GEORGE NEWS - The George Council approved a recommendation to establish a committee to investigate a potential breach of the Code of Conduct for Councillors by Cllr Marlene Barnardt.
The matter relates to her alleged involvement in securing a caterer for the 2023 Craven Week rugby event, which is potentially in violation of Section 117 of the Municipal Finance Management Act and items 12(a) and (d) of the Code of Conduct, which prohibits councillors from being involved in procurement processes.
The George Municipality hosted a welcome dinner during the tournament, held from 3 to 8 July 2023. A report by BDP Attorneys, dated 12 June 2025, indicates that the then councillor Dirk Wessels (now a member of the provincial parliament) had obtained a quote from The Apprentice Restaurant around 1 June. Barnardt allegedly obtained a competing quote from Salina's Beach Restaurant on 23 June.
The report alleges that The Apprentice was ultimately appointed despite not being registered as a municipal supplier at the time. Their registration was only captured on the municipality's financial system on 23 October.
An earlier report by Herold Gie Attorneys includes emails that suggest that officials had refused to sign off a deviation from the normal procurement procedures. The matter eventually landed on the desk of the director of corporate services, Krishenthrie Moodley, who also declined to approve the request, saying she had no prior knowledge of the matter and refused to 'rubber-stamp' it.
Krishenthrie Moodley, director of corporate services.
Barnardt's attorney, Eckert Brand, said in a response to an enquiry from the speaker that both Barnardt and Wessels had only provided quotations to the relevant committee and had no further involvement. He referred to an independent financial report on the SWD Rugby Union's Craven Week finances, which had found no irregularities. He said Barnardt's actions had contributed to the tournament's success and prevented potential embarrassment for the municipality.
The Good party said in a media statement that the incident was a 'co-ordinated breach of public trust' and that the officials, including the CFO, should be held accountable. The party said it had laid criminal charges with the George Police. Police confirmation in this regard had not been received before going to press.
Both Barnardt and Wessels declined to comment.
MPP Dirk Wessels
Venolea Fortuin, the DA's constituency chief, said the matter will be handled through appropriate party structures. "At the same time, we affirm the right of every person/member to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise."
The Apprentice's operational manager, Johan du Plooy, stated they were only the service provider and not involved in the municipal processes.
Salina's owner, Massimo Mariotti, said they had lost their server in 2024. "I have no documents to refer to. We do quotes weekly and I cannot recall them all. We have hosted multiple functions for the municipality over the years."
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