Karoo council chaos continues

IN A WEEK of high drama which should have seen the DA take back control of the embattled Oudtshoorn municipality after winning a crucial by-election, four Oudtshoorn councillors were instead suspended, and yet another scheduled council meeting failed to go ahead.

While residents remain confused about who is really in charge, a council meeting scheduled for Thursday, and a subsequent Section 29 meeting that should have seen the DA table three motions of no confidence in the speaker, the mayor and the deputy mayor the following day, were canned.

Council speaker John Stoffels postponed the scheduled meeting after being informed that the DA would not attend, apparently “for internal DA reasons”.

Subsequently, the speaker informed the DA that in terms of the municipality’s rules of order, he could anyway not allow their request for the Section 29 meeting because the no-confidence motions to be tabled were sub judice.

Effectively, this meant the DA could not take control this week, despite Jurie Harmse winning Ward 13 in the recent by-elections.

The party needed to win just one ward of the three contested in the Klein Karoo town.

In a statement about this week’s events, Gordon April, executive mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality, said the speaker had suspended four councillors with immediate effect on Wednesday.

The councillors suspended were Chris MacPherson, Ben van Wyk and Pierre Nel, for allegedly interfering with an ongoing investigation into a socalled fraudulent settlement.

Harmse was suspended for alleged bribery and corruption.

DA spokesman MacPherson said they had predicted that the ANC- led council would do everything possible to cling to their positions.

“We knew from the start that they would not accept the outcome of the by-elections. Now they are using delaying tactics to keep the DA out.”

MacPherson questioned the speaker’s decision to suspend the four, “without a proper investigation”.

Voters were “confused and upset” that “democratic processes are being ignored, all because the mayor wants to keep his job”.

Local Government MEC Anton Bredell said he was the only one with authority to suspend a councillor.

Provincial DA leader Ivan Meyer said the DA is heading for the Western Cape High Court on Monday to get a ruling on the illegal suspensions, and to obtain a date for the council meeting.

PICTURE: LEON MULLER INTO THE FUTURE: As part of the Future Tyger project, Voortrekker Road from Salt River Circle, seen here, all the way to Bellville, could be set for a major facelift. Those behind the project have called for public input.