Pressure grows to investigate senior director
STELLENBOSCH Municipality has come under renewed pressure to investigate its strategic and corporate services director, Annelene de Beer.
In March last year an investigation by the Office of the Public Protector (PPSA) found that De Beer’s 2016 appointment to the municipality amounted to maladministration and improper conduct. Six months later the municipality was asked why it had failed to act on the public protector’s report and said it was in discussions with the PPSA over the findings.
In March the Western Cape High Court lambasted De Beer for showing a “refusal to understand African culture” during her time as acting municipal manager. The court also said she had used municipal law enforcement to prevent access to initiates at a local nature area.
In the judgment, Judge Daniel Thulare found that De Beer’s actions reflected a need for social context training before she does “a lot of damage to the project of nation building”.
Following that judgment, GOOD Party councillor Christie Noble submitted a formal complaint against
De Beer, saying her behaviour had brought the municipality into “serious disrepute”, and called for De Beer’s suspension.
Last week a former councillor, Franklin Adams, wrote to the municipal speaker requesting an independent investigation into De Beer’s fitness to hold office.
Adams said he was writing in his capacity as a resident and ratepayer of Stellenbosch, under cover of chapter 2 of the Municipal Systems Act, which gives members of the local community the right to submit complaints to the municipality’s administration.
Adams alleged that staff at the municipality had been “traumatised” by De Beer and were “too intimidated to speak out”.
Stellenbosch Municipality spokesperson Stuart Grobbelaar said the speaker’s office had confirmed receiving Adam’s letter last Thursday.
“We will handle this request in terms of prescribed processes and legislation. There have been countless such baseless claims made by Adams over the years – both as councillor and now also as an aggrieved ex-councillor.”