Municipal Manager Lauren Waring Resigns
Lauren Waring
From Municipal Manager Lauren Waring calling me “rude” to her quitting 3 and a half hours later, it was one of the more memorable Council Meetings held in the chambers at the Knysna Municipality in Clyde Street.
Thursday, September 25 promised a long morning as the agenda, without supplementaries, was 239 pages long. The room was unexpectedly fuller which would be later explained when several were awarded for their long service and 7 new staff members were welcomed into the Knysna Municipality.
It’s at this kind of meeting that Georlene Wolmarans wears the mayoral chain and her prettiest dress. Some of the male councillors even wear suits. I don’t believe in frippery, wanting our politicians to rather rub their hands together and say, “Let’s do some work.” I find it even more ludicrous that the Mayor will stand like a hen in the same doorway we come through, waiting for someone to announce her arrival and expecting everyone to stand.
I’m the only one who doesn’t stand. She is not my mayor. She is a woman who has lied to our town, being involved in a cover-up and denied democracy. Those who have been part of the herd have, consciously or unconsciously, allowed such nonsense to continue. So while they stood, i sat as normal, as they have come to expect but for some reason they decided to make an issue of it that morning, as if to try embarrass me in front of the newcomers. I told them to show me in the constitution where i must stand and i stated that we all know where i stand with regards “our mayor”. They gave up but as Lauren Waring entered she bent and whispered in my ear how rude she thought i was.
That was odd for her. She’s normally more composed so i was left wondering why this day was different. 105 minutes later, i found out – Lauren Waring had handed her resignation in, effective November 30 2014.
There were those crocodiles who falsely expressed their sadness and fondness for her, the mayor amongst them, but there were others who were genuinely disappointed – DA councillors Michelle Wasserman, Louisa Hart and Irene Grootboom cried. Lauren then cried too.
They then shut us out, taking the public item of who would be Acting Municipal Manager into a closed door session. In all likelihood, it will be Lauren’s cohort-in-arms, Grant Easton, the Financial Director.
I expected a moment of relief or victory but never felt it so i left this blog until today to think about it.
Thinking never helped much. Lauren Waring has fought cancer and won. She’s been in a car accident that made her a single mom. The rumour that she got a big payout and bought a fancy house on the beachfront in Wilderness surely helps but it doesn’t make up for the tragedy of it all.
But i can’t allow myself the luxury of being emotional. I have to concentrate on the facts that have made me severely criticise her. Her departure will loosen the door to the Knysna Muncipality that has been jammed to the public for far too long.
And this will unlikely be the last we see of Lauren. She will have some questions to answer for us one day.
Surely this is some of the best news Knysna has heard in a long time. Whilst I sympathize with Ms Waring’s personal circumstances, Knysna and surrounds has taken a massive leap backward during her tenure as municipal manager – infrastructure is falling apart, corruption is the order of the day, crime is soaring high and our popularity as a destination is waning. All this whilst management and the executive award themselves obscene packages in the circumstances. I agree with sentiment, its long overdue we saw the back of Grant Easton as well.
I’d be tempted to do the macarena if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s yet to be held accountable. If she gets away with it, it doesn’t stop the next from following in her dirty footsteps.
You have my email address, anyone in IT worth their salt can check to see how long my account has been active. The fact that your contract wasn’t renewed is proof enough. Im done now. Good bye and go well.
Silly response showing the type of person you really are: 1. The age of a gmail address can’t be determined and thus is insufficient to prove your identity. It isn’t associated with any contact online. 2. I never had a contract so it’s ridiculous that you use a non-existent item as the entire proof of the scam you claim. The relationship between Knysna Tourism and me has been exhaustively addressed. 3. Nasty idiots get banned.
Lauren waring is my sister, and the amount of misinformation on this so called site is ludicrous.
now before you all start asking me questions I cannot answer, lets first talk about Mike trying to rip off knysna tourisms it department when he first came to knysna. There bye starting his one man pathetic “crusade” of lies and misinformation. Mike would you like to tell the good people about your overcharging of the knysna municipality, leading to them not renewing your contract?
