Knysna & Partners a.k.a. Knysna Tourism Chairperson Elmay Bouwer will be hoping that their doors remain open. She made an impassioned plea last month.

The Knysna Council will, today, vote on whether to close Knysna Tourism down, reincorporating it into Knysna Municipality and hiring contractors where needed.

Some citizens will be horrified at the idea but i welcome it because no one has been held accountable for the abuse of public funds e.g. a staff member’s holiday to Jamaica, loans to private companies, illegal Board member payments, the R270,000 silent handshake to the CEO who was found guilty, and, maybe most of all, the failure to spend the agreed percentage on development of disadvantaged people.

Elmay Bouwer stepped in, as the new Chairperson of the Board, to correct the organisation which had changed its name to Knysna & Partners. She made an impassioned plea to Council last month.

However, the issue has allegedly become part of the faction war in the DA, Mayor Eleanore Spies and propagandist Councillor Dr Martin Young versus Deputy Mayor Peter Myers. I don’t like any of them but it’s more important to decide issues on merits not personalities. Apparently Spies and Young want things to remain as they are whereas Myers wants it to close. As usual, our politicians haven’t informed the Public on their arguments, putting their personal wars ahead of us.

It’s notable that Spies failed to appear in Parliament to answer questions about Knysna Tourism.

It will be interesting to discover if Capetonian DA bigwigs have sent instructions to our little town regards this topic. After all, MEC Alan Winde and Premier Helen Zille are as guilty as any local in this situation. And Cape Town may want more control of the entire province’s tourism industry.

Council Meeting at 9am. Might be a long day. I’m preparing myself with a Wimpy coffee 🙂

UPDATE: The Council voted to end the contract but award a new contract for three years and up to R12-million from public funds.