ActionSA has asked Western Cape MEC for local government Anton Bredell to probe the Knysna municipality for suspected maladministration.
ActionSA member of the provincial executive committee in the Western Cape, Michelle Wasserman, said according to section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act, an MEC is obligated to investigate if a municipality is suspected of wrongdoing.
“Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act requires an MEC to investigate if the MEC has reason to believe that maladministration, fraud, corruption or any other serious malpractice has occurred or is occurring in a municipality in that province,” said Wasserman in a statement on Friday.
“On 31 August 2022, a coalition of the ANC, EFF, PA, and PBI took over the Knysna municipal council through motions of no confidence which removed the previous DA/KIM leadership.
“It took the new ANC-led government no time at all to implement their cadre deployment plans in Knysna, and on 16 September 2022, they unlawfully created six new positions in the ‘office of the political office bearers’. These positions will together cost the Knysna ratepayers between R2 408.784 and R3 126.336 per year.”
She explained further: “Following public outcry over these clearly politically motivated new positions, ANC executive mayor, councillor Aubrey Tsengwa, gave a public undertaking that necessary recruitment and selection processes would be followed to fill the posts.”
Wasserman said, however, that no recruitment processes were followed, stating that the new appointees turned up for work on October 3.
“The appointees include Michele Botha, who was the mayoral candidate for the PA in Bitou; Elrick van Aswegen, the former COPE executive mayor and second on the ANC’s PR list for the 2021 election; Morton Gericke, who is the brother of PBI leader Virgil Gericke; and ANC sub-regional secretary Moyisi Magalela.”
Wasserman added that Bredell will need to urgently investigate the appointments and other pressing matters including a R90 000 payment for accommodation of an acting chief financial officer “who will only be with the municipality for a three-month period”.
“South Africa is being held back by this kind of unethical leadership which employs unqualified public servants in ‘jobs for pals’ schemes.
“This brazen cadre deployment in South African government is one of the greatest obstacles to overcoming the legacy of our past. ActionSA has declared corruption in the state as public enemy number one and will act to root it out,” added Wasserman.
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