Outcome of investigation into officials under wraps

GEORGE NEWS - The outcome of a disciplinary committee's investigation into the role of certain officials in the alleged irregular procurement of the services of a caterer for a dinner hosted by George Municipality is not being made public.

The occasion was the welcome dinner for the Craven Week held in George from 3 to 8 July 2023.

Two DA councillors, Marlene Barnardt and Dirk Wessels (now a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament), were also implicated for contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Code of Conduct for Councillors that prohibit councillors from being involved in any procurement processes.

At a meeting on 27 June this year, the George Council decided that the matter would be investigated based on two separate attorney reports that were tabled at that meeting. According to these reports, in June 2023, the two councillors had each obtained a quotation from a different restaurant for catering for the dinner.

The report by Herold Gie Attorneys stated that around the time a quotation from the one restaurant was being finalised for approval, the former Deputy Director of Expenditure and Supply Chain Management, Gerard Goliath, wrote in some emails that the quotes for these goods and services needed to be submitted as soon as possible.

A few days later, when he was requested that "an exception [from the usual procurement process] be processed", Goliath indicated that a deviation would have to be approved as exceptions were only for amounts below R30 000.

From the email communications that followed, it seemed various officials had refused to put their signature down for the approval of a deviation. The matter eventually landed with the Director of Corporate Services, Krishenthrie Moodley, who is responsible for special events. In a memo to the former municipal manager, Michele Gratz, and Speaker, Sean Snyman, she wrote that she had only become aware of the matter when it landed on her desk to rubber-stamp, which she refused to do.

Policy on 'internal staff matters'

In response to George Herald's query about the outcome of the investigation into the matter, the municipality's communications manager, Chantèl Edwards, confirmed that the investigation into the role of the officials had concluded.

"As per our policy, no further information on internal staff matters will be provided. The disciplinary committee for the relevant councillor [Barnardt] is still in process and not yet concluded."

Former George Cllr, now MPP Dirk Wessels.

The Gie report found that the procurement was "in flagrant disregard and in non-compliance with SCM [supply chain manager] prescripts, without the approval of the Municipal Manager, thereby exposing the municipality."

It also said the CFO, Riaan du Plessis, and the SCM, Goliath, were "key players in recommending the deviation, in circumstances where they flouted SCM prescripts" and "steps may be taken against them in terms of the Local Government: Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers ..."

In a response to an enquiry from the Speaker, Barnardt's attorney, Eckard Brand, maintained on behalf of his client that there had not been a breach of prescripts. He referred to certain reasons (which were not provided) why his client and Wessels had obtained quotations "which were handed to the appointed committee to deal with, without any further input from either Wessels or our client".

CFO Riaan du Plessis is mentioned in the Herold Gie Attorneys report.

Brand also referred to an independent chartered accountant report of the SWD Rugby Union in regard to the Craven Week 2023, from which "it is clear that nothing untoward was found and was the interaction of inter alia our client a contributory factor in the success of the tournament and saved the municipality of George a lot of embarrassment, had she not acted as she did." (sic)

The former Deputy Director of Expenditure and Supply Chain Management, Gerard Goliath.