Your relationship questions your objectivity so note that i’m not going to get into debates with you as they’d be pointless but i approved your very first “contribution” to this site because it’s good that you lie as your only source can be your sister. I have a clear conscience and tons of info against your sister. What is ridiculous is that the most powerful person in our town needs her brother to fight for her. She’s got the money now so maybe she’ll sue me when she leaves her position. Whatever makes the truth come out is fine by me.
No, I have it from numerous sources, ive kept quiet out of respect for my sister. But now that she’s resigned ive decided to call you out on the lying sneak that you are, if anyone’s a thief, its you. And you’re just bitter because Knysna tourism saw through your scam.
Compliments, Craig – your name-calling skills are excellent. Now you have to put the proof to the pudding. I should point out that your first mistake was in using Tourism as if your claim miraculously excuses everything your sister, Lauren Waring, has done wrong. Tourism has been discussed at great length before so i suggest you read up. As you’ve made this public, i now give you the opportunity, until 10pm today, to post the proof of your claims. Your failure to do so will relegate you to being banned for being unproductive. But if you at least try prove yourself, i will certainly engage you. Your statement must include attachments in support as i have regards your sister. As your information would have to primarily come from her, she should have such proof ready (she’s had 3 and a half years to do so). You can either post them onto another website and provide a download or you can email them to me – mike@knysnakeep.org. I don’t hide. And i certainly don’t bow to playground name-calling.
Craig, it’s also important to prove that you are in fact Lauren’s brother. Thanks.
Thobile. This practice of the Knysna Municipality in sending appeals on supply chain matters to the legal department is irregular and does not conform with the provisions of the Supply Chain Management Regulations. The regulations requires that the accounting officer must appoint an independent person to advise the municipal manager regarding the appeal. The legal Advisor is not an independent person. She works for the municipality and was appointed by the municipal manager. You must really take the matter further and we are prepared to assist. If there is appeal, there are time-frames and the MM must act in accordance with the provisions of PAJA .
Be careful to reply to the commentator not the page as they won’t get a notification.
I can’t imagine why any tears were shed, unless these were tears of joy. But I’m presuming that whosoever takes over (acting or more permanently) will be subject to national limits imposed on Municipal Manager pay rates. I note Ms Waring’s salary was more than R200,000 over these limits.
It could increase the road budget by 50%.
This is quite strange news, am a contractor who tendered 3 months ago and i was the leading bidder both on price and Bee status 99%. But the tender was awarded to a white company that score 90% and none on bee. When i wrote her a letter after my apeal she told me she will pass it to legal and she did nothing about the problem.
The writing has been on the wall. If u want more on the details of the story you can email me at thobile@tmconstructions.co.za
I can’t comment on any case without the full facts but i can tell you that at least two other tenders have been reported. I will most certainly contact you.
Good riddance! I hope the council will comply with new regulations regarding the upper limits for the remuneration packages for municipal managers. I will certainly follow this one very closely. And this idea of appointing the same old consultants to facilitate the process of the appointment of the new MM must also be stopped. Year in year out ODS has been appointed at each and every municipality and the Knysna municipality to facilitate these types of appointments. The municipality MUST follow its supply chain management policy when it appoints consultants. Please stop this corruption by the DA. And the opposition councillors must stop sitting there and endorsing the DA’s corruption for certain favors from the DA.
Lauren’s departure, forced or not, will save this town R3million on her salary. ODS or ODA? If ODA, i query them as i exposed what happened with Tourism and the selection of Greg Vogt.
I cant help point out your typo. Woman=1, women= lots of women. And also, a bit amazed by all the women having a cry about Lauren Waring’s resignation. Will Knysna be saving some money towards fixing the desperate challenges this town faces? I think Mr Easton should resign too. He has been in charge of the town’s purse for so long, and now, we are broke. That is a good reason for him to resign as well.
What, you’re telling me that Georlene isn’t all “women” – ha ha. There were more typos than that. Composed that blog in short minutes without checking as i was already so late for the hospital and so not wanting to be further back in the expected queue. Easton must definitely go. His and Lauren’s Knysna ‘marriage’ cost us truth.
Oh. Great. Another fucking bean counter in charge of a blue collar job.
‘Bean hider’ is more like it.