WELLINGTON STREET UPGRADES: ROAD CLOSURE AND SERVICE DISRUPTIONS

Maryke Jooste
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WELLINGTON STREET UPGRADES: ROAD CLOSURE AND SERVICE DISRUPTIONS

The upgrade of Wellington Street, between Courtenay and Aspeling Streets, have commenced and the relocation of services will take place from today (6 July 2020).

During relocation of services, there may be sporadic interruption of water and/or electricity services, and some traffic flow implications.

Road surface excavation is expected to commence on Monday 13 July, starting with the easterly/downward lane from the Aspeling/Wellington intersection towards Courtenay Street. The remaining lane will allow for one-way traffic towards Denneoord while downward traffic will be redirected at the Aspeling intersection towards Mitchell Street (east) or Church Street (west). Detour signage will be placed to assist with traffic direction and flow.

Road users who can make use of the alternative routes via Mitchell or Church, instead of the upward one-way, are requested to do so, to assist with traffic flow.

Drivers using the upwards one-way section are advised to take extreme caution as sections of the adjacent road will be ‘box cut’ and therefore significantly lower than the road surface.

The George Municipality apologises for the inconvenience and appeals to road users to be patient and exercise caution during the upgrade.

The Wellington Street upgrades form part of ongoing improvements to the GIPTN road network and comprises the rebuilding of the existing road layer and placing of a premix wearing course over both lanes.

The project is expected to be completed towards the end of August 2020, weather and circumstances depending.

Guide the young person

Benjamin W Fourie
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Guide the young person
The young man and woman is our responsibility. Without us guiding and teaching them they reach out to the next best thing, the internet. Doctor Google has all sorts of answers. Some good and some bad. Without the guidance of an experienced individual the wrong information is gathered and implemented by our youngsters. Blowing off a young person seeking guidance changes our world for the worst. Imagine for a second you are observing a young person and can clearly see that they are going to bump their head. You choose to do nothing. The young person did not get any help or guidance from you and turned to the internet as the next best thing. What is the worst that could happen?It starts with a false sense of reality being formulated by the glamorous sky castle lifestyles of the rich and famous. Communication terms and references are made from a different world perspective. This leads to the formulation of an obscured perception of reality. This young person does not gain anything. They are bombarded by information telling them to want everything and want it now. The message is clear. If you cannot get what you want then you are not good enough. This young person then deals with the anxiety of not living up to the internet’s standards. Yet we have failed to equip them with the practical application knowledge that our experience can give. Now apply this problem to the below mentioned examples.There is the youngster that comes from an uneducated home. This youngsters education starts with the belief that life needs to be a day to day struggle. Education is not important and is seen as a waste of money because food on the table is more important. You need to fend for yourself and even though your social bonds are good, no one can really be trusted. Because of this youngsters lack of education asking for advice does not come across as relevant. This youngster will also be easily manipulated by people that do not necessarily have the youngsters best interest at heart. In many cases this youngster will be in a position where they are not taken seriously by others. Where do they turn for advice? Some famous musician or actor gloating about the corner hustle, a secret society or outlaw gang in order to get what you want in life.Secondly there is a youngster that is gifted in translating information and applying it to the real world situation. This person seeks guidance that leads them to a clear goal or dream they have. This is still something that would have been influenced by a teacher, guide or traumatic event earlier during his/her life. This person might have had a tough upbringing and promised themselves that they will never know the struggle again. They are so strongly swayed by their convictions that they actively search for the best advice and application method of this advice. This young person would normally be identified by a “go getter” attitude and strong confident personality. In reality these people become famous and wealthy. Sounds great, right? All these traits are present in serial killers, master criminals and famous people alike. What’s the difference? Guidance.Thirdly there is the youngster that comes from an educated home. This home has a well balanced family environment. This youngster has every possible opportunity to achieve greatness. There is ample love, a solid school education and strong social structure. This youngster has the opportunity of getting a higher level education or travel abroad. This youngster is seen as an average person in society and will probably contribute on some level. The problem here is that all comforts have always been there. Since birth this youngster has not needed to concern themselves with food or a roof over their heads. Out of their perspective things just work. These young people need to learn perseverance and application of the information they have. Young people can very easily follow the wrong path without ever knowing. There is an old saying that applies here. “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Without an active and deliberate effort to guide the young person we will surely have a society of people that cannot sustain anything except their own image. As a productive and educated member of society, sit back for a second and ask yourself what you have done lately in order to help a youngster with good advice and guidance. I am not talking about the advice you gave some youngsters to help your own agenda by not giving them the real truth. This is something that I am really passionate about. I am annoyed when I hear someone giving negative comments on the progress and development of a young person without attempting to help them with a word or two. Do not be the person that makes fun of the lack of knowledge and turns their back on the young person. Look, not everyone was meant to be a rocket scientist but everyone has a role to play. Before passing judgement ask yourself what you have done to help or guide the youngster in question. Be part of the solution to change the world we live in by improving another’s understanding of it.

