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26 August 2025 Public Notice: ROLL-OVER ADJUSTMENTS BUDGET 2025/26

Public Notice: ROLL-OVER ADJUSTMENTS BUDGET 2025/26

Notice Number: 90/2025

Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Roll-Over Adjustments Budget for the period 2025/2026-
2027/2028, was compiled in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (Act 56 of 2003).

This document was approved by the Garden Route District Municipality at a District Council meeting held on Friday, 22 August 2025.
This document will be available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from
25 August 2025.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document.

All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George, 6530”.

Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.

M G Stratu
Municipal Manager
54 York Street
PO Box 12
GEORGE
6530

Tel: 044 803 1300

Click here to view/download the Official Notice

Click here to view/download the Documents

Media Alert: Sedfa, in partnership with GRDM and partners, to host Pop-Up Market in George

Media Alert: Sedfa, in partnership with GRDM and partners, to host Pop-Up Market in George

29 – 31 August 2025 at the Garden Route Mall, George.

The South African Enterprise Development Finance Agency (Sedfa), in partnership with Garden Route District Municipality and other key ecosystem partners, is proud to host the Sedfa and Garden Route Pop-Up Market from 29 to 31 August 2025 at the Garden Route Mall, George.

The official opening and walkabout will take place on Friday, 29 August at 13h30, led by Executive Mayor Andrew Stroebel, alongside Sedfa representatives and ecosystem partners.

The Pop-Up Market will shine a spotlight on local Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), offering them a platform to showcase their products, network with potential buyers, and grow their market access.

“This market is a direct response to the need for greater visibility and access for local entrepreneurs. At Sedfa, we believe in supporting MSMEs through practical platforms that not only promote their products but also build pathways toward long-term economic inclusion.” – Kiewet Mhlongo, Acting Provincial Manager: Western Cape, Sedfa.

“Garden Route District Municipality is proud to support initiatives that give local Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) the much-needed exposure they deserve. This Pop-Up Market is more than just an opportunity to showcase locally made products; it is also a platform that strengthens our economy from the ground up. As the Municipality, we remain committed to creating meaningful partnerships that open doors for MSMEs to drive job creation and stimulate sustainable development throughout the region and beyond.” – Executive Mayor Andrew Stroebel

The Members of the Media are invited to attend the opening and engage with MSME participants and stakeholders.

ENDS

25 August 2025 Media Release: Garden Route Risk Reduction Task Team to Be Established

Media Release: Garden Route Risk Reduction Task Team to Be Established

For immediate release
05 August 2025

“Growing concerns about an increase of fire risk exposure levels in the Garden Route have led to the establishment of a Risk Reduction Task Team (RRTT),” says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF).

The mission of the RRTT is to help prevent a recurrence of catastrophic events such as the 2017 Knysna and Plettenberg Bay wildfires, which were worsened by uncontrolled growth of invasive alien plants (IAP).

The RRTT aims to be a collaborative platform focused on strategic risk reduction and sustainable landscape management, working closely with landowners, conservation bodies, and enforcement agencies across the Garden Route.

Key stakeholders who form part of the task team will assist and encourage private landowners to reduce IAPs on their properties. Where necessary, action will be taken through the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) Biosecurity resources.

Awareness creation will be a central pillar of the RRTT strategy. This will include direct engagement with landowners and sustained information-sharing campaigns through traditional media and social media platforms over the long term.

The RRTT will include experts and representatives from the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA), Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Disaster Management, local municipalities, DFFE, Nelson Mandela University, and GREF stakeholders.

Individuals or entities involved in invasive alien plant management, are invited to register as interested and affected parties by writing to louisamare@gmail.com.

The GREF is a climate change and environmental management think-tank. (www.grefscli.co.za).

Feature Image: Without collective action by all landowners in the Garden Route the region remains highly vulnerable to wildfire disasters.

ENDS

25 August 2025 Media Release: Wildfire preparedness done through risk mapping

Media Release: Wildfire preparedness done through risk mapping

25 August 2025

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) and its stakeholders prioritise risk mapping as part of its Integrated Fire Management (IFM) strategy. Risk mapping helps firefighters to identify potential fire hazards and gives them the necessary time to prioritise, mitigate, and manage such risks.

GRDM Fire Chief, Deon Stoffels explains: “By mapping areas most prone to wildfires, stakeholders are able to allocate resources strategically, improve decision-making, and ensure rapid response to predetermined risks, especially when severe weather alerts are issued”.

“This process is continuously being refined through innovation and improved software applications, like exploring OroraTech’s Wildfire Solutions and the CSIR Meraka Institute’s Advanced Fire Information System (AFIS).”

Historical Perspective: Past Wildfires

The 2017 wildfires that swept through Knysna and parts of Plettenberg Bay, in a way contributed quite significantly to the Garden Route’s current wildfire management strategies. It also paved the way for new collaborative agreements to be drawn up between municipalities, forestry companies, and landowners to share the costs of year-round aerial firefighting services. The Western Cape Provincial Government and the Department Forestry’s Fisheries and the Environment, however, still funds the provision of first hour aerial firefighting deployment for incidents in high-risk areas over the high summer season.

