GEORGE NEWS - he George Mayor, Jackie von Brandis, marked her first 100 days in office by outlining the progress made across various departments since she took office. Addressing councillors, officials, and the community, von Brandis provided an update on key initiatives and the work carried out during her tenure.
To celebrate the first 100 days a parade and march was held through York street to the Civic Centre. The parade attracted some controversy as some people felt the time and resources could have been spent elsewhere.
After the parade Von Brandis explained that the civil servants who took part did so using their lunch hour and the decorations and food of the day came out of their own pockets.
Participation was also limited in such a manner to enable the municipality to continue operating as normal. The entire programme lasted about an hour.
Team efforts and community engagement
Von Brandis acknowledged the collective efforts of her administration, council members, and the community. She said that the accomplishments of the last 100 days were a result of teamwork and engagement.
She reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to serving the residents of George Municipality and maintaining transparent governance.
She also encouraged her mayoral committee to continue focusing on decisions and actions that prioritise the needs of the community and mentioned her outreach efforts to more remote municipal areas such as Uniondale, Haarlem and Touwsranten, with plans to visit Kleinkrantz and Waboomskraal.
Departmental achievements
Von Brandis detailed the progress made across several municipal departments.
In the finance department, the municipality implemented the Old Debt task team, which aims to address R315m in outstanding debt older than 180 days. So far, R6.6m in debt relief has been granted to the municipality’s poorest residents.
The department also established area offices in wards that required additional services and launched financial dashboards to track expenditure more efficiently.
Regarding estate cases - which pose significant challenges for municipal accounts, often leaving heirs unaware of accruing debts - the municipality has applied for a provisional grant to address the issue, making this the only municipality in the province to have done so.
The social development and sport department has launched projects such as the Pacaltsdorp satellite Thusong Centre and an LGBTQ+ imbizo. The department also collaborated with the department of infrastructure to empower local youth and began upgrading sports facilities in George.
The civil engineering services department initiated several infrastructure projects, including upgrades to the public transport network in various areas. Construction began on pumping schemes in Eden and Schaapkop, while the Kaaimans pumping scheme is currently being tested. A storm water upgrade in George South is also underway.
The Go George bus service, a key component of the municipality’s transport system, continues to receive national funding for road infrastructure improvements.
The environmental services department focused on maintaining cleanliness across the municipality by procuring skips and appointing bakkie contractors in all 28 wards. They are also in the process of constructing five new play parks and trim gyms across the area. Additionally, three of George’s beaches have maintained their Blue Flag status for the upcoming festive season.
Electrotechnical services completed the electrification of informal settlements in Borcherds and Syferfontein, along with a solar power project in Thembalethu. LED lights were also installed at the Thembalethu sports field.
The corporate services department began upgrading municipal halls to improve public facilities and filled nearly 100 vacancies between August and October 2024.
The human settlements department handed over more than 100 homes in the Metro Grounds and Erf 325 housing developments.
The department also conducted title deed outreach drives in Ward 9, where 17 title deeds were handed over.
In the area of community safety, the municipality transitioned its control room service to a 24-hour operation. The law enforcement and anti-land invasion sections were merged, and new service providers were appointed for managing traffic violations. Four additional traffic officers were hired to address the backlog at the driver's licence testing centre.
"As the head of this government, my duty is to ensure that George is no longer seen as a 'dorpie' . . . but that she is catapulted to the forefront of this great province and country. Our city is working, our departments, our officials, our councillors are hard at work to ensure that we do our very best for George," said Von Brandis.
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