GEORGE NEWS - The Garden Route District Municipality is hosting an awareness campaign today in George, with Western Cape Minister of Human Settlements, Tertuis Simmers, in his capacity as the Provincial Government's lead in the Covid response for the Garden Route.
In his address to Council on Tuesday, Garden Route District Mayor Memory Booysen said various areas have been identified for visitation this week, including hotspots in the Garden Route.
"We are all doing our best to fight this pandemic... We are still very concerned about figures in the Garden Route," he said. Booysen extended his gratitude to all the front line workers who are fighting Covid-19.
Simmers will be accompanied this morning by Booysen and George Mayor Leon van Wyk, along with various mayco members, councillors and the Premier's community liaison officers (CLOs). They will be distributing masks and information pamphlets.
Speak up
In council, Booysen also touched on the subject of gender-based violence and urged councillors not to keep quiet, but to confront the issue: "Speak up and make your voices heard. There are still some bad, bad, rotten men out there – we need to identify these violent men, isolate them. We need to stand by our sisters and mothers."
Garden Route Mayor Memory Booysen's address to Council on 25 August:
Speaker, Alderman Groenewald, once again I would like to extend my gratitude to all the frontline workers who are fighting COVID-19 that is causing havoc in our region and South Africa as a whole. We are all doing our best to fight this pandemic. Alderman Groenewald, we were also privileged as this District in our fight and awareness campaigns on COVID-19 over the past two weeks.
We recently hosted the Western Cape Government (WCG) MEC for Public Works and Transport, Mr Bonginkosi Madikizela, a few days later we hosted the WCG MEC, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo. Alderman Groenewald, tomorrow we will have the privilege when we will host the WCG Premier’s Office, and on Thursday we will be host the WCG MEC for Human Settlements, Mr Tertuis Simmers.
This is all part of our region and that of WCG of dealing with COVID-19. Over the next few days we will be visiting various areas, including hotspots in the Garden Route. These are some of our efforts and our response to the increase of COVID-19 figures in the Garden Route. We are still very concerned about figures in the Garden Route.
In addition, we will never forget our friends we have lost due to COVID-19. Some are staff members; some are family members of staff members. I want to praise God for the survivors among us. We pray that we are not going to lose any more lives.
Lastly, something, which is still a grappling matter we face on a daily basis, is Gender-Based Violence (GBV). It is with shock that I heard this morning that another lady in the Garden Route as murdered by her husband or boyfriend – I do not have the exact particulars.
I urge everyone not to keep quiet about GBV but to confront it, speak up and make your voices heard. There are still some bad…bad…rotten men out there – we need to identify these violent men, isolate them. We need to stand by our sisters and mothers.
Lastly, I want to share my condolences to Alderlady Rosina Ruiters, our Deputy Executive Mayor who lost her sister recently.
Thank you Alderman Speaker.
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