2
www.thevillagenews.co.za
3 June 2020
The nitty-gritty of Alert Level 3 From P1 Most of the previous rules remain, including the requirement for a Covid-19 plan to be in place with an accountable safety officer in charge of it. Nxesi said one of the changes provides that workers may refuse to work "if they have a reasonable belief that the necessary precautions have not been put in place to prevent the transmission of Covid-19". Also, employees who have had close contact with someone where there is a high risk of transmission must be given 14 days of paid sick leave. This will apply to all workers, Nxesi said. The two face masks that companies must issue to every staff member no longer need to be washed and ironed by the company, and the cost of Covid-19 personal protective equipment, cannot be recovered from employees in any way. It is not yet clear when the changes will come into force.
Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane has announced that under Level 3 some tourism sectors will be allowed to open up. The activities that are now allowed include hunting, game viewing and car rental services. Public and private game farms may open for self-drive excursions and hiking is allowed – if it is done in compliance with existing guidelines and not in groups. Service professionals like tour guides, tour operators, travel agents and tourism information officers can also resume operations. Under Level 3 the curfew which confined people to their homes between 20:00 and 05:00 every night has been lifted, but several restrictions on movement remain in place. People may only leave their homes for work, to procure groceries and essential services, exercise or perform any of the other activities specified for Level 3. Restaurants with liquor licences can sell alcohol only for takeout and delivery, but the consumption of food and alcohol in restaurants, bars,
shebeens and taverns is still prohibited. Alcohol can be sold Monday to Thursday only, between 09:00 and 17:00. No alcohol sales are permitted on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays. Traders will be permitted to sell alcohol for consumption off-site and the consumption of alcohol at the place of sale is prohibited. The restriction on the hours when people can exercise has been eased, but not completely lifted. People may now exercise at any time between 6:00 and 18:00, if it is not an organised group activity. Gyms, exercise centres, beaches, public parks, sports grounds, and swimming pools will remain closed. Only funerals and religious gatherings are permitted, and these are capped at 50 persons. The regulations also state that all retail outlets may open, with stringent health protocols in place. Likewise, all economic sectors can operate, except those at high risk. No movement is permitted between provinces, metropolitan areas or districts, except while
performing a service listed under Level 3 regulations, to attend a funeral, transport mortal remains, care for a sick relative or for work purposes. In each instance, a permit is required. People may move to a new house, but they will need a permit from the relevant authority. No evictions are allowed during Level 3. All domestic workers and other care workers employed in private households may return to work, if their employer ensures that adequate safety measures are in place. The employer is also required to issue them with a permit. In the hotspot areas patrols, roadblocks, and vehicle checkpoints will be carried out and SAPS, the SANDF and local law enforcement authorities will work together to control movement in these areas. Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize may impose stricter lockdown rules in hotspots to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. More information on these hotspots is expected to be published at a later date.
Revised municipal budget approved Writer Hedda Mittner
D
uring a virtual council meeting held on Wednesday, 27 May in Hermanus, Gansbaai and Kleinmond, the full council of the Overstrand Municipality unanimously approved the 2020/’21 municipal budget. Speaker Anton Coetsee pronounced this “a remarkable achievement that reflects a tremendous vote of confidence in the mayor, the municipal manager and the administration as a whole”. Also serving before council was the third review of the municipality’s 5-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which articulates the needs of our communities and specifies initiatives to be funded by the municipal budget. For the 2020/’21 financial year, the strategic direction set out in the 5-year IDP remains unchanged. The Draft Budget, however, was revised in order to reduce municipal expenditure and to assist ratepayers who are under financial strain. “The national lockdown, imposed as a result of COVID-19, and the various regulations promulgated by National Government under the National State of Disaster, have unfortunately had a devastating effect on the economy of South Africa – and the Overstrand is no exception,” said Executive Mayor Dudley Coetzee in his address. “The tourism industry, which forms the backbone of the Overstrand economy, came to an abrupt halt on 26 March this year. This has had an adverse effect on our ratepayers and many of our businesses, particularly smaller businesses.” The mayor went on to say that the comments received from the public on the 2020/’21 Draft Budget mostly concerned the effect that the COVID-19 lockdown is having on our economy. The Draft Budget could therefore not, as in the past, simply be adjusted, but had to be revised in its entirety. “In this budget we have considered the impact that COVID-19 has had on our ratepayers as well as on the ability of the municipality to continue to operate and provide infrastructure and a high level of services that are only fully used during relatively short holiday seasons,” the mayor said.
