GEORGE NEWS - George Municipality Municipal Manager Trevor Botha hereby confirms essential services delivery implications for the George Municipal area during the Covid-19 lockdown (midnight 26 March 2020 – midnight 16 April 2020).
General
All George Municipality administrative offices are closed, but essential services continue as stipulated below.
- All after-hours George Municipality emergencies: 044 801 6300
- Garden Route Disaster Management emergencies: 044 805 5071 (all hours)
Protection Services
Fire 24-hour emergency services operate as usual.
- Fire emergencies only: 044 801 6311
- Law Enforcement: 044 801 6350
- All after-hours emergencies: 044 801 6300
The Traffic Department Office, Driving Licence Department, Motor Vehicle Registration and Vehicle Testing Stations are closed. Driving Licence and Learner Driving Tests for this period will be postponed and applicants will receive an SMS after expiry of lockdown to confirm new dates.
The National Minister of Transport has confirmed that during the lockdown current learner’s licences, driving licences, motor vehicle licence disks, temporary permits, professional driving permits and roadworthy certificates remain valid and shall be extended for a further grace period of 30 days from the date of expiry of the lockdown period.
Validity of motor trading numbers will be extended six months from expiry of the lockdown.
Traffic and Law Enforcement Officers will assist with visible policing and support emergency units as required.
Municipal Essential Services: Law Enforcement
Please note Law Enforcement officials are deployed to enforce Municipal Bylaws. Within the COVID-19 Lockdown period they are maintaining visibility as far as possible and supporting emergency units as required.
SAPS has expressly instructed our Law Enforcement Officials to observe and report any CRIMINAL actions to SAPS and not to attempt to act themselves.
You are hereby requested to contact the following SAPS numbers to report criminal activity in your area:
- Conville SAPS 044 803 3300
- George SAPS 044 803 4733
- Pacaltsdorp SAPS 044 803 9100
- Thembalethu SAPS 044 802 8900
- Law Enforcement 044 801 6350
Water, Sanitation, Streets
Delivery of essential water and waste water services continue as usual.
Emergency street repair and stormwater problems caused by intense rainfall will be addressed by standby personnel.
Report water leaks and burst pipes, sewerage blockages, leaks and spillages and urgent road and stormwater issues to:
- 044 801 9262/6 (07:45 - 16:30)
- 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Estimated response times are 24-48 hours from recorded time of complaint at the above numbers.
Civil Engineering Services administration offices are closed during lockdown.
Estimated response times are 24-48 hours from recorded time of complaint at the above numbers.
Civil Engineering Services administration offices will be closed during lockdown.
Essential Services: Electricity
George Municipality will make every effort to provide uninterrupted electricity to communities that are legally connected to the network during lockdown.
Planned maintenance is on hold. Essential repairs for which planned outages are required, will be communicated.
Please report power outages, broken street lights and faulty traffic lights to:
- 044 801 9222 (7.45am-4.30pm)
- 044 801 9202
- 044 801 6300 (after hours)
Estimated response times from recorded time of complaint at above numbers:
- Low voltage electricity - within 24 hours
- High voltage electricity faults - can be longer 24 hours depending on type of fault
- Street lights - three to four weeks
Electrotechnical Services administration offices are closed during lockdown.
Community Services
Community Services administration offices are closed during lockdown.
Black bag refuse removal remains as per the usual schedule (please see below). Collection time may extend into the night (until about 20:00) as amount of trucks out on the streets will be reduced to limit exposure to staff and other parties, but all refuse will be collected on the scheduled day.
If black bags have not been collected by 20:00 please report to 044 801 6300.
Blue and green bags will not be collected due to the private service provider being in lockdown.
If possible, please continue to recycle and keep blue bags for collection after lockdown ends, otherwise place in black bags. Please continue to put garden waste into green bags and store at home until end of lockdown.
Refuse removal on public holidays in the lockdown period will be as follows:
- 10 April Good Friday – refuse will be collected on Thursday 9 April
- 13 April Family Day – refuse will be collected on Tuesday 14 April
Collections start at 07:00 and may extend into the night to accommodate the double schedule.
Refuse Removal Days
Monday: Blanco, Riverlea, Heatherpark, Heatherlands, Glen Barrie, Kraaibosch, Groenkloof, Blue Mountain Village, Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay
Tuesday: Levallia, Rosemoor, Conville, Protea Park, Parkdene, Ballotsview, Borchards, Lawaaikamp, Thembalethu, Wilderness, Touwsranten, Constantia Kloof
Wednesday: Camphersdrift, Fernridge, Denneoord, Bo-Dorp, Blommekloof, Tweerivieren, Hoogekraal, Hoekwil
Thursday: Dormehlsdrift, George South, Le Grand, Bos en Dal, Groeneweidepark, Sinksabrug, Herold, Geelhoutboom, Eselsjacht, Hansmoeskraal, Jonkershoek, Rooirivierrif, Pacaltsdorp, Rosedale, Waboomskraal
Friday: Glenwood, Loerie Park, Eden, Genevafontein, Denver Park, Bergsig, Eastern Extension
Applicable business: Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Report uncollected black bags to 044 801 6300.
