GEORGE NEWS - After two years, Mark Jonkers, a former director of George Link, the company that operates the GO GEORGE buses, has decided to speak out about his dismissal in 2015.
At a fact-finding meeting convened by the provincial Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works (SCOTPW) in George on Tuesday 25 July, Jonkers felt he was fobbed off when one of the George Link directors replied to one of his questions that he should rather tell the committee why he was dismissed as a member of the board.
Jonkers decided then and there to speak out. "The primary reason for my dismissal was regarding the proposed appointment of the CEO of the company."
He claims the directors of George Link had verbally agreed that Craig Arendse, one of the negotiators of the original contract, would be appointed to the position of CEO.
He says John Heathcote, a fellow director, was tasked with the responsibility of informing Abrie van der Bergh, the company's legal advisor, of their decision.
"Heathcote returned from his meeting with Van der Bergh saying Van der Bergh had told him not to appoint Arendse as CEO, but instead as chairman of the board."
Jonkers says when he questioned why their decision was being undermined, the working relationship between him and board members John Heathcote, George Oliver and Simphiwe Phelekwa as well as the advisors of George Link quickly soured.
"I was side-lined and information was withheld from me."
In response, George Link issued a statement saying that Jonkers's allegations are untrue. The board maintains Arendse was never considered for the position as CEO. "Jonkers is unhappy and uses every opportunity to damage the company in which he is a shareholder."
George Link says Jonkers interfered in the GO GEORGE routes on numerous occasions and instigated departures from the timetable.
The statement says despite numerous decisions by the directors, of which he was one at the time, he continued to deviate from the timetable and re-route buses to Rosemoor. Notwithstanding repeated complaints from the mayor's office, city councillors and the management of the GIPTN, he continued with his actions. The board was left with no choice but to act against him.
Re-routing of bus
Jonkers says the re-routing incident occurred on Christmas Eve 2014 when commuters were stranded at the Rosemoor bus stop at the Cradock Street terminus. "As a former taxi driver in service of the community, I took a decision as a director of George Link to second the Denneoord bus which was standing empty with no commuters at the bus stop and asked the driver to ferry the people to Rosemoor on the recognised Rosemoor route.
"Ten days after this incident I was summoned to the office and told that although I was a director, I had no authority to interfere and change the bus routes. I was told I was an embarrassment and dismissed."
According to George Link the company issued him with a notice on 5 January 2015 in accordance with Article 71 of the Companies Act dealing with the removal of directors. The formal process, during which Jonkers was represented by an attorney, resulted in his removal as director.
Jonkers asked to clarify a statement he made at the SCOTPW meeting as reported in the George Herald, when he said, "I am suffering today and I am worse off now. I get a mere R2 600 per month and a dividend pay-out of about R30 000 every six months."
He says the R2 600 is not a monthly salary, but the pay-out of his taxi permit.
Read a related article: GO GEORGE divisions run deep
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