PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Bitou Corporate Services Director Luvuyo Loliwe was suspended during an in-committee meeting on 30 April.

Loliwe will face charges of 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, revealed in forensic reports conducted into allegations reported on the Bitou fraud hotline in August last year.

At Friday's council meeting on the issue, Loliwe's suspension was approved by a majority vote.

It is understood that Bitou Deputy Mayor Nokuzola Kolwapi this time voted for the suspension, unlike a week earlier when she had opposed the matter and had voted with the ANC opposition against the proposed suspension. Kolwapi's Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM) is part of the ruling DA coalition.

Last week, Bitou Mayor Jessica Kamkam confirmed that the item before council was subjected to a vote.

"In-committee discussions are confidential, and I am therefore limited in the level of detail I can share. What I can confirm is that council processes were duly followed," she said then.

"As the Mayor, my priority remains stability, lawful governance, and acting in the best interests of all residents of Bitou," said Kamkam.

The council resolved during the in-committee session on Friday 17 April to send Loliwe a letter giving him seven days to provide reasons why he should not be placed on provisional suspension.

This suspension was formalised at the meeting on 30 April.

Loliwe responded to a request for comment from Knysna-Plett Herald on Tuesday evening, 5 May, saying that he had not received any communication in this regard yet.

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