MM and director ‘out of office’
For the next three months George Municipal Manager Trevor Botha and Director of Community Services Walter Hendricks will bide their time at home, waiting for their disciplinary hearing.
Both top officials were placed on precautionary suspension on Monday afternoon, 17 February, following a special council meeting in which only the DA voted in favour of their suspension.
The action against the men relates to a forensic investigation ordered by MEC Anton Bredell into the War on Waste project - a municipal project initiated by Melvin Naik during his reign as mayor.
Naik has since been ousted from the DA, that withdrew his membership last week Thursday.
DA George Constituency Head Geordin Hill-Lewis said the party is following the recommendations of the forensic report. "There are serious allegations against them, so they must be temporarily suspended while these are formally dealt with." According to another source, external investigators still need to be appointed. Gert van Niekerk of the FF Plus said his party is against the suspensions, since the case is almost two years old. ''Having those officials at home for three months will cost the taxpayer roughly R800 000 in salaries. This is totally unnecessary.''
Municipal spokesperson Chantel EdwardsKlose said someone will soon be appointed as Acting Municipal Manager. Trevor Marillac has been appointed as Acting Director of Community Services.
Quality time
Botha could not be reached for comment, but from his home in Cape Town, Hendricks told George Herald he is spending some quality time at home with his pooch. Like Botha, he is waiting for his charge sheet and disciplinary hearing. "We have fulfilled our constitutional mandate and now we are sitting at home," said Hendricks.
He explained that the George Municipality was experiencing huge problems with illegal dumping back in 2017. "We have been asked by Bredell to get the landfill site and transfer station up to standard, otherwise certain officials would be fined R10-million or have to serve 10 years in prison. We had a crisis. According to the fleet management there were no approved suppliers for the supply chain tender. When I received a call from a guy [Myron Bruiners] who said he had heard about our problem and could do the job, I jumped at the opportunity. We proceeded to appoint him through a deviation of the supply chain regulations. He did the work and at a later stage registered on our database."
Bruiners, co-owner of Mr Noodles and a resident of Mossel Bay, was allegedly asked to create another business, Nomucento, and was offered a George residential address, allegedly belonging to a family member of George Mayor Melvin Naik, for the purpose of doing business with the George Municipality. It is alleged that Bruiners had to pay R100 000 for the use of the address, and R600 000 each in kickbacks to Naik and Botha.
According to Hendricks, Numocento's contract was cancelled in February 2018 when the waste job was put out on formal tender and Numocento opted not to tender. "When I terminated their [Numocento's] services, a complaint was laid," said Hendricks. "I have full confidence in the judicial system and the disciplinary process that will follow. I put my trust in the Heavenly Father."
Questioned about Bredell's alleged threat of a fine or prison time, his spokesperson James-Brent Styan referred George Herald to the National Environmental Management Act. It stipulates that officials who don't do their jobs can be fined R10-million or 10 years behind bars. Styan also referred to one of the findings in the forensic report, which stipulates that an analysis of the documents and information obtained, admissions made and "compelling circumstantial evidence" indicate that bribes were paid to both Botha, Hendricks and another official. "I advise people to read the report themselves and decide on the truth," said Styan.