Driving Licence offices in Pacaltsdorp are currently closed

Maryke Jooste
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Driving Licence offices in Pacaltsdorp are currently closed
The Driving Licence offices in Pacaltsdorp are currently closed due to Covid-related measures. Expected reopening Wednesday 8 July. Persons whose driving tests have been affected by this closure, will be contacted to make a new appointment date. The municipality apologises for the inconvenience and remains committed to deliver services in the face of ongoing Covid-19 challenges.

GEORGE MUNICIPALITY WATER UPDATE

Maryke Jooste
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GEORGE MUNICIPALITY WATER UPDATE

GEORGE MUNICIPALITY WATER UPDATE:  1 JULY 2020

Dam level: 90.99% (down from 92,3%) Rainfall since 25 June 2020: 21.7mm Demand/usage: 27,913 megalitresSECTION 2B WATER RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY APPLY IN GEORGE AND SURROUNDS:
  • Handheld watering of gardens using a hose using municipal water: even-numbered households Mondays and Thursdays, 7pm-9pm(summer) and 3pm-5pm (winter)AND uneven-numbered households Tuesdays and Fridays, 7pm-9pm (summer) and 3pm-5pm (winter).
  • Mechanical irrigation of gardens (sprayers) using municipal water is prohibited.
  • Watering sports fields using municipal water is prohibited, except for golf course greens, bowling greens and cricket pitches, daily 7pm-9pm(summer) and 3pm-5pm (winter).
  • Filling up of swimming pools using municipal water is prohibited.
  • Washing cars with a hose using municipal water is prohibited (buckets allowed, rainwater encouraged), except for commercial car washes.
  • Cleaning of outside surfaces using a hosepipe with municipal water is prohibited (buckets allowed, rainwater encouraged).
  • “OWN WATER” signage must be displayed where applicable and must be proven on request by municipal officials.
  • Applications for exemption of some restrictions may be considered on merit.
Report water leaks and burst pipes to 044 801 9262 or after hours at 044 801 6300, as soon as you notice them.

ONE HOME ONE GARDEN CAMPAIGN ENCOURAGES HOUSEHOLDS TO START FOOD PRODUCTION UNITS

Maryke Jooste
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ONE HOME ONE GARDEN CAMPAIGN ENCOURAGES HOUSEHOLDS TO START FOOD PRODUCTION UNITS
MEDIA RELEASE BY DR IVAN MEYER WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE DATE: 30 JUNE 2020In support of the Western Cape Department of Agriculture’s (WCDoA) One Home One Garden Campaign Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer recently visited food gardens in Witzenberg.According to Minister Meyer, every household needs to have a food garden as it will contribute towards the family’s food security.Minister Meyer: “As part of our Covid-19 response, the One Home One Garden Campaign encourages households to start their own food production units.”Food production units come in the form of a vegetable garden or a chicken house.Meyer: “A garden size of 20m² can provide salads, cabbage, onion, beetroot and beans during Autumn and broccoli, spinach, carrots, turnip, and peas during Spring. Similarly, a chicken house consisting of ten chickens provides the household with an average of eight eggs per day.”The WCDoA has contributed to the establishment of over eighty household food gardens through the distribution of starter packs consisting of 150 vegetable seedlings, fertiliser and advice on production practices such as planting, tending and harvesting of vegetables.“The aim is to assist households to be able to produce enough food to meet basic household food security needs throughout the year.  Home gardening is also relaxing and stimulating during this difficult period. During my visits to these home gardens I have witnessed team work, joy and fun in the families. Through these food gardens we are seeing #ForTheLoveOfAgriculture in action on the ground in various communities“ concluded Meyer.Click on   http://www.elsenburg.com/sites/default/files/contact-us-FSD-EXT-OFF.pdf to contact the nearest district office for further information.

