Knysna rocked by leadership arrests over alleged corruption

Breaking News Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Knysna Municipality has appealed for calm following the arrest of two senior municipal officials and a former mayor in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption involving a municipal security services contract. They were taken into custody on Thursday 1 October.

The municipality has indicated that it currently has limited information about the arrests.

The SAPS Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) said three officials of a municipality on the Southern Cape coast were arrested as part of an investigation into alleged corruption relating to a security services contract.

According to the police, a businessman who had been awarded the contract was allegedly solicited for kickbacks in exchange for the contract’s continuation. Police further allege that the businessman had already paid hundreds of thousands of rands out of fear that his contract would be terminated.

The SAPS said the three face corruption charges and are expected to appear in court on Monday 5 October.

In its latest statement issued earlier today, the municipality said its understanding of the arrests was based on the police statement and that it could not comment on the merits of the allegations or speculate about the investigation.

“The law must be allowed to take its course,” the municipality said, stressing that accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Acting Mayor Morton Gericke appealed to residents and municipal employees to remain calm and said the municipality would co-operate fully with SAPS.

Gericke said his immediate priority was to ensure organisational stability and continuity of municipal services, including over the weekend and in the days ahead.

The municipality said Gericke would urgently request the speaker to convene a council meeting to consider interim arrangements to ensure administrative stability. A special council meeting was scheduled for 12:00 today, Friday 2 October, at the Knysna council chambers.

DA Knysna mayoral candidate Levael Davis said the meeting was expected to consider the appointment of an acting municipal manager and acting chief financial officer.

Davis held a media briefing at the DA constituency office on Pitt Street this morning following the arrests. He did not disclose the identities of the three people taken into custody or elaborate on the investigation.

This publication is aware of the identities of the three people expected to appear in court on Monday, however, neither SAPS nor the municipality has released or confirmed the identities of the three people arrested. Their identities are being withheld pending official confirmation by the relevant authorities.

The municipality also acknowledged the impact of the arrests on the individuals concerned, their families and colleagues, saying they should be treated with dignity while the legal process unfolds.

“We will keep residents and staff informed as verified information becomes available. Where we do not yet have answers, we will be honest about that,” the municipality said.

The municipality said its responsibility was to keep the institution functioning and ensure residents continued to receive the services they depend on while the legal process unfolds.