New Grader Operator Machine for Eden’s gravel roads

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Eden District Municipality’s Road Department maintains ± 5800 km gravel roads
as agent on behalf of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC).
The entire area is divided in 15 wards of which 16 grader operator machines are
used to maintain it.
On Wednesday, 16 October 2013, PGWC handed over a brand new grader
machine to the Eden Roads Department to replace a machine that served a
period of as much as 29 years.

Mr Anton Strydom from PGWC praised the Roads Department for the way in which they maintained the machine and kept it
in excellent condition for so many years.

The 13 ton Caterpillar machine valued at R2.6 million was handed over at Gwayang near George and many Eden Roads staff members got an opportunity to be part of this significant occasion.

According to Eden’s Senior Manager: Roads, Mr Hans Ottervanger: “The roads
are graveled according to a priority model where traffic counts, gravel thickness
and gravel quality are taken into account. The Department’s road gravelling
target per year is 8000 km. Gravel operators and workers do not only ensure
that the surface of the roads are up to standard, but also see to it that the side
ditches and other draining facilities are maintained. All the fleet, to the value of
R123 million, are maintained by the local Mechanical Workshops’ qualified and
skilled staff”.

At the official hand over ceremony, Eden’s Executive Deputy Mayor, Cllr Lionel
Esau expressed a word of gratitude to Mr Handre Strydom of PGWC and said:
“It is good to know that Eden’s roads are handled as priority” and further added
that, “Many tourists that visit Eden say: ‘it is a pleasure to drive on Eden’s roads -
especially the gravel roads, because it is always in good shape’”. Mr Japie
Strydom, Eden’s Manager: Mechanics and Mechanical Workshops, highlighted
the fact that, “The Eden mechanical staff, under leadership of Mr Chris
Swanepoel and Mr Gerald Sinkfontein are doing their outmost best to ensure that
people get the necessary and adequate training to work with machinery”.
Although Mr Handre Strydom, at the event, provided the Gravel Operator, Mr
Johannes Joseph, that will be operating the new machine, with a cloth, to clean
only the dipstick and nothing else, Eden’s Road and Mechanical Workshop staff
are used to such outstanding caring practices. Mr Deon Liebenberg and Mr Henk
Van der Merwe from Barloworld SA (supplier of the new machine) also attended
the event.

Photo Caption: Mr Japie Strydom – (Manager - Eden Roads), Mr Hans Ottervanger (Senior
Manager - Eden Roads), Mr Johannes Joseph (Eden Roads), Mr Handre Strydom (PGWC), Cllr
Lionel Esau Eden’s (Eden Executive Deputy Mayor), Mr Gerald Sinkfontein (Eden Roads), Mr
Anton Steenkamp (Eden Roads), Mr Chris Swanepoel: (Eden Roads), Mr Deon Liebenberg
(Barloworld SA), Mr Anthony Cupido: (Eden Roads), Mr Henk van der Merwe (Barloworld SA)
and Mr Jan Harm Grobblaar (Eden Roads), attended the event.t line with the story slug.