Community Services and Public Safety

The Directorate of Community Services and Public Safety is there to ensure realisation of the provision of community services as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, with specific reference section 152 of chapter 7. Essentially, the Directorate is tasked to provide accessible, affordable, equitable and sustainable services as well as a healthy environment to residents, visitors, tourists and businesses operating in the Sundays River Valley Municipality. This is a responsibility we execute with pride and respect for our communities and stakeholders. The community services & public safety directorate comprises of six sections:

Traffic Services

The Traffic services section is primarily responsible for promoting road safety, providing Traffic emergency services (accidents, incidents & disasters),  Motor vehicle Registration, Renewals, Driver’s licence testing centre operations and Bylaw enforcement.

Fire and Rescue services

Fire and Disaster management services are provided by the LM through a Service Level Agreement with the District. Their role is to ensure compliance with Fire Bylaws, building regulations as they relate to safety measures, labour laws and property security. The municipality does not have a Disaster management section and this function is carried out by the District Municipality. However, through the support of the District Municipality, Sundays River Valley Municipality does have an approved Disaster management Plan in place.

Environmental & Waste Management

The Environmental & Waste Management Section derives its mandate from Section 24 of the Constitution of South Africa and is mandated to ensure a safe environment, which is not harmful to human health. Primarily, the section deals with Environmental Management, Waste management, Refuse removal,  Civic education, Greening, & open space management. The section is tasked to ensure that it creates an environment that is safe and not harmful to health of the community; Enhances environmental awareness education and encourage public involvement; Create a sustainable culture in the handling, collection, transportation, disposal and management of waste; Reduce impact on climate change through developing and implementing a climate change strategy for the municipality, aligned to the national strategy; Create a sustainable recycling and reuse culture within the municipality;

Municipal Health Services

MHS is a function and a competency of Sarah Baartman District Municipality (SBDM) and SRVM is rendering MHS on behalf of SBDM in its area of jurisdiction. The Municipality is responsible for Municipal Health services which mainly focus on Water quality monitoring; Food Control; Waste Management; Health surveillance of premises; Vector Control; Environmental pollution control; Disposal of Dead; Chemical safety; Surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases.

Libraries and information, Arts & Culture

Libraries are a role player in the upliftment of the education level in the community. Libraries are part of the centres of information and knowledge. They provide communities with free access to information, in print form and online. This service is targeting all levels of the community, (mini lib services for blind and partially sighted).  We promote a culture of reading, library use and learning that enriches the whole community through academic and recreational reading.

Public Amenities

The Sundays River Valley Municipality has several public amenities. These amenities are used for various events and activities ranging from meetings/ conference, burial activities, church activities, weddings and municipal activities. These are community resources and facilities for convenience or benefit continuously offered to the general public for their use and or enjoyment, with or without charge (e.g. community halls, sports fields, cemeteries, and parks etc.). We are entrusted: To ensure equitable access to diverse recreation and social opportunities across the Municipality; To encourage multiple use of facilities; To safeguard the community by taking appropriate measures to control risk; To effectively manage assets held by municipality on behalf of the community; To develop a sense of belonging and ownership amid constituencies; To build a sense of place/sense of community; To provide an economic return to municipality commensurate with the use of the facility and; To manage facilities in an environmentally sensitive manner where appropriate.