Corporate and Community Services

This Department oversees the following services:

• Human Resources
• Traffic law enforcement
• Housing administration
• Fire services and Disaster Management
• Libraries
• Thusong
• Community liaison
• Parks and recreation facilities
• Contract Management
• Committee services
• Administrative support
• Integrated Development Planning
• Performance management
• Town planning
• Building Control
• Records management
• Local Economic Development

For any enquiries regarding these functions, please contact the Senior Manager: Operations, Mr. George van der Westhuizen via tel  at 023 541 1320 or email: george@pamun.gov.za

Environmental Learning Centre:

This might be the greatest game changer with the most long term benefits proposed for Prince Albert municipal area. We believe that it could single handily change the future of Prince Albert for the better. It will influence the mind-set of the town as a whole as well as that of individuals. It has the potential to awake sleeping giants and strategically position Prince Albert and individuals, entrepreneurs with vision as worldly role players. The Prince Albert Municipality has, with the support of Department of Environmental Affairs constructed an Environmental Education Centre (EEC) that can facilitate the establishment of a Community Learning Centre.    This EEC can be our gateway to the world. By equipping it with broadband and ICT Prince Albert can link with learning institutions, universities and FET colleges. Students can get the opportunity, not normally afforded to rural areas, to attend accredited courses at affordable cost. In other words, without necessitating traveling and accommodation, more people can participate and use their disposable income proactively or effectively, for betterment will be within their reach. If this can happen then social ills will be countered for disposable income expenditure can be directed towards opportunities of betterment instead of leisure. A community learning centre will facilitate partnerships and collaborative networking with reputable institutions, thus opening Prince Albert to the world and the world to Prince Albert. Establishing such will speak to Education, Employment, Innovation, Establishment etc.

With the support of the Office of the Premier Prince Albert Municipality recently opened the 50th Access Centre in the Western Cape in Prince Albert.  Equipped with internet, computers, tables, printers and wifi, it opened up the world to residents of Prince Albert.  Two Access Centres have been established in Prince Albert, one in Klaarstroom and one in Leeu Gamka.

Should you have any queries on the services offered, please contact Mr. Charlton Jafta (Manager: Community Services) at 023 541 1320 or visit the Access Centre in Prince Albert, along the Toegangspad where

LIBRARIES

Prince Albert Municipality was awarded the accolade of Best Small Municipal Library in the Western Cape at the beginning of February 2016!

The Municipality, in partnership with the Provincial government, provide high quality library services to our communities.Libraries can be found in Prince Albert, Klaarstroom and Leeu Gamka and can be contacted / visited as indicated below:

Prince Albert Library

Librarian:  Ms Reinie Smit

27 Church Street, Prince Albert

Tel  023-5411 036

Hours open from Monday to Friday:  09h00- 13h00; 14h00-17h30

Prince Albert Thusong Library

Librarian:  Andrewlene Plaatjies

Thusong Centre, 1 Adderley Street, Prince Albert

Tel: 083 968 4995

Hours open from Monday to Friday: 09h00 to 13h00l 14h00 to 16h00

 Leeu-Gamka Library

Librarian:  Gertruida Romp

2 Gousblom Street, Leeu Gamka

Tel 023-5212 837
Hours open from Monday to Friday: 09h30-13h00 and 13h30 to 17h00

Klaarstroom Library

Librarian:  Magdalena Michaels

65 Bloekom Street

Tel 078 866 3126

Open hours during the week:  08h30-13h00; 14h00-17h30
 

PARKS, RECREATION AND OPEN SPACES

Prince Albert Municipality is committed to creating high quality neighbourhood development with sufficient parks, recreation- and open spaces for all to enjoy.  Bookings for facilities can be made by contacting the Municipality as follows:

Prince Albert:   Charlton Jafta / Johnny Windvogel at tel 0798410546 or tel (023) 5411320

Klaarstroom:  Sam Fister (Community Liasion Officer Klaarstroom) at 060 524 2074

Leeu Gamka:  Alfreda Hobanie (Community Liasion Officer Leeu-Gamka) at 072 590 6938

EMERGING FARMERS SUPPORT

Though support to emerging farmers are not a core function of the Municipality, the Municipality supports emerging farmers and subsistence, small-holding farmers, through the leasing of commonage.  The Municipality also manages a farm, called Treintjiesrivier.  This farm is leased to several emerging farmers.  For information on support to emerging farmers, please contact the Municipal Manager, Ms Anneleen Vorster at tel (023) 5411320 or email: rekords@pamun.gov.za

INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING

The Integrated Development Plan (IDP)is the main planning document of the Municipality and guides the municipality’s budget and projects.  The Municipality annually drafts a process plan that steers the public participation engagement in order to compile the Municipality’s Integrated Development Plan and Performance Management.  For more information on the Integrated Development Plan view our Integrated Development Plan approved in May 2015 under Documents on this website.  Alternatively you can contact the Manager: Community Services, Mr. Charlton Jafta at tel 023 541 1320 or send an e-mail to rekords@pamun.gov.za

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance Management is a process which measures the implementation of the organisation’s strategy. It is also a management tool to plan, monitor, measure and review performance indicators to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and the impact of service delivery by the municipality.

