This follows after charges of bribery were leveled at the three by deputy mayor Anthony Ewerts. According to evidence led before the hearing Ewerts was approached by an Eden official, Deon Nomdoe in 2009 to vote for the DA candidate, Henry McCombi as speaker. Ewerts was allegedly offered R20 000 to go against the ANC coalition and vote for McCombi.
DA councillor Emor Nel was the only committee member to reserve judgment. She said she did not feel comfortable reaching a verdict as the accused had opted to withdraw from the hearing as they felt the committee would not be impartial. She also wants a recording of a conversation allegedly between McCombi and Nomdoe that was handed in as evidence to be authenticated before regarding it as clear evidence. "The recording should undergo forensic testing to establish whether it can be used as evidence."
The Eden council is meeting tomorrow at 11:00 and will then have the chance to either accept or reject the committee's verdict.
The DA leader Theuns Botha has threatened to take the matter to court should the disciplinary committee members form part of the council decision. He said the same councillors cannot sit in judgment and then also decide whether their judgment is judge. He labeled allegations that he was aware of the alleged bribery attempt ridiculous. "Two weeks before the Eden Council election in July 2009, we had already secured the needed vote from the opposition benches."
Mayor Faried Stemmet said the committee was not a political committee and that it was time to get rid of corruption in all spheres of society.
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From the left are the disciplinary hearing committee members, Nomajuda Bityi (ANC), Wessie van der Westhuizen (ID), Emor Nel (DA) and Carmichael Ngalo (ANC). At the back is Mayor Faried Stemmet (Icosa).
ARTICLE: ILSE SCHOONRAAD
