Blow to Knysna as 3 officials quit seats

Bid to get acting municipal manager to reconsider while resignations come at a bad time

THE Knysna municipality has been dealt a blow with two officials and a councillor giving up their seats.

At a council meeting last week, acting municipal manager Dr Michele Gratz, chief financial officer Mbulelo Memani and Ward 10 DA councillor and former deputy mayor Peter Myers resigned.

Myers’s resignation was effective yesterday, while Gratz said she had since been asked to reconsider her resignation.

Myers said his resignation came as a result of his “troubled relationship” with the DA, which started when he raised various issues regarding previous mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies.

“Not only were my concerns ignored, but the DA publicly voted me out as the deputy mayor because I had dared to raise questions about the fitness for office of one of their favourites. Thereafter, they attempted to discipline me a number of times regarding my vote of conscience to remove Bouw-Spies as mayor,” he said.

Myers said he had also faced vilification from the DA’s local, provincial and national leadership for his support of embattled Mark Willemse as mayor.

Bouw-Spies said she had since moved on, and did not want to be dragged into matters from two years ago. “Myers must take responsibility for his decisions, and the effects of those decisions on the governance of Knysna,” she said.

The DA’s constituency head, Dion George, said they were sorry to see Gratz resign, saying “she has done a very good job in a very short space of time and we wish her well”.

Gratz said she had been asked to reconsider her position.

“No one person can turn this municipality around. It will need a team, and certain officials will have to be removed. The only future I see for this municipality is to go under the administration of the province. The deputy mayor has asked me to reconsider my resignation. I have agreed to work 14 days’ notice for now,” she said.

George said Myers had not been on the same page as the party for a long time.

“We wish him well in his endeavours. He was the former MMC for finance in Knysna and recently the shadow MMC after the DA was no longer the government as a direct result of the behaviour of councillors Myers and Willemse,” George said.

There was a request from the Knysna Ratepayers’ Association to launch an investigation into Memani, which will be featured in the next council meeting.

Deputy executive mayor Aubrey Tsengwa said he was in talks with the officials on their resignation and would update the community on the outcome. “It is with shock that I acknowledge the acting municipal manager and the chief financial officer’s intentions to resign from Knysna Municipality. I am still in talks with them regarding this situation, and shall update the people of Knysna on the outcome of those talks.

“Meanwhile, residents may rest assured that my focus will be on ensuring the smooth running of the administration, ensuring continued service delivery and always working to the betterment of our residents and Greater Knysna as a whole,” said Tsengwa.

Memani said he would issue a statement regarding his resignation today.