As of now, improvements include:

  • Enhanced early warning systems aligned with known risks;
  • Increased public awareness programmes, particularly in high-risk rural communities and schools;
  • Greater emphasis on prevention and risk reduction;
  • Enhanced Integrated Fire Management, including fire awareness, fire prevention, prescribed burning, resource coordination, fire detection, and fire suppression;
  • Rapid deployment of most suitable resources, including aerial firefighting; and
  • Increased capacity, particularly over the summer period.

 Role Players in Fire Risk Mapping

Several partners contribute to wildfire risk mapping in the Garden Route. They include the GRDM Fire and Rescue Services, Disaster Management, South African National Parks, CapeNature, Forestry companies, Southern Cape Fire Protection Association (SCFPA), Working on Fire, landowners, and communities.

To strengthen this approach, GRDM collaborates with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Advanced Fire Information Systems (AFIS); a satellite-based tool providing near real-time fire data and veld age maps to update local risk profiles.

Academic and Research Partnerships

Although no direct partnerships currently exist with universities or Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) at a district level, Stellenbosch University (SU) regularly participates in provincial platforms. In May 2025, SU contributed to a Western Cape wildfire workshop focusing on evidence-based fire management policies. This workshop highlighted the Five E’s of Fire Services: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Response, and Economics.

Future workshops are planned, including one in Central Karoo in 2026, building on the inaugural session in Overberg in 2024.

Why Certain Areas Are Riskier

Wildfire risks do increase because of the following:

  • Human negligence (cigarettes, broken glass, uncontrolled burning, unsafe burning practices, illegal burning) and lack of awareness;
  • Lightning strikes in mountainous areas;
  • Extreme weather such as berg winds;
  • Variable climate patterns (heat, droughts and floods);
  • Lack of control over alien invasive plants;
  • Poor land management practices; and
  • Insufficient enforcement of legislation and more.

Addressing these risks requires education, compliance, and preventative measures such as alien invasive plant removal and rehabilitation, fire breaks, and risk planning.

Public’s Role in Reducing Fire Risks

Residents and landowners can play a significant role in lowering their properties’ fire risks by:

  • Clearing alien invasive plants (with guidance from municipalities, Fire Protection Associations, and environmental authorities);
  • Creating and upkeeping fire breaks;
  • Reporting incidents and risks to either the GRDM, local municipalities, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, or the Southern Cape Fire Protection Association;
  • Municipalities monitor compliance, while enforcement is a priority improvement area for the district and relevant environmental departments;
  • Fire Scaping your properties and homes; and
  • Applying for permits to burn and burning in designated places.

Looking Ahead

While measurable district-wide data (such as hectares cleared or number of prescribed burns) is not yet centralised, municipalities and the SCFPA maintain their own records. GRDM is working towards a centralised fire permit system to strengthen data capturing and future reporting.

ENDS

Feature image: A fire break, essential for providing firefighters a place where a back-burn fire can be started. 

25 August 2025 Media Release: GRDM Environmental Health Practitioners Delivered a Fun Lesson with a Serious Message

Media Release: GRDM Environmental Health Practitioners Delivered a Fun Lesson with a Serious Message

25 August 2025

On Tuesday, 19 August 2025, the children of Klein Wonderwerkies Kleuterskool  in Oudtshoorn enjoyed an interactive and educational visit from the Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP).  During the visit, the EHPs facilitated a fun, hands-on training session about proper handwashing techniques. The initiative aimed to raise hygiene awareness and help prevent the spread of germs among young learners.

A Fun Lesson with a Serious Message

The training, led by the EHPs transformed a basic health lesson into an exciting learning experience. Through the use of colourful visuals, catchy songs, and interactive activities, the visitors captured the children’s attention while emphasising the importance of clean hands.  The little ones learned not only how to wash their hands properly, but also why it matters, especially before eating, after using the toilet, or coming in from outside.

“We know how important hand hygiene is, especially in early childhood development settings like Klein Wonderwerkies,” said EHP Anelisa Fuzani. “By making it fun and memorable, we are not only teaching them the correct way to wash their hands, but also helping them develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime.”

Children were shown the five key steps of effective handwashing:

  1. Wet your hands with clean water.
  2. Lather with soap, don’t forget between the fingers!
  3. Scrub for at least 20 seconds (they sang “wash your hands” song twice).
  4. Rinse well under running water.
  5. Dry hands using a clean towel.

-END

14 August 2025 Media Release: Garden Route plays host to Fynbos Forum

Media Release: Garden Route plays host to Fynbos Forum

For immediate release
14 August 2025

“The Garden Route played host to the Fynbos Forum from 12 to 14 August at the iconic Wilderness Hotel”, says Cobus Meiring of the Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF)

Established in 1997 the Fynbos Forum is South Africa’s premier conservation and research group dedicated to the preservation of the South African Fynbos Biome.