New Peugeot 208 for SA soon!

Johann van Tonder
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New Peugeot 208 for SA soon!
Earlier this year the new Peugeot 208 was named European Car of the Year, beating the favourite, the Tesla Model 3, into 2nd place. Other contenders were the BMW 1-Series, Ford Puma, Porsche Taycan, Renault Clio and Toyota Corolla.The all-electric Tesla Model 3 had been favourite to win. It has been incredibly successful in Europe since its introduction in February 2019, racing to the top of the electric car sales charts, even though it was about 3 times more expensive than other electric cars. It also outsold traditional premium cars like the BMW 3 Series.European Car of the Year 2020, the all-new PEUGEOT 208 rewrites the book in the B segment. Nearly 110,000 customers have ordered the new PEUGEOT 208 since its launch in Europe in October. In France, the all-new PEUGEOT 208 leads the registration rankings of the car market at the end of February 2020.Locally the Peugeot / Citroën brand also had two finalists for the 2020 Autotrader Car of the Year with the Peugeot 5008 SUV and the Citroën C3 Aircross. With the new Peugeot 208 launching locally in the fourth quarter (Covid permitting), Peugeot is sure to have a very capable contender in the local 2021 Car of the Year competition also.Peugeot / Citroën SA has taken definite steps in 2019 to counter local perceptions of the French brands, offering a five-year/100 000km warranty and a service plan with each new purchase as of 1 September 2019. To further boost service levels new storage facilities have been opened in SA from where dealerships can source the most common parts. And in the case that your vehicle is at the dealership for more than 48 hours, Peugeot / Citroën will give you a courtesy car.While the brand is a runaway success in Europe, boasting several Car and Engine of the Year awards, the exceptionally strong product offering in conjunction with the locally improved backup and service levels might just be what was needed to return Peugeot to the loved brand it was in the 80’s. There is even a Peugeot Bakkie waiting in the wings. Meanwhile feast your eyes on that 208 design. We can’t wait to drive it!

Article: Johann van Tonder; Photos: Netcarshow.com

Give your gift away.

Benjamin W Fourie
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Give your gift away.
Every successful person out there spreads the message of giving. The common term goes, “The more you give, the more you will receive.” Right.., I barely have enough to get myself through the month. Living paycheck to paycheck, what is there left to give?I want you to look at it from a different perspective.Have you ever thought that there must be more to life. You can’t describe it but there is something missing. Looking at your life, you are doing ok. You are a religious person, work an honest day’s work and you have a good social life. Yet that empty feeling, what could it be?This used to be me a few years ago. I was successful in my personal, professional and social life. But there was something missing. I consulted with professionals and peers to try and find it. I bought stacks of self help books in an attempt to find what I was missing. One day it came to me, like a bird back to its nest. There was one thing that all books repeated over and over again. In short the following sums it up.Give your gift away, share it with as many people as you possibly can. I am talking about your gift, talent or purpose, there are many words for it. The question is, what are you doing with yours? Are you busy hiding it, or holding it to yourself? Dreaming to use it on some distant day in the future. Even trying your best to suppress it. Then it’s probably that one thing that you are missing. Please remember that this is a part of who you are and ignoring it can cause a whole range of unforseen problems.The moment you embrace your gift and start sharing it with others a feeling of freedom and fulfilment will come over you. The ball and chain that held you down for so long will disappear. With that said, life won’t suddenly be all sunshine and roses. Your gift, as with all things in life needs to be developed and grow with you. It’s great that you have and understand your gift but you will need to share it with others. In many cases you would have unknowingly developed your gift during your lifetime. So do not be scared of it, it might surprise you.My message is a simple one, just start sharing your gift. From holy scripture to your favourite self-help book and even that R2 fortune cookie, the proof is there. Even though God has said it in so many ways, will you still choose to ignore it? All that you need to do is begin. Do so in multitude, share your gift at every occasion and with as many people as you possibly can.You might be the one to change the world, but do so by first changing your own world.

