Update
GEORGE NEWS - The Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, and his department will discuss the remedial actions as directed by the Public Protector with George Mayor Leon van Wyk and Acting-Municipal Manager Michelle Gratz.
The PP's report into allegations of improper conduct and maladministration by the George Municipality was published on 28 February, and follows from events in 2017 relating to the municipality investing R350-million of public funds with Old Mutual Limited.
According to Bredell's spokesperson, Wouter Kriel, the minister is aware of the Constitutional Court’s ruling that the remedial actions of the PP are binding unless reviewed and set aside by a court of law and, absent such an application to court, Van Wyk and Gratz are accordingly bound to implement the remedial actions with the necessary diligence.
"The minister and his department will accordingly engage with the Executive Mayor and Acting-Municipal Manager to ensure that, failing a judicial review of the report, the municipality complies with any remedial actions of the Public Protector in full and duly submits its implementation plan to the Public Protector in a timely manner.
"The minister has remained appraised of this investigation from the outset and will continue to closely monitor the implementation of the remedial steps the municipality is required to take," says Kriel.
PP and Bredell differ on Stag
The PP found that George Municipality did invest municipal funds with Old Mutual irregularly; that the conduct of the municipality was “improper” and that the conduct of the officials and councillor [Stag Cronjé] involved were also not up to scratch.
This is in contradiction with Bredell's finding in June last year that there was no evidence linking Cronjé to any wrongdoing and set aside the fine imposed by Council.
This came after Council fined Cronjé one month's salary on 25 March 2021, for breaching the code of conduct for councillors by not declaring his interest in the Old Mutual investment - his son was the middleman, and a referral fee payable to the broker was the bone of contention.
Bredell's finding was in agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision in April 2021, that it could not find sufficient grounds to prosecute.
The head of former George Municipality CFO Keith Jordaan rolled following the Old Mutual investment and he vacated his office on 8 July 2019.
Good says Stag must go
With the release of the PP’s report on Monday, Good Party MP Brett Herron said the DA must “dump its senior George Councillor DL Cronjé”.
Herron said although the PP restricted its remedial action to the municipality, the report is still a “damning indictment of Cronjé’s and the governing DA’s integrity”.
Both Cronjé and his son have always vehemently objected to the allegations against them. In a statement this week Cronjé said he is appalled by the contents of the PP’s report He said he was already exonerated by Bredell and that the NPA already declined to prosecute.
“I have today [Tuesday 1 March] launched a campaign to recover my substantial cost in consequence of false accusations and wrongful procedures,” said Cronjé.
Audit Committee
Kriel says the remedial actions in the PP's report includes, amongst others, that the Mayor take appropriate steps to ensure that the Audit Committee of the Municipality is properly constituted, as contemplated by section 166 of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA), with members that are competent and that they have the necessary skills, qualifications, and experience to perform their statutory responsibilities.
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