Vital to indigenous bio- diversity the Southern Cape is home to a magnificent treasure chest of Fynbos species. Unfortunately much of what remains of our once abundant Fynbos is critically endangered due to intensive agriculture, over development, encroachment of invasive alien plants and animals as well as frequent wild- fire disasters.

The Fynbos Forum is a scientific group of natural scientists, researchers, planners, managers, landowners and key stakeholders. It meets annually to discuss the collaborative production of knowledge that underpins regional conservation efforts in the Fynbos Biome in South Africa.

The good news is that as more land and conservation corridors in the Garden Route are becoming available for conservation and rewilding purposes as well as awareness grows on the incalculable value of Fynbos, there is a real chance that it may prevail despite many challenges.

As a transdisciplinary regional learning network, the Fynbos Forum supports discussions on management issues and research results, prioritizing future research and conservation management actions required to ensure the conservation and sustainability of fynbos ecosystems.

The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF)- a climate change and environmental management think- tank.(www.grefscli.co.za)

ENDS

12 August 2025 Save the date: Notice of a Special Council Meeting on 22 August 2025 at 12:30

NOTICE OF A SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING ON 22 AUGUST 2025 AT 12:30

Notice Number: 84/2025

Notice is hereby given that a SPECIAL 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 22 August 2025 at 12:30.

Meeting Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76n5l1dNLWI 

08 August 2025 Media Release: GRDM Empowers Bitou Interns Through Waste Management Training

Media Release: GRDM Empowers Bitou Interns Through Waste Management Training

 8 August 2025

Earlier this week the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Waste Management Section conducted a waste management training session for graduate interns from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, currently placed at the Bitou Local Municipality. This initiative forms part of a broader effort to strengthen waste management practices and the Implementation of GRDM Integrated Waste Management Plan.

Education and awareness are among the priority projects in an Integrated Waste Management Plan Implementation Plan.

The training sessions was presented by Innocentia Sikweyiya, GRDM District Waste Management Officer and focused on critical aspects of waste management legislation, including waste minimization, refuse collection, street cleaning, landfill operations, education and awareness, as well as littering and Illegal dumping. Participants included two officials from the Waste Management Section and eight interns from Bitou Local Municipality.

Through ongoing initiatives like these and collaborating with various other stakeholders, GRDM continues to strengthen its efforts to reduce waste, encourage responsible disposal practices, and support the goals outlined in its Integrated Waste Management Plan.

Featured image caption: GRDM District Waste Management Officer, Innocentia Sikweyiya, engages graduate interns during a waste management training session at Bitou Local Municipality.

-END-

07 August 2025 Media Release: GRDM Disaster Management and EHPs teams assist Bitou Municipality in Bossiesgif fire

GRDM Disaster Management and EHPs teams assist Bitou Municipality in Bossiesgif fire

For immediate release
07 August 2025

The last few days have been traumatic for the Bossiesgif residents of the Bitou Municipal area.

A fire broke out in the informal settlement, with flames that raged through structures leaving approximately 500 people, including children, affected by the flames.

The fire destroyed 162 informal structures with 3 structures that burned partially in Bossiesgif, Bitou

Reports from Bitou Municipality confirmed that the fire broke out in the early hours of 4 August 2025.  In a report that was published on 5 August, it was confirmed that 162 informal structures were destroyed and 3 were partially burned, affecting approximately 500 people with a count of 4-6 people per household.

In collaboration with Bitou Municipality, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) acted swiftly to provide the needed assistance to lessen the impact of the fire on affected individuals. GRDM’s Disaster Management team assisted with the activation of key role players in coordinating a rapid and effective response. The GRDM Disaster Management Centre (DMC) also fulfilled their role as an important link between the district and local coordinators when the centre facilitated communication and provided regular situational reports to district and provincial coordinators. These efforts demonstrated the solid working relations between GRDM and Bitou Municipality.

In ensuring that humanitarian relief was provided to all affected residents, the GRDM DMC supplied 59 mattresses and 71 blankets to the families. This was part of a larger relief effort that included donations received from the Gift of the Givers, meals from Dignity Fund and the Shoprite Act For Change soup kitchen, and ongoing municipal efforts.

GRDM, Bitou Municipality and stakeholders assessing the damages and providing humanitarian aid to residents affected by the fire.

GRDM’s EHPs also played a critical role at the identified sites when they conducted an assessment of all health processes related to food handling and waste disposal thereof at the hall. These processes were well coordinated and the assessment confirmed that all the necessary protocols were followed.

Executive Mayor of GRDM, Andrew Stroebel, commended GRDM, Bitou teams, as well as other stakeholders involved, for their swift response to rescue the residential structures in Bossiesgif, but most importantly the lives of the residents of the settlement. Mayor Stroebel said: “As a district, we applaud the swift reaction of both Bitou and GRDM Emergency and Disaster Management teams and we are thankful that no lives were lost in this devastating fire”.

ENDS