KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna is still reeling after a massive political shake-up in which the town’s acting municipal manager Dr Michelle Gratz, the chief financial officer and a ward councillor handed in their resignations.
In her resignation statement, Gratz gave several reasons for her decision, including family commitments, the “broken and paralyzed” local muncipality and external forces.
CFO Mbulelo Memani, said he would offer his response early next week and Ward 10 councillor Peter Myers released the following statement today:
"At the end of the Knysna Municipality Council meeting held on 28th May 2020, I announced my resignation as a councillor with effect from 31st May 2020.
"It is no secret that I have had a troubled relationship with my own party, the DA over the past number of years which began when I raised various issues regarding the previous mayor, Eleanore Bouw-Spies with the party leadership. Not only were my concerns ignored, but the DA publically voted me out as the deputy mayor because I had dared to raise questions about the fitness for office of one of their favourites. Thereafter they attempted to discipline me a number of times regarding my vote of conscience to remove Bouw-Spies as mayor. It should be noted that Bouw-Spies was actually rewarded for her alleged indiscretions and promoted by the DA to parliament where she currently serves as an extraordinarily well-paid MP.
"Further, I have faced much vilification (and further attempted disciplinary action) from the DA local, provincial and national leadership for my subsequent support of Mark Willemse as mayor and his expulsion from the DA. I have never ceased trying to get the DA to relent and bring Willemse back but his ostracism seems to be an issue of such fundamental importance to the DA that not even Helen Zille the current Federal Executive Chairperson and former leader and Western Cape Premier could reverse this situation. This is an example of the extreme pettiness and factionalism that is rife within the DA, as it probably is in all political parties
"I have always tried my best to represent the interests of the residents of ward 10 and of all the residents of Knysna. I have developed good working relationships with some councillors from other parties and some officials, which in my view has led to more cooperation and consensus in the municipality to address the serious issues currently facing the town. However my attempts to seek cooperation and solutions have often been in the teeth of unfair pressure and criticism from my own party – the DA and others.
"The town has, and is facing huge and increasing administrative problems caused by the many sub-standard and incompetent officials employed at the municipality going back well over a decade. These problems have not only included an entitlement attitude and lax approach amongst officials at all levels leading to a bloated employee structure, but also political interference from certain largely uniformed and unskilled councillors and a virulent campaign of personal vendetta’s pursued by some in the public. The current deputy mayor has tried his best and I have nothing but praise for him, but his own party and the other parties in council have constantly undermined him. In this putrid atmosphere I have given my considered input as a qualified chartered accountant and advocate but have been ignored or indeed been overruled by those in the DA and other councillors who lack even the basic knowledge and skills to understand what I am talking about.
"I had been willing to bear the unfair criticism, perniciousness and some would say abuse from inside the DA and from a small, ignorant, often self serving, but very malicious group of residents for all these past years because I believed I could make a difference. In this regard a number of individuals acting for the Knysna Ratepayers Association “KRA” have recently embarked on a campaign of bombarding the acting municipal manager, Dr Michelle Gratz with a never ending stream of emails, complaints and demands which seem to stem at least in part from the fact that one of their members was recently not reselected to serve on the municipal planning tribunal. The KRA has also targeted the CFO Mr Memani with its particular brand of unfair accusations and utter garbage leading to him announcing his resignation – there is only so much an individual can take. No doubt this discreditable group are planning their next hatchet job on anyone who dares to cross them and their friends in senior positions in the municipality. It would be interesting to know how much real support the KRA actually has amongst the public – not much I would venture.
"Dr Gratz, who is by all accounts, the best municipal manager this town has probably ever had, decided that her tenure in Knysna had become untenable and handed in her resignation. In her resignation speech she explained that her resignation was due to the lack of cooperation and in some cases open resistance, breaches of confidence and vitriol from various councillors, senior officials, members of the KRA and others that made her job impossible to properly carry out. In the past I had worked constructively with the KRA on numerous issues, but their recent focus on small minded and nasty attacks on those who disagree with them, reveal an organisation that has lost its way.
"Knysna deserves to have a person of Dr Gratz’s skills, knowledge and energy to lead it in these difficult times and those who left her no alternative but to leave bare a heavy responsibility and I hope will in time be held to account.
"The DA caucus in Knysna led by its political head, Mr Dion George recently decided to burden the ratepayers and residents of Knysna by supporting a proposed tariff increase for rates and service charges for the year ahead (20/21) in spite of the current Covid 19 financial crises and the decimation and hardship this has brought to Knysna as a predominantly tourist town. Mr George assured me that he had been in touch with a number of Knysna residents who were supportive of such an increase and he even told me that some people wanted the tariffs to go up even more. I was astounded by his assertions because I have not come across anyone who would welcome an increase but I must confess I have not had any input in this regard from members of the KRA. My feedback has been one of pain and suffering and that the last thing people need is to have municipal charges increase in the face of the severe strain on personal and business finances.
"National and Provincial governments have an ethical and almost certainly a legal obligation to provide municipalities with the financial support they need as they face collapsing revenues and increasing expenditure due to the Covid 19 crises – this obligation is there whether one supports the lockdown or not. Despite this Mr George is happy to burden residents with an increase in tariffs rather than seeking viable alternatives, which include serious cost cutting measures. However this is not easy as it involves attacking various “sacred cows”, including Knysna’s very bloated employee numbers and costs, use of consultants, lavishing millions of ratepayers money on housing which is a provincial responsibility and on and on, which are all left relatively unscathed.
"Therefore, instead of waiting for the DA to expel me from the party for revealing how accepting they are of squeezing the taxpayer – I have resigned both as a councillor and as a member of the DA which is a party that has in my view lost its moral compass and legitimacy to govern. However I do not just want to single out the DA, but also wish to include some members of the mean spirited Knysna Ratepayers Association and certain senior officials for their appalling behaviour and backstabbing which deserves nothing but contempt.
"I will leave the imposition of these latest insults to the public (increasing tariffs and the vilification of Dr Gratz and the CFO) to those who are far better qualified than me for those tasks.
"I will end by wishing the people of ward 10 and all the residents of Knysna well in what will be challenging times ahead. After all I am one of you!"
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