Naik: I will not resign
George Mayor Melvin Naik is not going to resign. "I am not going to resign, there is no reason to resign. You already know that," he told George Herald yesterday morning.
On Monday afternoon the DA leadership gave Naik a deadline of 48 hours to resign as mayor. Should Naik refuse to do so, his DA membership will cease and he will no longer be a municipal councillor. In other words, George will be without an executive mayor.
Although Naik was sent the notice on Monday at 14:00, he only confirmed receipt on Tuesday morning, therefore his deadline to respond is set for around 09:00 today. If Naik changes his mind and resigns, he will remain a DA councillor pending a disciplinary hearing.
This action stems from a forensic investigation report which details allegations of gross misconduct in the
War on Waste project and directly implicates Naik, along with other officials. While Council is dealing with further investigations of the officials, the DA has set their focus on the DA councillor involved Naik.
According to DA George Constituency Head Geordin
Hill-Lewis, Deputy Mayor Charlotte Clarke will step in as acting mayor. "The DA will open nominations for the position of mayor, which will be done publicly, and then follow the DA's normal selection process to choose a new mayor. It will be a public application process to find the best person."