Hawks swoop on George

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GEORGE NEWS & VIDEO - Since the Hawks' shock raid on George Municipality on Monday 23 April, speculation has been rife that the heads of the municipal manager and the mayor are set to roll.

Laptops, cellphones and boxes full of documents were carried out by policemen of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and Public Order Police (Pop) while onlookers and opposition councillors crowded the marked vehicles. With cameras aimed at the entrance to the municipality, journalists of different media houses were ready to snap away after hours of waiting.

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Why the raid was being conducted is anybody's guess. The Hawks confirmed that the homes of "certain people of interest" were searched. George Herald knows that one of these homes is the residence of Mayor Melvin Naik.

In a press statement by the Minister of Local Government, Anton Bredell, he welcomed the intervention and said the Hawks are acting on his request, investigating alleged irregularities in the municipalities of both George and Bitou (Plettenberg Bay).

Boxes with documents were carried out in the arms of policemen from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) during a raid at the George Municipality.

"It is a real pity that public officials seem to forget in whose interests they serve. Our message has always been that if your hands are caught in the till in this province, then we will not hesitate to chop them off, no matter whose hands they are," said Bredell.

He said his department has a long history of "not fearing to step in when there are concerns about the way municipalities are being run", and referred to similar investigations in Oudtshoorn and Kannaland municipalities by the Hawks in the past. Municipal Manager Trevor Botha said George Municipality is cooperating with the investigation.

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Hawks spokesperson Captain Philani Nkwalase confirmed that a search and seizure was conducted, following alleged fraud and corruption on procurement processes and the awarding of tenders.

"The ongoing search and seizure operation is being carried out at various municipal offices as well as business premises and private homes of certain people of interest," said Nkwalase. "No arrests have been made at this stage as no one has been charged."

He refused to identify the "people of interest" as it would incriminate individuals who have not been charged.

DA Regional Chairperson Jaco Londt told the George Herald that it is the DA who initiated this process, following a high-level DA investigation into the situation in George. "This shows that we are serious about our brand of clean governance and that we are not afraid to act, even where it allegedly involves party members. We welcome the actions by the Hawks and now need to respect the process and allow the investigation to run its course," said Londt.

Captain Frans van Rooyen of the public order police has his hands full during the raid. Photos: Michelle Pienaar

He is not the only DA member welcoming the raid. One of the DA councillors said local politicians who have been doing things by the book have been sidelined and victimised by officials and councillors who have gone off the rails. "This has been a long time coming," said the councillor.

The raid came just two days before the by-election in Ward 18, defended by the DA and contested by the ANC, EFF, FF Plus and the ACDP.

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