Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Former Knysna municipal manager Sitembele Vatala and current Garden Route Municipal Manager Monde Stratu have a date in court this week. The duo are set to appear in the Knysna Magistrate's Court this Friday, 12 May.

Vatala and Stratu first appeared in court on Thursday 9 March on charges of fraud, forgery and uttering and were released on bail of R15 000 each.

They are now scheduled to make their second appearance where the Knysna Magistrate's Court is expected to set a regional court date for the case, with the possibility of the case being moved to George where it could be taken up in the new Serious Commercial Crime Court.

The case against the two relates to their alleged failure between April and December 2019 to declare seven municipal contingency assets to the Auditor General that were previously reflected on the 2012 and 2017 financial year audit reports of Knysna Municipality.

"These properties were supposed to be transferred from Knysna Municipality to Garden Route District Municipality, but the transfer could not take place," explained Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani at the time of their first court appearance. 

"The value of these properties is R64m. As a result of this fraud the Knysna Municipality suffered potential loss. It was further alleged that the accused falsified the 2018/2019 audit report."

Four of the properties at the centre of the dispute were even put up for sale by the Garden Route District Municipality in mid-March, only a week after Stratu and Vatala's first court appearance. 

The four disputed properties that were put on sale were Erven 20, 21 and 22 in Belvidere and Erf 2790 in Knysna, worth about R5m. Erf 9720 on George Rex Drive houses a golf driving range, a car wash business and Knysna Municipality's Department of Electrical Engineering.

The three Belvidere erven are not currently occupied.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’