Mayor Gary van Niekerk’s alleged misuse of municipal resources raises serious concerns that demand immediate attention.
It came to light this week that the National Alliance president, while his position as speaker was up in the air in 2022, hired a law firm that racked up a staggering R551,586 legal bill.
Boqwana Burns Incorporated sent a letter to city manager Noxolo Nqwazi last week, demanding that the bill be settled in 30 days.
But one of the big questions is whether Van Niekerk was allowed to use the official letterhead and signatory of the speaker’s office to appoint the law firm.
He was not the speaker of the council for five months in 2022, with several other councillors acting in the positions.
Van Niekerk, however, denies this.
But ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom has been quick to get the ball rolling — and rightly so.
He filed a notice with speaker Eugene Johnson’s office to table a motion that calls for Van Niekerk to be suspended pending an investigation by the rules and ethics committee and that its findings be sent to co-operative governance MEC Zolile Williams.
Grootboom also opened a case at the Humewood police station, accusing Van Niekerk of breaching various municipal laws and the code of conduct for councillors.
It is crucial that a thorough investigation by the rules and ethics committee takes place swiftly to address the allegations.
It is for this reason the council should move with haste to convene, debate and vote on the motion.
Boqwana Burns Incorporated’s services for Van Niekerk included appearing in court, offering strategic advice, consultations, briefings with other attorneys, drafting urgent applications, and various other tasks.
According to invoices obtained by The Herald, the firm clocked about 190 hours of work on different court cases during Van Niekerk’s legal battle over his council position.
The timeline of events reveals a convoluted and confusing series of legal action and interventions.
It does raise even more questions about why Van Niekerk did this.
His defence, however, is simple. It was done for the sake of the city.
If this is the case, Van Niekerk should be willing to assist the rules and ethics committee to conduct their probe speedily.
In fact, his party should support the motion to ensure good governance.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.