The Knysna ANC has again, shamefully, walked away from the responsibility they owe their voters. They did so on their first day of office, at their own inauguration. It’s damaging. It places them on the back foot at the start of a five-year term during which we need all our councillors to give of their best, especially the opposition which must keep those in power in check.

This was actually the ANC’s third irresponsibility in 6 weeks.

THE FIRST WALK-OUT

The first was at a Section 80 meeting. Those kinds of meetings are the first step towards making decisions for our town. Just before that meeting, i posted ‘Who is the Knysna ANC Dancing For?‘, asking if it was for controversial Municipal Manager Grant Easton? When they walked out of the meeting, denying it a quorum from which to legally make a decision, they appeared to have answered my question.

THE SECOND WALK-OUT

2 weeks later, close to the local elections, i heard that the ANC, as motivated by then ANC Chief Whip Stephen de Vries, were going to sabotage the necessary suspension of Municipal Manager Grant Easton who’d been placed under investigation. The suspension was necessary not because of his assumed guilt but because it makes sense to investigate whilst the subject isn’t in the house i.e. how can staff be questioned whilst their boss is in the room?

To question why the ANC’s sabotage was going to happen, i published the brief ‘Knysna ANC, Corrupt or Cowardly?‘ Victor Malosi, then the ANC’s mayoral candidate and now the ANC Chief Whip, and allegedly friend of De Vries, wouldn’t meet me. That prompted me to publish the appeal, ‘Victor Molosi, Are You a Good Man, A Leader?’.

The ANC went ahead, sabotaging the meeting with a walkout.

THE ANC BETRAYS KNYSNA AGAIN

The reason for the latest disruption was because Mayor Eleonor Spies reduced the Section 80 committees to 5 members each instead of the previous 6. This had been on the cards for over a year but the ANC’s first walkout must have forced the issue. Now the ANC could never have more than 2 members on a Section 80 and, with an odd number, an issue could never fall victim to stalemate.

I understand the ANC objecting, i understand them seeking legal advice – those could have been ongoing processes. What i don’t understand is the ANC hurting the running of Council. In doing so, they seemingly chose pride over the people who voted for them. In fact, they chose themselves over every single citizen of Knysna.

The interesting by-product is that they then refused a position on the Knysna & Partners Board of Directors (ex-Knysna Tourism). Consequently, the DA now has two members on Board, Peter Myers and Mark Willemse.

Political Scoreboard:

• Public – 0
• ANC – 0
• DA – 2

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