GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - A special awards ceremony was held for nearly 40 Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Roads employees at the Roads Department in George on Thursday, 21 February.

Certificates and trophies were handed to those individuals and teams who excelled in their work during the 2018/19 financial year.

The event is managed by the executive manager, Roads Services, John G Daniels and GDRM executive mayor, Councillor Memory Booysen and municipal manager Monde Stratu.

Stratu commended everyone, saying they were "willing to leave families and loved ones behind to do the work", making this district "among the best in the country in terms of road maintenance and construction".

He added that the department had "excelled consistently over time", which demonstrated the level of "commitment of each staff member". He concluded that this generation should do anything in its power to ensure the next generation inherited a better country than its predecessors.

In his address, Councillor Booysen said council was in serious discussions about the future of the Roads Department and that these discussions were seen in a positive light.

He added that the recent developments with Ekusasa Mining provided the opportunity for possible collaborations with GDRM Roads to see if the current formula they used for gravel roads in the northern parts of South Africa and other African countries could be adapted to use on gravel roads in this district.

Daniels echoed the gratitude expressed by Stratu and Councillor Booysen, adding that maintaining about 6 200km of roads was no easy task.

"People mostly only see trucks and graders coming and going, but very few understand the amount of work being done, sometimes in harsh conditions.

"Workers are continuously exposed to the elements of nature, but through perseverance and passion are able to deliver quality work that makes us among the best in the country."

'We bring you the latest Garden Route news'