Another 3 months for Johnny Douglas
Tenders out for prime Heads eatery again under watch of MM accused of signing lease agreements with the restaurant that cost Knysna millions
The Knysna council extended the contract of acting municipal manager Johnny Douglas for another three months during a special council meeting on Monday 29 October. Councillors were unanimous in the resolution which will ensure Douglas’ tenure as acting municipal manager until February 2019. His initial contract was for a period of three months (expiring 7 November).
This also means that Douglas will oversee the recently opened tender process for that of an eatery at the Knysna Heads, which was previously known as Senza restaurant. Douglas has a history relating to these premises. During his previous term he and other municipal officials were accused by the Knysna Ratepayers’ Association (KRA) of being responsible for unpaid debt to the municipality amounting to millions of rands.
Mayor Mark Willemse told council at Monday’s meeting that a permanent appointment is still in the process of being finalised and that it is important for continuity at the municipality that Douglas continues as municipal manager until such time. It was also stated at the meeting that directors of other municipal departments are capable of temporarily assuming the position of acting municipal manager, but that this wouldn’t be viable as their departments would then be at risk of being neglected.
Controversial history
Other members of the community, however, are less pleased with Douglas’ extended term, with KRA members immediately recalling the time when the municipality suffered a loss of about R4million worth of unpaid debt incurred by Senza restaurant during Douglas’s last tenure as MM some years ago under former mayor Eleanore Bouw-Spies.
The KRA contends that this could have been avoided and that negligence of highranking officials including Douglas might be to blame.
The premises in question was vacated in 2017 and the site, one of Knysna’s prime restaurant spots, remains vacant and is fast becoming derelict.
In a somewhat awkward twist of fate, however, the municipality has recently invited tenders offering a 20-year lease for the site, and again, this has been authorised by Douglas. It is a request for proposals for the lease and development of a portion of erf 1406 (The Heads, Knysna), and closes on 14 December 2018. According to the tender document, the municipality is seeking proposals from qualified operators for purposes of attracting a suitable tenant for the property. “This building on this property was, until recently, operated as a restaurant and is in need of renewal and capital investment to realise its full economic potential as a landmark tourist location. The previous lease of the property came to an end in April 2017 and Knysna Municipality is interested in leasing the property to a suitable operator,” reads the document.The full tender document can be found on the municipality’s website.