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KNYSNA NEWS - The Western Cape Government has decided to place the Knysna Council under administration.
After “careful consideration of all available evidence”, the Provincial Cabinet resolved today, 12 September, to dissolve the Council and appoint an administrator, according to a statement released after a WC Cabinet meeting.
The administrator will assume all executive and legislative authority, with the support of the Provincial Government, until a newly elected municipal council is elected.
The statement said this can be seen as “a decisive intervention mechanism designed to address exceptional circumstances where a municipality has failed to fulfill its executive obligations, thereby enabling a comprehensive turnaround and trajectory correction.”
Last resort
Premier Alan Winde said: “This has not been an easy decision to take. It is an act of last resort. “
The Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, said the decision to dissolve the Council and appoint an administrator comes after sustained and escalating governance failures that have harmed residents and undermined service delivery, and placed the environment at continued risk
Fresh elections
The decision must first pass muster with the National Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as well as the National Council of Provinces.
Once finalised, the Knysna Council must be reconstituted through fresh elections held within 90 days of the dissolution taking effect.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will be responsible for conducting these elections.
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