Extreme weather causes damage

Maryke Jooste
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Extreme weather causes damage

Press Release: Issued George Municipality, 29 June 2020

The George Municipality had its hands full this weekend as extreme wind caused damage throughout the municipal area.

Fire department on the scene at a tree that had fallen in Forest Road, Heatherlands.

George Municipal Manager Trevor Botha said the municipality responded to hundreds of incidents including damage to electricity lines and informal housing and fallen trees in addition to the municipality’s usual attendance at veld fires and traffic accidents, and water and sanitation complaints. “The George Municipality Disaster Management Winter Season Readiness Plan for 2020 was activated with all the necessary roleplayers assisting with the various types of incidents experienced,” said Mr Botha.

George experienced several electricity outages, many as a result of broken electricity lines or trees on lines, in Wilderness Heights, Hoekwil, Wilderness East, Saasveld, Hansmoeskraal, Geelhoutboom, parts of Thembalethu, Witfontein, Heatherlands, Heather Park, Denneoord, George South and Rosemore. Repairs to the overhead electricity line near 7th Avenue in Wilderness necessitated the closure of the N2 for an hour on Sunday.

A trip on a high voltage line at a major substation resulted in a 17-minute outage over a large part of the city on Saturday morning including George Airport ,Tamsui industrial, George South, Rosedale, Bos en Dal, Groeneweide, Herolds Bay, Gwaing and parts of Pacaltsdorp and Thembalethu.

A total of 167 electricity-related complaints were received over the weekend.

Fallen tree in Arbor Road, Camphersdrift.
    

Fire and Rescue services attended to 18 trees that had fallen in neighbourhoods in George and Wilderness, a formal house fire and an informal house fire and four grass fires.

The Department Human Settlements provided plastic sheeting to 37 houses in informal settlements in Thembalethu and Conville to assist with weather protection as well as sheeting for a house where the roof had blown off in Thembalethu. The department will also be assisting a family who had lost their house to a fire in Thembalethu at the weekend and who had temporarily moved in with family.

Soup kitchens and donation centre continues to sustain communities

Maryke Jooste
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Soup kitchens and donation centre continues to sustain communities
Press Release: Issued George Municipality, 29 June 2020The George Municipality continues to feed its communities during the Covid-19 crisis via 137 municipal soup kitchens across the municipal area, supported by the drive-through donation centre at the Civic Centre.
Emma Mehlo (in red) serves meals from her home in Lawaaikamp.
Rosina Gordon (right with pink ‘doek’ – person in yellow unknown) hosts one of the largest soup kitchens in town from her house in Pacaltsdorp. She currently serves 200 people twice a day and served 600 people twice a day at the height of Lockdown Level 5.
Rose Smith serves meals from her home in Conville.
      George Municipal Manager Trevor Botha said thousands of people remained dependent on the municipal feeding scheme, despite many having been able to return to work or school feeding programmes as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were eased over the past few weeks. “At the height of Level 5 lockdown in April and May the municipality served 22 000 people at soup kitchens twice a day and we continue to serve nearly 9000 meals twice a day in vulnerable communities across the municipal area.“The ongoing success of the municipality feeding scheme is proof of the extraordinary people who work and live here – from dedicated staff who go on working long hours, seven days a week since Covid-19 measures started taking effect in March, to the ordinary people who selflessly host soup kitchens in their homes and hundreds of volunteers who serve there every day, no matter the circumstances. We could also not have done it without donations of food and goods from individuals, business and NGOs that have been generously and diligently delivered to the municipality’s drive-through centre at the Civic,” said Mr Botha.All 137 soup kitchens will continue operating for the foreseeable future and the donation centre remains open to receive and distribute donations of food, cleaning products and goods.Individuals, business and NGOs can continue to donate at the drive through centre on weekdays 10am-4.30pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm (closed Sundays and public holidays). People using online grocery delivery services wanting to donate, can make up an online basket and enter the delivery address as Drive-through centre Civic Centre, 71 York Street, George.What to donate: Cooking oil, salt, mielie meal, wheat flour, yeast, Wheatbix, milk, sugar, coffee, tea, OROS, samp, beans, soya mince, macaroni, soup powder, spices, stock and fresh or frozen or canned vegetables, meat and fish. For cleaning: dishwashing liquid, sponges, dishcloths, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, handwash laundry soap, hand soap and toothpaste.Donated items are sanitised and then stored in and distributed from the Banquet Hall, which is being managed to conform to strict health and hygiene protocol.Soup kitchen enquiries: 044 802 2000 Donation Centre enquiries: Johann Crouse 073 301 9595 Distributed by George Municipality Communication Department

