click here to download the Official Notice.
28 August 2025
A first-of-its-kind platform to combat primarily Invasive Alien Plants (IAPs) in the Garden Route was launched today during an engagement, chaired by Paul Gerber from the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). Through this initiative, the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) also joined hands with the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and key partners to address some of the region’s most urgent environmental and wildfire risks, bringing together government, conservation bodies, and local stakeholders.
The key obstacle to achieving high-impact and effective results remains the lack of funding, which was one of the issues that cut across the board.
Cobus Meiring from GREF, said: “The drive to launch this platform is also rooted in past occurrences and helps prevent similar instances like the Knysna and Bitou wildfires of 2017 and the Outeniqua fires of 2018, where IAPs fuelled the intensity and spread of these disasters. Furthermore, rather than just sharing information, stakeholders involved in this platform will focus on executing tangible actions”.
“It is important to note that while post-fire rehabilitation has progressed, AIPs have re-emerged more aggressively, worsening the wildfire risk for the region and threatening the Garden Route’s biodiversity.”
The platform has set a bold interim vision: to reduce IAP coverage across the Garden Route by 30% by 2030. This will support biodiversity conservation, water security, and wildfire risk reduction.
“We cannot afford to lose further control of wildfires. IAPs are choking our rivers, threatening ecosystems, and putting lives, infrastructure, and local economies at risk. This platform is about coordinated action,” said Cobus.
According to Gerhard Otto, GRDM Head of Disaster Management, “We need to roll out block burning to achieve greater impact over the next two to three years. IAPs have already been flagged by the GRDM as one of the highest risks for the region and we need to focus on block-burning the highest risk areas.”
GRDM Fire Chief Deon Stoffels emphasised that, “fynbos fires are part of the natural cycle, but IAPs create unnaturally high fuel loads that make fires catastrophic.”
The multi-stakeholder Task Team includes DFFE, GRDM Disaster Management and Fire Services, local municipalities, CapeNature, SANParks, the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association, and several NGOs and research institutions.
Together, the team will:
Stakeholders stressed that the funding challenge is immense. Clearing the IAPs between George and Nature’s Valley alone would cost R2.3 billion (2018 figures). This is far beyond individual landowners’ means. GRDM over the past few years submitted two multi-million rand funding applications of which none were approved; financial resources therefore remain limited.
The Task Team is open to consult with all stakeholders who play a role or is responsible for the management of IAPs, including private landowners. Participation is vital to ensure that IAP clearance takes place at an ecological and landscape level, not just in fragmented administrative blocks. More details about how to get involved will be communicated soon.
In the coming quarter, the sub-teams will be to “connect the dots” of what has been done so far, enforcement efforts, consolidate available funds and more.
ENDS