KNYSNA NEWS - The owner of the the websites Love Knysna and Knysna Keep, Mike Hampton, described the resignation of Lauren Waring as an enormous relief. "One of the foundations for the wall of secrecy that surrounds the municipality has been removed. Knysna citizens are one step closer to learning the truth about Knysna's finances."

Hampton said: "She was good at getting houses built, but during her reign, infrastructure worsened so that we're now where crisis follows crisis."

On how he believed Waring's resignation will impact on Knysna’s immediate future, he said: "Transition is always difficult, especially when it's the person at the top. There'll be initial difficulty because she was a control freak, but in the long run our highly paid managers will be given freedom to do their jobs."

Asked what qualities the new municipal manager would need to drive Knysna forward, Hampton answered, "Besides the obvious experience required, most important will be a person of honesty and integrity, one who plays no favourites and puts Knysna first. And, unlike Lauren Waring, the next municipal manager should at least live in Knysna so that they share the same boat with us."

Hampton was asked whether he believed that there was a potential candidate for the position in Knysna and, if so, who would he lie to see apply for the position."Not that I know of, definitely none from within the administration as it is scarred and handicapped by scandal. An outsider is needed, preferably someone from outside the Western Cape who hasn't been tainted by local or provincial politics. The worst that could happen to us is if Grant Easton, the financial director, occupied the seat, even temporarily."

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