Mayor Elrick van Aswegen and Acting Municipal Manager Dr Louis Scheepers, your cover-up of corruption is rejected.

COVER-UP REJECTED

Knysna Acting Municipal Manager Dr Louis Scheepers1

I approached you with good intention to help Knysna. You responded with ambush. What you did to me in our telephone conference yesterday was unacceptably unproductive. You deliberately ensured that not one topic could be discussed. That you did it whilst pretending to be reasonable and claiming to be helpful makes you chameleon sharks. You cannot be trusted. Consequently, I’m going to acknowledge what you are and be necessarily direct.

If you don’t apologise and urgently set up a proper meeting wherein you answer questions instead of misdirecting, I’ll be all-guns-blazing to hold you to account.

ANTI-CORRUPTION TEST

Before that meeting, your litmus test is:

1. Dealing with the De Swardt report and Van Aswegen’s friend, Melony Paulsen’s role in that;
2. Announcing what’s happening with the allegations against CFO Mbulelo Memani and why he wasn’t investigated and suspended in the same speedy manner as Municipal Manager Vatala;
3. Publicly tell KNYSNA what happened to the approximately R4m in the Knysna Fire emergency account, and promising an audit of all donations;
4. Unban my @themikehampton.com edress, and have Communications Manager Christopher Bezuidenhout answer me helpfully and in detail on the Knysna Municipality Facebook post about corruption.
5. Call for a Special Council meeting so that Knysna can start getting rid of the baggage you have burdened us with.
6. Submit the motion for me to address the Knysna Council via Zoom regarding the corruption I’ve reported that you haven’t responded to for years – #1 on the agenda so that the Public isn’t forced to disappear after hours of Council ramblings.

The only reason why I give you another opportunity is because getting things done helps our town. But if you have no intention of doing that, then it becomes you versus us, politicians versus the Public (because Louis will have chosen a political side that suspiciously can get his contract extended, and possibly him a permanent job).

POLITICIANS, OBEY THE PUBLIC

Knysna Mayor Elrick van Aswegen

It’s a simple choice, choose Knysna or yourselves. In this situation, choosing Knysna benefits you so be proactively selfish. Stop digging a battle line that finds you on the side of crooks.

I demand because Elrick Van Aswegen is my representative, and Dr Louis Scheepers works for me. That’s how our Constitutional democracy works, and you’re paid damn well for it. My mantra is clear on my website: “Politicians, obey the Public!”

Answer me by 3pm today. Silence will be considered your negative answer, and support for corruption. Either you act transparently and vigorously for our town, or you must be considered criminals, and treated as such.

This is #Day 3 of my 100 Days of Activism against Corruption. Watch what I would do if I were Mayor Van Aswegen. Earlier this week, I pretended that I was him, and that he was an activist like me: ‘Video: I’m South Africa’s first anti-corruption Mayor, I’m Mike Hampton’.