Waste dumping at the landfill site will be strictly controlled and only two vehicles allowed on site at any time. Only businesses on the essential services list will be allowed and limited to two loads a day.
Only municipal vehicles, the blue bags service provider and businesses on the essential services list will be allowed into the transfer station and only two vehicles allowed on site at a time and limited to two loads a day.
Street cleaning crews will operate in and around the CBD and entrance roads to the city at selected hours, seven days a week.
Public toilets are closed until further notice as per the national directive.
Illegal dumping will be attended to as per the usual schedule. The municipality appeals to communities to remain safe and not dump illegal waste, which can be hazardous to their health.
Cemeteries are closed except for funerals (funeral directors to pre-arrange via usual WhatsApp group). Funerals restricted to 50 mourners, limited to 30 minutes and mourners required to observe recommended hygiene practices as per Covid-19 guidelines and protocols. No busses allowed. No night vigils allowed anywhere at any time.
Sport facilities are closed, and security remains in place to protect facilities. The municipality has made facilities temporarily available for social welfare purposes.
Social Development
Social Development administration offices are closed during lockdown.
The municipality continues to support 130 municipal soup kitchens. Strict social distancing and hygienic practices apply.
The municipality is working with the Western Cape Department of Social Development to address matters arising with people living on the streets,
Emergency essential social services enquiries 072 693 3488.
Libraries remain closed until further notice.
Essential Services: Corporate Services
Corporate Services administration offices are closed during lockdown.
Area offices are closed but urgent essential services in outlying areas can be phoned in during offices on the numbers below and 044 801 6300 after hours.
- Blanco: 065 907 6647
- Conville: 078 610 9482
- Pacaltsdorp: 073 834 2256
- Protea Park: 084 097 2471
- Rosedale: 073 071 0849
- Rosemoor: 083 661 3655
- Touwsranten/Wilderness/Kleinkrantz: 078 372 5843
- Thembalethu: 082 704 3491
Human Settlements
For basic services (water and sanitation) emergencies in informal settlements, please phone 044 801 9183 and/or 044 802 2026.
For water leakages (indigent cases), please phone 044 801 9453.
For assistance with emergency structures following disaster (fire, flooding etc), please phone 044 802 2029.
Human Settlements administration offices will be closed during lockdown.
Planning and Development
All departments administration offices are closed during lockdown.
Urgent queries to:
- 044 8019472 General Planning Queries
- Building Office 044 801 9194
- Land Use Applications and Zoning Queries 044 801 9477
- Local Economic Development: Business queries 079 366 2621
- Local Economic Development: Other queries 073 621 0099
- George Tourism 044 801 9295
- Wilderness Tourism 044 877 0045
- Uniondale Tourism 044752 1076
Finance
Due to the closure of printing companies during lockdown, printed consumer accounts that would have been posted during the first week of the month will only be posted after lockdown (17 April) - please pay the same amount as per your February 2020 service account.
Online accounts via email are not affected and George Municipality Mobile App subscribers can access new statement amounts by 27 March. No interest will be levied for April.
Accounts can be paid via electronic transfer (EFT – see details below), via pay@ mobile applications (see details below) and at Pick n Pay, Checkers, Shoprite, USave and SPAR during essential shopping hours 08:00 to 18:00.
Your George municipal account number must be presented always.
No meter readings will take place for the month of April and estimations will be used to calculate related rates. Meter readings can be emailed to george@ikaparetic.co.za or george2@ikaparetic.co.za
Bank Details for electronic payment
ABSA Bank
Account Name: George Municipality
Account Number: 010 2222 0981
Branch Code: 632005
Reference: your GRG account number
Proof of payment to be sent to payments@george.gov.za
pay@ mobile applications
Download Masterpass, Snapscan or Zapper application on your mobile phone and complete your profile.
Load your credit or debit card.
To pay the account, open ‘Wallet’ inside the App you have downloaded and scan the QR code (the black square with the little squares inside it on the bottom right of your account).
Enter the amount you are going to pay and complete the transaction.
The App will confirm your successful, secure transaction.
Prepaid Electricity purchases
The electricity token is automatically sent to the client via SMS or email.
Mobile apps belonging to banks also have a pre-paid electricity purchase function.
Email queries to creditcontrol@george.gov.za. Please include the relevant prepaid meter number in correspondence.
General enquiries to accounts@george.gov.za
Municipal Courts
George Municipality Court are closed during lockdown. Reallocation of court dates that fall within the lockdown period will be communicated in due course.
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