For more information on performance management, contact the Municipal Manager (Ms. Anneleen Vorster) or the Manager: Community Services (Mr. Charlton Jafta) at tel 023 541 1320, or via e-mail: rekords@pamun.gov.za

HUMAN RESOURCES

The staff at Prince Albert Municipality forms the heart of the municipality’s service delivery efforts.  The municipality strives to continuously improve the skills of our work force and have committed to a wellness program that recognises the efforts of the staff. 

Contact details:

Ms. Debby Mooneys

Human Resources Practitioner

Tel:        023 541 1036

Email:    rekords@pamun.gov.za

RECORDS MANAGEMENT, CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AND COMMITTEE SERVICES

Sound administrative practices forms the backbone of accountable local government.  Records management are done in accordance with archival legislation, while contract management keeps the municipality accountable to their contractual partners and ensures accountable governance.  Committee services is responsible for the logistical and management of meetings and is another mechanism keeping the municipality accountable to its ratepayers.  For more information on any of these services please contact the Municipal Manager (Ms. Anneleen Vorster) at tel 023 541 1320 or email rekords@pamun.gov.za

HOUSING

While Housing is not a municipal function, the Municipality acts as a service implementing agent for Provincial government.  The physical building of the housing are done by the Infrastructure management department, while the Corporate and Community Service department is responsible for the administration of the process. 

Prince Albert Municipality supports the following objectives in respect of housing

• Promotion of equal access to housing for Prince Albert residents
• Transparency
• Prevention of unfair discrimination
• Promotion of fair administrative justice
• Apply the principle of “first come first serve” subjected to approved framework
• Proper recording of all housing applicants

Council follows the following working procedure in respect of the allocation of housing.

1. All persons who want to qualify for state financed housing must complete the standard application form to be registered on the housing database.
2. Only applicants who appears on the housing database will be considered for any state subsidized housing assistance
3. Completed applications shall be lodged with the Community Services manager who shall capture the information in the Housing Database in a separate list called the Housing Waiting List
4. Housing allocation shall be decided on a first come first serve basis subject to the provisions below:
   1. Applicants shall be Prince Albert Area residents for a period not less than five (5) years
   2. The waiting list will be Categorized in to three main categories and allocation will be made as per the following proportion (category A)
      1. Squatters (in camps)  15%
      2. Farmworkers  10%
      3. Back yard dwellers and others  75%
   3. The aged, the disabled, HIV/AIDS victims and persons staying in dangerous or very vulnerable situations shall be prioritised without unduly undermining the principle of first come first serve. The proportional allocation will be as follows with priority to those with dependants (category B)

1. Disabled    5%
2. Married     25%
3. “Widow/widowers   25%
4. Unmarried   35%
5. Aged 60 and above   10%
   1. Allocation of housing subsidies shall comply with the provisions of the Housing Act, the Housing Code, the Provincial and Municipal housing policies

 In Prince Albert municipal area people earning less than R3 500 per month per household can qualify for a normal housing subsidy, while GAP housing applicants can qualify if they earn between R3 500 and R15 000 per  month.

Contact details:

Heinrich Esterhuizen (Housing Coordinator)

Tel: 023 541 1036

Email:  heinriche@pamun.gov.za

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Prince Albert Municipality is current in its 113th year and is regarded as a niche municipality. Niche implies small, hard to find, expensive and unique. The small community of 13 136 + inhabitants are offered high quality living for those who can afford it and low to moderate quality to those who cannot. Prince Albert historically positioned itself in the high end of the market and relied on Tourism, Heritage and Agriculture as its main sectorial economic drivers. This has proven to deepen the divide between the advantaged and disadvantaged and caused serious pressure on effective, efficient and economical service delivery. The bridge over the divide seemed impossible to cross due to the high barriers to entry for advantaged living. The majority of the population is limited to labour activities, which in essence is on the lower scale of income.

Service delivery is stressed because the majority (disadvantaged) who need services cannot pay and the minority (advantaged) who can afford to pay wants a higher quality of service. A strategy to position Prince Albert better economically would include a more balanced economic approach in order to facilitate the development of a middle class, and encourage the establishment of other economic activity that can empower the disadvantaged to better themselves and graduate into the higher income sphere. This implies that heritage based tourism should be scaled down and first phase agriculture should be upgraded, combined with the development of catalyst economic drivers in order to ensure the establishment of a wider middleclass so as to improve the municipal payment rate and subsequently improve the municipality’s ability to fund the upgrading of infrastructure and improve service delivery.

The Municipality plays the role of an enabler. Addressing infrastructure shortcomings and backlogs to create an enabling environment is of essence. For more information on the municipality’s catalyst economic projects or any local development issue, please contact the Municipal Manager (Ms. Anneleen Vorster at 023 541 1320 or via email (rekords@pamun.gov.za).