GEORGE NEWS - During the current Level 4 Covid-19 lockdown period the following essential are being rendered by George Municipality:

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

Traffic and law enforcement officers will assist with visible policing and support emergency units as required.

LICENSES 

• The municipal traffic department office, driving licence department, motor vehicle registration and vehicle testing stations are currently closed.
• Driving licence and learner driving tests for this period will be postponed and applicants will receive an SMS after expiry of lockdown (or after whichever applicable level 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 (or after whichever applicable level of lockdown).
• Validity of motor trading numbers will be extended six months from expiry of the lockdown (or after whichever applicable level of lockdown).
• Please note the George Municipality is a licencing agent of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works and can only open once Province has activated the online licencing system, and all Covid-19 health and safety protocols are in place.
• Vehicle owners cannot currently renew or pay for CAW vehicle licences online, as the provincial department has not yet rolled out this service to smaller municipalities (it is available for the City of Cape Town). Vehicle owners can, however, register online at online.natis.gov.za for electronic motor vehicle licence renewal notices (also known as MVL2 notices) to be sent to them via SMS or e-mail.
• Outside of the current Covid-19 lockdown period, vehicle licences are valid for a year from the date of renewal.

ESSENTIAL SERVICES: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Please note: law enforcement officials are deployed to enforce municipal by-laws. Within the Covid-19 lockdown period they are maintaining visibility as far as possible and supporting emergency units as required.

The police has expressly instructed law enforcement officials to observe and report any criminal actions to the police and not to attempt to act themselves.

You are hereby requested to contact the police on the following numbers to report criminal activity in your area:

• Conville: 044 803 3300
• George: 044 803 4733
• Pacaltsdorp: 044 803 9100
• Thembalethu: 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 to 48 hours from recorded time of complaint at the above numbers.

Civil Engineering Services administration offices are 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 (07:45 to 16:30)
• 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.
• Pre-paid electricity queries to Itron/Ontec: 044 873 5474 (08:00 to 16:00)

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 number 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.

Blue and green bag collection resumes from 4 May as usual, according to Level 4 regulations. Please stagger the putting out of green and blue bags over two to three weeks to enable the service provider to catch up with the backlog.

Refuse bags must be put out by 07:00 on the scheduled removal day. 

Due to lockdown regulations, the service provider is not allowed to collect bags after hours. If there are still some bags out by 17:00 on the day of your regular collection, please take in whatever is left and put it out with the next week’s bags.

Refuse Removal Days

Monday: Blanco, Riverlea, Heather Park, Heatherlands, Glen Barrie, Kraaibosch, Groenkloof, Blue Mountain Village, Herold’s Bay, Victoria Bay

Tuesday: Le Vallia, Rosemoor, Conville, Protea Park, Parkdene, Ballotsview, Borcherds, Lawaaikamp, Thembalethu, Wilderness, Touwsranten, Constantia Kloof

Wednesday: Camphersdrift, Fernridge, Denneoord, Bodorp, 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 044 802 2900.
• Blue and green bag inquiries to 044 878 0688

• Waste dumping at the landfill site will be strictly controlled and only two vehicles are 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 buses 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.

Community Development administration offices are closed during lockdown.

• The municipality continues to support 137 municipal soup kitchens. Strict social distancing and hygienic practices apply. Emergency essential social services enquiries 072 693 3488.
• The Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) Unit is closed. Urgent enquiries to 072 070 7234.
• 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:

• General Planning Queries: 044 801 9472
• 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: 044 752 1076

FINANCE
Due to the closure of printing companies during lockdown, printed consumer accounts cannot currently be posted - please pay the same amount as per your February 2020 service account.

Online accounts via e-mail are not affected and George Municipality Mobile App subscribers can access new statement amounts in the last week of each month. No interest will be levied for April 2020.

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. Please take your previous statement with you if the March statement has not been received to access the bar code, in order to allocate your payment on your GRG account number.

Your George municipal account number must always be presented.

You can use the following link for the of payment of your account: https://payat.io/qr/11413
Click on the link and enter the Pay@ reference number (starting with 11413). Once the Pay@ reference number is entered, the customer information such as name, etc. will be shown with all the payment options to choose from.

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

www.prepaid24.co.za
www.itronenergy.co.za
www.ipay.co.za

The electricity token is automatically sent to the client via SMS or e-mail.
Mobile apps belonging to banks also have a prepaid electricity purchase function.

For prepaid enquiries please phone 044 873 5474

 Meter readings
No meter readings will take place during the lockdown and certain specified lockdown levels. Estimations will be used to calculate related rates; alternatively meter readings can be e-mailed to meterreadings@george.gov.za or george@ikaparetic.co.za or george2@ikaparetic.co.za Please include your GRG account number when sending your meter readings.

General enquiries
accounts@george.gov.za
072 556 1109 or 074 673 5256 (limited assistance available as personnel are working offline)

Credit control enquiries: 084 769 5635

MUNICIPAL COURT
The George municipal court is closed during lockdown. Reallocation of court dates that fall within the lockdown period will be communicated in due course.

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