GEORGE NEWS - A member of the mayoral committee, DA councillor Cecil Noble, was allegedly fined a few months ago after officials found that his service connection (electricity metre) had been tampered with. According to information he paid a fine of just over R3 900. Noble declined to comment.
As a result of this incident, a request has been made by the DA Constituency Head Andricus van der Westhuizen for an audit of all George councillors' service accounts and their payment record.
Van der Westhuizen said the matter was referred to the George Speaker, Gerrit Pretorius, for investigation. "By law the Speaker must investigate alleged violations of the code of conduct for councillors, give the councillor an opportunity to respond to it and then report it to Council," said Van der Westhuizen.
"I have now consulted the Speaker and requested that an audit of all George councillors' service accounts and their payment records is done in order to improve confidence in our council."
Pretorius said he concurs with Van der Westhuizen's comments.
Talks are 'no joke'
In another matter, Noble's name again emerged, this time on an affidavit by ANC councillor and secretary of the George sub-region, Langa Langa.
Last weekend Langa made a statement at the Thembalethu Police Station, in which he alleges that both Noble and fellow DA councillor Edmund Bussack approached him on 28 March with talks of ANC membership.
A copy of his statement was published on social media.
His statement reads as follows: "At the time they would like to join the ANC because of all the ill treatment of coloured councillors by the DA, to which I advised them not to, due to reasons I explained to them."
Cecil Noble, portfolio councillor for Protection Services.
Bussack denies these allegations, saying "no, it's not true," and Noble refrained from making any comment.
Van der Westhuizen confirmed that the councillors denied that these talks with the ANC ever took place.
According to Langa the councillors approached him on 28 March during a break in a meeting, at the George council chambers.
Edmund Bussack, portfolio councillor for Electrotechnical Services.
When asked why he made the affidavit, Langa said people should be man enough to stand up for what they say or do.
"I am pro justice. I am a very principled man," said Langa.
"They said their jobs were on the line and they could see it wouldn't be long before they are out. They said the DA was tricking them. I could hear by the tone of their voices it was no joke."
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