PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - An in-committee vote on the suspension of Bitou Corporate Services Director Luvuyo Loliwe has revealed tensions within the DA ruling coalition after the Deputy Mayor, Nokuzola Kolwapi, voted against his suspension on Friday 17 April.
Kolwapi's Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM) is part of the alliance and she voted, along with the opposition ANC, not to suspend Loliwe, according to two independent sources.
The resolution was passed after the DA and ANC coalitions had split votes, with Kolwapi siding with the ANC and another ANC coalition-aligned councillor supporting the DA.
Kolwapi is already facing pressure from within the ruling DA alliance over brandishing a 'gun' during her son's umgidi celebration in December.
At the time she said it was a toy gun, which could explain why the NPA has since charged her in terms of environmental legislation and not the Firearms Act, which would require reported ballistics results.
Kolwapi did not want to comment on the matter and DA Caucus Leader Bill Nel said it was an in-committee item and not for public consumption.
Best interests of residents
Bitou Mayor Jessica Kamkam confirmed that the item before Council was subjected to a vote.
"In-committee discussions are confiden-tial, and I am therefore limited in the level of detail I can share. What I can confirm is that Council processes were duly followed. As the Democratic Alliance, we remain steadfast in adhering to the rule of law and in exercising our oversight responsibility fearlessly, irrespective of coalition dynamics. This is the responsibility entrusted to councillors by the residents who elected them, and we take it seriously. As the mayor, my priority remains stability, lawful governance, and acting in the best interests of all residents of Bitou," said Kamkam.
Provisional suspension
According to the sources, Council resolved to send Loliwe a letter that gives him seven days to respond and provide reasons why he should not be placed on provisional suspension.
He faces allegations of making unlawful appointments and nepotism relating to the appointment of his brother, as well as the appointment of a legal services provider for the Plett Airport tender, following forensic investigation into allegations reported on the Bitou fraud hotline in August last year.
The council allegedly resolved on Friday that there was reasonable cause that an act of misconduct had been committed. It authorised Acting Municipal Manager Christopher Mapeyi to appoint an independent investigator into the matter.
On being approached by the paper, Loliwe said on Monday 20 April that he had not been sent the letter yet and indicated that he would comment once he has received it. Once the paper receives this, updates will follow.
Committee
In a statement released by Bitou's Acting Municipal Manager Christopher Mapeyi, he said Council has established a committee that is dealing with the matter. The committee will finalise the report before submitting its findings and recommendations to Council.
"The municipality reaffirms its commitment to upholding accountability, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law and will co-operate fully with the relevant authorities as the process unfolds. The municipality would like to urge the public to be patient and await the outcomes of all investigations," said Mapeyi.
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