GEORGE NEWS - The George Council's decision to offer early retirement to five of the six heads of departments at the municipality, has perplexed and outraged officials and opposition politicians alike, who describe the move as absurd and politically motivated.
Council decided last week Thursday to offer the directors the opportunity to accept the early termination of their contracts, after a report compiled by Cape Town advocate, Yolanda Jacobs, advised council to negotiate a settlement with Director of Civil Engineering Harold Basson. The directors' contracts expire on 31 August, with the exception of the Director of Community Services Walter Hendricks, whose contract extends beyond August.
Basson was suspended in April after accusations of misconduct and gross insubordination were leveled against him by council under the leadership of Mayor Melvin Naik.
Municipal Manager Trevor Botha has confirmed that no disciplinary steps are being taken against Basson. But, due to a total breakdown of trust, council has decided to offer Basson early termination of his contract.
Yesterday Basson accepted the offer, and after 30 years in the employ of the George Municipality, 31 May 2017 was his very last day.
In line with the offer to Basson, the other directors have also been given the option to vacate their jobs three months early. "It is completely and utterly their own decision. We are making use of a professional mediator and it is merely an offer. They are under no pressure whatsoever to accept early retirement. These offers also won't prejudice those directors who have reapplied for their positions."
Naik yesterday confirmed this and told Myron Rabinowitz that the offers were made "to be fair" to all the directors. "They get the opportunity as well - this is voluntary - no one is forced to take the option. The mediator phoned each and every director.... Only the Director of Corporate Services, Dr Eddie Rankwana, accepted the offer and demanded that he gets paid out on Thursday 1 June." Naik said none of the other directors were interested in the option.
The drama at the municipality unfolded after Naik accused Basson of willfully placing a tender advertisement in the George Herald on 30 March, just two days before new, more Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) friendly tender specifications came into force.
According to Naik the amended Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 (PPPFA) that came into effect on 1 April, paved the way for local BEE companies to tender for the R50-million upgrading of Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Thembalethu. Council subsequently retracted the original advertisement.
Naik was also upset that Basson made a call to the National Department of Transport (DoT) to verify the conditions and time frame linked to the grant earmarked for the upgrade of the road after the mayor himself had advised Council that they would not lose the funding.
In her report to Council, Jacobs states that Basson told her that although he had been aware of the amendments to the Act, he did not know the details and that it did not play a role in his decision to advertise on 30 March. He also stressed that he was not part of the Bid Specification Committee who determined the specifications of the tender.
Basson explained that his only concern was to appoint a contractor in time to avoid losing the funding from the DoT. The department had stipulated that the funding had to be 'credibly committed' by the end of the financial year.
This means that a signed contractual agreement with a service provider must be in place by the end of June and that some payment has to be made by then. But Botha said yesterday that Georgians have nothing to fear. "We are within the time frame and the successful tenderer will be notified soon."
Jacobs says that though the time schedule is tight, it cannot be argued that the
R50-million would have been lost had Basson placed the tender advertisement a week later. Even so she believes there are insufficient grounds for a successful disciplinary.
With regards to the suspension of the Deputy Director of Civil Engineering, Lindsay Mooiman, Botha said the administrative process is still underway. Mooiman was suspended at the same time as Basson after the mayor accused her of insinuating that he favoured a certain company to win the tender for the Nelson Mandela Boulevard upgrade.
Hendricks, Basson and Rankwana aside; the Director of Financial Services Keith Jordaan and the Director of Human Settlements, Land Affairs and Planning Steven Erasmus have refused the offer and have reapplied for their jobs, while the Director of Electrotechnical Services Kevin Grünewald may make use of the offer, although he has also applied to stay on for another five years.
10 years.
Clockwise from top left: Director of Electrotechnical Services Kevin Grünewald; Director of Community Services Walter Hendricks; Director of Financial Services Keith Jordaan; Director of Human Settlements, Land Affairs and Planning Steven Erasmus; Director of Civil Engineering Harold Basson; and Director of Corporate Services, Dr Eddie Rankwana.
ARTICLE: ILSE SCHOONRAAD, GEORGE HERALD EDITOR
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