The DA has voted in favour of a proposal by Anton Bredell, the Western Cape minister of local government, to drop the issue. The recommendation was made in council by Tertius Simmers, a mayoral committee member.
In his letter to Eden Speaker Doris Nayler, Bredell clearly states that he does not "concur with the request of the municipal council to remove Van der Westhuizen as a councillor".
The mayor was initially charged with 10 alleged contraventions of the municipal code of conduct. He was subsequently found guilty on four charges.
The allegations are connected to travel and accommodation claims, as well as a claim for a payment to a private guest house.
An investigation by a disciplinary committee of the council was led by Lionel Essau, the deputy mayor of Eden. In a report by this committee in September last year, they requested Bredell to remove Van der Westhuizen as a councillor.
Bredell backs his decision by stating that Van der Westhuizen has reason to believe that Essau could possibly have shown bias in his investigation. Essau will be the immediate replacement should Van der Westhuizen be forced to step down as mayor.
"Councillor Van der Westhuizen relied on a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of Councillor Essau. In my view this apprehension was objectively reasonable and justified," said Bredell.
In his recommendation, Bredell never commented on Van der Westhuizen's possible guilt or innocence.
Meanwhile, the ANC is raging about the costs of R713 330,08 that has been forked out to pay for an external investigation, by ENS Forensics, a well known firm based in Cape Town. In their summary they allege that the Eden mayor is guilty of corruption and forgery.
Piet van der Hoven, the ANC chief whip for Eden, accused the DA of using taxpayers' money for their internal fights.
"It is devastating," he said.
Van der Hoven's proposal to refer the matter to the audit committee was rejected by the majority vote of the DA councillors.
"We would have wanted it to be investigated for fruitless and wasteful expenditure," he said.
Simmers confirmed that if the DA was going to take the matter further, they would have to take their own DA minister, Bredell, to court.
"And that is not going to happen," said Simmers.
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Tertuis Simmers (right), of the Eden Mayoral Committee, after the special council meeting on Monday. Simmers's recommendation to council to drop all disciplinary actions against Eden Mayor Wessie van der Westhuizen was excepted by the DA majority. With him is Johan du Toit, from the ACDP. Photo: Michelle Pienaar
ARTICLE: MICHELLE PIENAAR, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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