Following a number of reductions in the interest rate, the Reserve Bank has forecast an inflation
rate for the 2020/’21 financial year of 4.7%. Tariffs “Given the current challenges that our ratepayers and the municipality face, the increase in all municipal tariffs – with the exception of electricity – will be reduced from the proposed 5.9% in the Draft Budget to 4.5%. This includes the first 6 kl of water consumed. “The cost of electricity from ESKOM to the municipality will increase by 6.9%, and in terms of the directive from NERSA the electricity tariff to municipal consumers will increase by 6.22% – a decrease from the 15% that was included in the Draft Budget.” Property rates Mayor Coetzee added that the increase in property rates will also be reduced from 6.9%, as proposed in the Draft Budget, to 4.5% for all categories of property. Special Rating Areas have been approved for Hermanus, Onrus-Vermont and Kleinmond, and Coetzee thanked the three steering committees for their hard work and dedication in finalising these SRAs on behalf of their respective communities. The rate requested varies per area and is included in the list of tariffs. Ward-specific projects “As in the past, an amount of R6.5 million, or R500 000 per ward, has been budgeted for ward-specific projects that are related to infrastructure. To contribute to reducing expenditure, no budget is provided for the Mayoral Fund, nor is funding provided for grants-in-aid or contributions towards festivals.” Extended term payment agreement At the start of the lockdown in March, council approved an extended term payment agreement that businesses and residential ratepayers who found themselves under financial stress could enter into with the municipality for their March and April municipal accounts. Council agreed last week to extend this concession to include the May and June accounts as well. In addition, tenants who are unable to use the property rented from the municipality for the purpose for which it was intended, are exempted from paying rent until the end of June. Relief for accommodation establishments In view of the fact that the tourism industry has been particularly hard hit by the lockdown regulations, council also approved a temporary adjustment for all accommodation establishments to be charged the residential property rates tariff
retrospectively from April through to June. “Given the uncertainty of how long the various lockdown regulations will remain in place, the above concessions may well have to be extended in the new financial year,” said Coetzee. Salaries In his address, the mayor said the municipality had to comply with the current three-year collective SALGBC salary agreement for municipal employees, which came into operation on 1 July 2018. According to the principles of the agreement, salary increases were approved at 6.25 % for the 2020/’21 financial year. This was based on the average inflation for the period February 2019 to January 2020, with a minimum of 5%, plus 1.25%. Salary notch adjustments of approximately 2% have also been included in the salary budget. “The remuneration of councillors is determined by the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The proclamation with regard to the 2019/’20 increases was only published during April 2020 and set salary increases at 4%,” said Coetzee. “No indication for 2020/’21 has been received and therefore remuneration adjustments for councillors has been factored into the 2020/’21 budget at the same rate as the 2019/’20 determination.” Vacancies According to the mayor, the 57 new permanent staff positions included in the Draft Budget have been withdrawn. This includes the additional Law Enforcement staff. The Law Enforcement Division will be reorganised to allow for the K9 units planned for Gansbaai and Kleinmond to be established. The driver’s licence testing centres planned for these two areas have been postponed. Capital Budget projects “To assist in rebuilding the economy of the Overstrand, R15 million has been provided for temporary positions to help in creating jobs for our residents,” said Coetzee. “All items of a capital nature that can result in job creation for our people have also been included in the budget, particularly where this will address ageing water reticulation systems, as well as sewerage projects, and importantly also, stormwater projects.” To this end the following items have been included in the Capital Budget: Zwelihle Sewer Upgrade Zwelihle Stormwater Upgrade Kleinmond Sewer Upgrade
R13.75 M R8.39 M R13.00 M
Masakhane Stormwater Overhills Stormwater Betty’s Bay Stormwater Hermanus Stormwater Hermanus Waste Recycling Plant Hawston Sports Complex Hawston Business Hub Mt Pleasant Sports Field Hawston R43 intersection Hermanus Well fields Pringle Bay Reservoir Gansbaai Reservoir Hermanus CBD Regeneration
R4.50 M R2.20 M R3.31 M R2.60 M R17.96 M R9.44 M R4.87 M R2.46 M R2.19 M R10.50 M R6.13 M R7.88 M R7.10 M
Water restrictions Level 2 water restrictions in the Hermanus area introduced from 1 June 2018 are still applicable. The first level of water restriction tariffs is also still applicable in Hermanus. The mayor concluded his address by thanking the public for their participation and input during the IDP Review and Budget preparation process. “I also wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the administration and the councillors who contributed to compiling the 2020/’21 Operating and Capital Budgets – particularly those who literally worked night and day to complete the total revision of the Draft Budget and so enable us to table the 2020/’21 Budget today.” In summary, the proposed increases for a household for the coming financial year (2020/’21) are as follows:
• • • • • •
Property rates: Residential 4.5% Electricity 6.22% Water 4.5% Sewerage tariffs 4.5% Refuse tariffs 4.5% Property rates for business and undeveloped erven will also increase by 4.5%.
The average increase of a household Municipal account will be about 4.4% excluding electricity and 5.3% including electricity. Hard copies of the IDP Review and Budget will unfortunately not be available for perusal at the library at this time, as all Overstrand libraries will remain closed during Level 3 of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, the 2020/’21 Third IDP Review can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/2XdYaAq and the Three-Year Budget for 2020/’21 to 2022/’23 can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/3cgD6NU.
