Bustling season for George

GEORGE NEWS - George had a bustling holiday season with record numbers of visitors making the most of the warm and sunny weather at local beaches and public swimming pools.

George Municipality reports that more than 250 000 people visited beaches and public pools from 1 December 2024 to 5 January 2025.

On New Year's Day, a record-breaking 42 500 visitors were recorded, preceded by 26 500 on Christmas Day and 25 800 on Boxing Day.

The three Blue Flag beaches, Wilderness main, Herold's Bay and Victoria Bay, were the most popular.

There has been only one fatality to date, due to a vehicle accident.

Extensive safety and preventive measures have resulted in a very successful season, according to Acting Municipal Manager Godfrey Louw.

"The cleanliness and safety of our city have been a top priority and it took combined efforts from various municipal departments, external support and partnerships with SANParks, SAPS, NSRI, and Provincial Traffic to be effective."

Strong law enforcement

Municipal Law Enforcement officials, supported by SAPS and other partners, have maintained a strong presence in the CBD and other high-traffic public areas, including the beaches.

• Fines totalling R72 000 have been issued for by-law infringements such as illegal trading, public nuisance, and disturbing the peace.

• Confiscated items include 355 litres of alcohol, sharp objects, knives, firearms, fireworks and drugs.

• 12 arrests have been made for offences including drunk and disorderly conduct, riotous behaviour, and assaulting a Law Enforcement officer.

• On New Year's Day, four individuals were removed from beaches for unruly behaviour and public indecency.

• Confiscated alcohol is being stored and will be handed over to SAPS for destruction.

• Beach cleaning personnel worked from 06:00 on New Year's Day to ensure that beaches and facilities were clean after the celebrations.

Some of the alcohol products confiscated.

223 rescues, various fires - no lives lost

Thanks to efforts of the NSRI, lifeguards and other emergency teams, there have been no fatal drownings so far this season, while four non-fatal drownings were successfully managed.

• Preventive measures have been robust, with 2 791 actions taken, 223 rescues conducted, 751 first-aid incidents and emergency medical assistance provided in nine cases.

• The George Fire Brigade has responded to 128 incidents, including 17 formal structure fires, 13 informal structure fires, 66 veld fires, and one motor vehicle fire, with no lives lost.

• Assistance was also provided to the Hessequa Local Municipality and Garden Route District Municipality to contain a stubborn veldfire in Jongensfontein.

• The Human Settlements division of the municipality assisted nine families with emergency accommodation and addressed 24 fire cases.

28 vehicle accidents

• Municipal Traffic Services, in collaboration with Provincial Traffic, have attended to 28 vehicle accidents - including six with injuries and one fatality - issued 1 983 traffic notices, and conducted 31 impoundments.

• The Civil Engineering Services division responded to 162 indigent-related civils faults, 662 water-related faults, 111 street and storm water faults, and 879 incidents of sewer clearing and emptying of septic tanks.

No holiday for cleaning teams

The Cleansing division has been working tirelessly, with refuse collection officials working on all the public holidays, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day.

• Just under 8 000 tonnes were disposed of at the PetroSA site.

• The Illegal Dumping Campaign launched on 13 December to address waste manage-ment challenges across the city's wards has been highly successful, with over 9 079 brown bags of litter collected to date.

Louw says he is proud of the municipal departments' exceptional service delivery, despite the challenges of a busy holiday period.

"Their hard work and dedication, as well as the support of residents, have contributed to ensuring George remains a safe, clean, and enjoyable destination for all. We extend our gratitude to our hardworking teams and the public for their cooperation and look forward to concluding the summer on a positive note."

Bags of litter collected in the Nelson Mandela Boulevard area.