Shaun van Eck Suspended!
Shaun van Eck, CEO for Knysna Tourism, has been suspended!
According to this afternoon’s press statement by Greg Vogt, head of the Knysna Tourism Board, “A date has been set for a disciplinary hearing to take place but at the moment we cannot divulge any more.”
I have a personal expansion on this scenario. After all, my encounters with Shaun van Eck were the explosion that birthed Love Knysna! and the Knysna Keep. Love Knysna was to boast Knysna’s beauties, show what can be done with passion as opposed to the inflated budgets (i.e. waste of taxpayer’s monies) of Knysna Tourism. It also served as a counterbalance to here, the Knysna Keep, where i sought ugly truth by applying online pressure.
I have been the only consistent public activist in town the past 16 months, calling for, among other things, a Tourism Board that represented all races (it was lily-white but recently embarked on small changes). The initial, and primary goal, was to gain details of the budget, to know exactly who was getting what because i strongly believed that cronyism was alive and well. It’s importance cannot be underestimated as the cliche that “money is the root of all evil” is a truism.
Suspiciously, Shaun van Eck, would not supply the budget. Neither would the Tourism Board and Reggie Smit, the municipality’s Corporate Services Manager (relevant because they gave R4 million to Tourism). Mayor Georlene Wolmarans, Deputy Mayor Michelle Wasserman and Councillor Esmé Edge promised to but unfortunately lied, failing their DA election promise of transparency (note that the latter two are currently on the Tourism Board).
Why should they have given it to me? Because i’m a citizen with rights, just like you, plus i’m a member of Knysna Tourism.
A seemingly perpetual travesty in Knysna are dishonorable leaders whose devilish actions never result in punishment. Hopefully that will not be the case with Shaun van Eck but let’s not forget that he beat the old Board when they tried to get rid of him in 2011…and the consequence was the chair and deputy chair quitting. It is alleged that Shaun ‘filled’ posts with people loyal to him but recently the balance of power was upset with more board members being added. Greg Vogt also took over from Mark Dixon as Chairman. I’m absolutely curious as to how who has voted for and against because there are undoubtedly 2 factions in play. If only life were simpler and people who made decisions for us simply voted according to right and wrong.
If Shaun van Eck gets the boot, i hope that this will be a first step towards leading our town into a brighter, more honest future. I also hope that the new crew will seek cooperation…one that accepts my hand whilst bidding farewell to bygones in lieu of common love for Knysna, the prettiest town in South Africa.
NB: Next week, i’ll blog a summation of reasons why Shaun should be fired. For now, i remind you of this past mp3 (download it):
www.knysnakeep.org/downloads/05TourismQuestionsForTheKnysnaCouncil.mp3
Whatever happened to the Togetherness diatribes of early 2011 from the DA? Reminds me of a line from Bill Hicks way back… “Together, we can deny them a future. Together, we can drain them of hope. Together, we can gang-fuck the poor.”
That died the moment it left their lips…along with their open door policy, transparency promise, statement to catch the criminals and be fiscally tight. Instead, council’s a bickering session, they wouldn’t reveal the tourism budget breakdown, they caught no one and gave Johnny Douglas, the ex-municpal manager a 7-figure handshake…and then rewarded themselves with an increase (a salute to The Recession).
I thought of you immediately upon getting this juicy bit of news. I will be hoping that you’ll be putting on your extra-heavy hob-nailed boots for some serious arse kicking in the very near future.
Bring on the Games.
This mess has got to stop and maybe a petition like drive across Knysna would galvanise the DA into some positive action. Maybe even a South Africa wide drive. Opportunity knocks loudest when hurrying.
I had placed hope in the DA but now i have zero faith in them. They’ve proven to be as untrustworthy as the ANC. The tourism budget is a perfect example. Party politics has screwed up the Garden Route. We don’t have leaders here, just puppets with hollow actions dancing to the tune of provincial leaders. And, unfortunately, with tourism being our town’s main income provider, Tourism cannot escape politics (hell, there’s 3 councillors on the current Tourism Board). But, yes, a lot of arse kicking needs to be done.