Our Careers – Where do we start?

Maryke Jooste
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Our Careers – Where do we start?
Starting our careers isn’t always easy. And it already starts so early in life. As a Career Coach at Mastering It, I get to hear many stories of many different people’s career journeys and I can conclude that there is for sure no right or wrong way of doing it. Our careers are life-long, long term projects that we endeavor in. We choose how we want to write our stories but we never do it alone. We partner with mentors, friends and family or we reach out to professional services to invest in our careers. Perhaps if you just came out of school, your Career, which actually already started, is a whole new world to get to know. By that time it would’ve been necessary to make some big decisions that determine your Career path already – choosing your subjects in Grade 9, choosing a direction for after school (further studies, work or perhaps a gap year) and the part-time jobs that you did beforehand. Or perhaps you are already in a career but are at a point where you want to make a change or are wondering, “What is next?”. And in today’s society that is not an uncommon place to be at. Going into a new career direction is not the worse of things that you could choose to do. But do it in wisdom and with guidance from people that know you.The main thing we also need to realize is that everything about you – whether you studied in a certain direction before, stayed at a hostel during university years or started to work part-time early in life, all of these things adds to who you are for your career today. You learn skills, personality traits form and you build a network of people that can bring new opportunities. So then, by looking at your Career, there is for sure some starting points that you can consider:
  1. Know yourself
If someone was to ask you now, what are your skills, values, personality traits or strengths, will you be able to answer them? A simple exercise will be to take some time and reflect on this. How have people described you in the past? What are the skills you needed to use in the past for different things? What gets you excited and what are you passionate about? You don’t always need to have big things to identify here – the little things you regard as almost of no importance, are actually the things worth mentioning.Try an online personality test, for free, and get to know yourself a bit better – https://www.123test.com/career-test/ 2. Know your opportunitiesThere are so many different job opportunities out there, actually so many industries we also are quite unaware about. It will definitely help to get to know the type of industries out there a bit better – https://joboutlook.gov.au/Industry. And thereafter take a few moments and write down what industries attract you and the different jobs in that field that you can see yourself in. Consider what you know about yourself and evaluate what you will enjoy about the different jobs and what you will not. Knowing what you wouldn’t want to do and what you wouldn’t enjoy in a job, is also a step in the right direction – you can eliminate things.Other ways of grasping opportunities are perhaps to chat with mentors, volunteering somewhere to get exposure in a certain field or do a few weeks of job shadowing. This will help you to also get a better idea of what a certain job is all about as well as what opportunities are out there.  3. Keep on investing in your skill setThis is quite an important principle – practicing lifelong learning. This doesn’t come naturally for all of us. But online platforms make it so much easier these days for us to enroll in a course and then complete it at your own pace, within your own schedule. Have a check-in on the hobbies that you are interested in, or do a course on a skill you want to improve on. There is such a variety to consider out there and we can find a lot of great courses on platforms such as https://www.udemy.com/. From Mastering It’s side, should you be struggling with making these Career decisions, we can advice to start making use of professional services. You can consider options such as Career Coaching or Aptitude testing, as this will bring clarity on directions you can consider.Contact us at Mastering It for more information:Location: George, Garden Route Website: www.masteringit.co.za (Online services available) Contact details: Maryke Jooste – maryke@masteringit.co.za We are passionate about Careers and helping people to reach their full potential!
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