The disturbing situation at Knysna Tourism
Greg Vogt
Justice is slow…and even slower now that the Knysna Municipality and Knysna Tourism have hindered the Public Protector’s efforts to gain transparency. In particular, 2 names should be singled out – Greg Vogt (who has essentially acted as Tourism CEO which is outside his role as Tourism Board Chairperson) and Lauren Waring (our infamous Municipal Manager).
The Public Protector (PP) process will continue and if they fail to be helpful in the next round they will be subpoenaed but the big question is IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE, THEN WHY ARE THEY HIDING?
I’ve gone through the little info the PP has gained so far, have collected more myself and been approached by people (with facts and questions) who feel divorced from our local government and the Knysna Tourism Board. The result is a very disturbing picture of not only Knysna Tourism but the future of tourism for Knysna.
Lauren Waring
I can’t reveal all yet but, this morning, sent the following questions to current and ex-Board members Greg Vogt (Conservation Global), Kathy White (Sedgefield Arms), Dianne Pepler (Featherbed), Nan Raturat (Villa Castollini), Stephen de Vries (ANC), Christine Collins (Magnetic South), and Marion McIlvenna (Armadillo Studios). As they have been notoriously uncooperative, i include the questions here as an encouragement for more people to ask them the same:
- Are any Board members receiving income of any sort from Knysna Tourism?
- How much is Greg Vogt receiving and what is the description of the entry into the accounts books (the latest figure I’ve heard was approximately R20 000). How has this information been shared with membership? How is it legitimate without a change to the Constitution of Knysna Tourism?
- When will the CEO position, vacant for the past 13 months, be filled?
- Will Greg Vogt be considered as CEO?
- When will the new constitution for Knysna Tourism be proposed to its members?
- Does the proposed new SLA plan continually decrease Municipal funding for Knysna Tourism over the next 4 years? What are the amounts?
- How was the last AGM legitimate if Nan Raturat had already quit? By ensuring that all Board Members were returned to the fold by the AGM, that meant that Tourism’s members did not get to vote in new members (as thereafter you could co-opt them)?
- Who are the current Board members, which are co-opted (which subsequently means that they do not have a vote) and what is the legitimacy of Knysna Tourism if the controlling vote is Municipal?
- Where is Glendyrr Fick’s motivation letter (or other proof, request etc.) for her trip to Jamaica?
- Where are the quotes and tenders from suppliers to Knysna Tourism for the past 4 years?
- Why, AFTER 28 MONTHS, will Knysna Tourism not provide a list of who received monies from Knysna Tourism?
- Why did the Tourism Board instruct Shaun van Eck to spend the surplus in the budget (note that i have the minutes)?
- Why was the Knysna Municipality and Lauren Waring totally uncooperative with the Public Protector?
- Why did the Knysna Tourism Board withhold information from the Public Protector?
- Why did Greg Vogt lie to the Public Protector that he’d been cooperative with my queries?
As my edresses are banned by the Knysna Municipality I would expect you to share this email with those Board and Financial Committee members i.e. Municipal Manager Lauren Waring, Financial Director Grant Easton, Councillor Richard Dawson, Speaker Michelle Wasserman, Deputy Mayor Esme Edge and auditor Basil Michaelides. Relevant past Board member such as Mayor Georlene Wolmarans should be included if they were members during the period relating to any of these questions.
Thank you.”
You must bring this to SCOPA and the Hawks attention. It seems to me that there are much more underhand things happening at Knysna Municipality and Knysna Tourism. This whole matter needs a thorough investigation by the appropriate law enforcement agencies. How far is the Public Protector’s investigation? Mike I will be in Knysna this next week, please leave a number for me to contact you. You are doing excellent work mate!
Thanks. I’ll mail you my number. Hawks will only make a decision after the Public Protector finishes. As they have said, it’s difficult to cross the civil and criminal divide when dealing with Section 21s. Agreed, i should push for SCOPA too. And the National Treasury.
This is so disgraceful, but ja power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!
Blatant arrogance on their part to do with public funds like it belongs to them. Sick government! The ANC and Cope councillors must be getting something from this, why the deafening silence on their part?
ANC as a whole, are not opposition in Knysna and considering their sudden withdrawal of objections to Lauren Waring i can’t help but6 wonder what else is at play. What is certain is that ANC councillors are not serving Knysna but some are driving bigger cars (unfortunately, most citizens don’t recognise their leaders so think it’s just another dude in a cool car). Particularly, Stephen de Vries, the Chief Whip for the Knysna ANC who is a director on the Knysna Tourism Board, has refused to respond to me many times. When the ANC and DA work together to prevent transparency, we should be worried. Like our odd weather, politics in Knysna is different to elsewhere. I will be upping the ante again some people such as Stephen within the next week. And i have many more revelations about Tourism to share with my readers.
Waring is duty bound to come up with answers. If she draws a salary from public funds, she is a public SERVANT that works for all the men and woman that pay taxes. People need to start reminding every public servant in the world. They are not your leaders, they are your servants.
Since i’ve said that before, many times, i absolutely agree! How to make the brainwashed common man believe that he has the power is the problem. What we complain about is normally partly our fault because we allow it to happen.
For someone who is no longer is a services supplier to Knysna Tourism, meaning that the odd R20,000 doesn’t make its way into your own, you sure have a large axe to grind.
Is it true that your membership was suspended for non-payment? If so, why should anyone at Knysna Tourism explain themselves to you? Your little vendettas are ever so tiring, especially when you appear to have undisclosed vested interests.
I’m happy to keep comments anonymous if the persons reveals themselves to me and use a real email address. I made that stipulation because of unsubstantiated and propagandist comments whose purpose was to ignore the issues and try divert attention onto me. In this case, they haven’t and the edress is fake but i do so to make a point of how some use lies as defense i.e. the simple fact is that Tourism has not been honest and this comment furthers their, or their supporter’s, dishonesty. I ran workshops at tourism 2 and a half years ago. That has never been hidden and it was through that that i discovered some bad things about Knysna Tourism. Additionally, i was very public in my quitting as a member of Knysna Tourism so as to try make other members ask questions at the last AGM. This has all been shared with my readers. I’d love to be a member of Tourism again but not until their are honest directors on the Tourism Board instead of the absolutely not-for-the-members dictators who have refused to answer very important questions, who’ve done everything to delay the public getting the answers they have every right too. The current Knysna Tourism Board is disgusting. People who do not show their love for Knysna should not be in positions controlling Knysna!
Tourism is supposed to have a CEO. CEO is supposed to have an EXCO committee to support him. He never had one and now there’s no CEO as well. The Board is suppose to provide check and balance but when things fell apart shifted all the blame onto the ex-CEO instead of sharing the blame. The Board and the Financial sub-committee include Municipal members who are suppose to ensure all is well too. Financial reports get submitted to Corporate Services which which has its own Director who naturally liases with the Financial Director who both fall under the Lauren Waring (who is also on the Tourism Board). Both the DA and ANC are represented too. From start to end, no one did their job and for that to be perfectly idiotic i have to suspect deliberate misdeed.
Despite all these connections, and the vast majority of funding coming from ratepayer’s money (a tax/levy), Lauren Waring said exactly the wrong thing which was basically that Tourism is a section 21 company so not her affair.
So Muncipality gave no info and Tourism left out the most important.
Do you have the skinny on the NTB shenanigans with the Public Protector?
Do you just get no answer about these questions?
Who does the Tourism board answer to?