GEORGE NEWS - The Director of Civil Engineering Reggie Wesso has been suspended for three months. The decision was taken at a special council meeting last Thursday, 11 March, which was closed to the media and public.
Municipal spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said Council agreed that a full investigation must be conducted by an independent investigator, following the preliminary investigation and findings of the disciplinary board meeting held on 5 March.
Edwards-Klose said in addition to this investigation, disciplinary steps will be taken against Wesso. This will take place in terms of Regulation 6 (8)(a) of the Regulations on Financial Misconduct Procedures and Criminal Proceedings (2014). She did not want to elaborate on the specifics of the disciplinary action.
However, according to reliable sources, it relates to the independent forensic investigation into the Nelson Mandela Boulevard construction.
The contract with Muravah Building & Civils, the contractor that landed the project to upgrade the Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Thembalethu, was terminated two years ago under the mayorship of Melvin Naik. Wesso was the director of Civil Engineering at the time. On a request for comment on his suspension and related matters, Wesso referred all media enquiries to the municipality.
Looming R10m fine
The municipality was also asked about statements that had been widely circulated on WhatsApp groups that George is facing a possible fine of R10-million due to the regular overflows of pump stations that result in sewage spills into a river.
Edwards-Klose said the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) issued a directive to the municipality in July 2020, in terms of Section 28(4) of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998.
"The municipality responded and submitted a Pollution Abatement Plan to the department within the time frames, as was required in terms of the directive," she said.
"A fine is only issued if a municipality does not comply with a directive, and George Municipality submitted a response that was acknowledged by the DEADP."
Dilemma
Both the ACDP and FF Plus said they have on many occasions requested that attention be given to George's sewerage system which has been operating at overcapacity for a very long time. "We knew we were heading for a disaster," said ACDP Cllr Johan du Toit.
FF Plus Cllr Gert van Niekerk said farmers have been complaining for some time about sewage that ends up in the river. "In 2016, the late Harold Basson, the former director of civil services, said we were well on our way to achieving maximum capacity at our water purification works," said Van Niekerk.
ANC Chief Whip Nomawethu Jantjies-Gushman said the party has picked up that the mayor and his team are trying to get rid of all the intelligent black and coloured men in all the strategic departments.
She said the matter should be tested in a court of law.
Good Party Cllr Richard Hector refrained to comment on the item, saying Council rules prohibit councillors, including the mayor, from publishing information about items on the confidential agenda. "I will once again ask the speaker to rule that the item be placed on the public agenda. Transparency is important for democracy," he said.
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