More Tender Conflict & Knysna Municipality versus Us
Kidge’s latest cartoon seems to be more honest than the Knysna Municipality’s traditional logo.
A misinformation campaign by the Knysna Municipality has tried to muddy the facts regards the award of the highly controversial ISDF tender.
There are many conflicts of interest which Lauren Waring, Knysna’s Municipal Manager, is refusing to answer and instead steamrolling the public with comments such as the municipality will not “engage further regarding the appointment of an ISDF tender”.
This is after she had stated that objections were allowed until May 7 and then stopped them on May 2, even going as far as to have the Municipality’s lawyer contact me to tell me that i was wrong yet not responding to the evidence at hand.
Furthermore, the Municipality is compelled to respond to objectors but Lauren Waring has chosen not to. Instead, they have lied about the number of objections by lessening the amount.
How are 5 conflicts of interest:
- Mike Maughan-Brown previously headed CNDV Southern Cape, who held interest in redefining the urban edge for development at the same time as CMAI. In greater conflict is that he is now Knysna Municipality’s Planning Directorate and was a member of the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) for the tender.
- Ilse van Schalkwyk, the adjudicator of the bids used to manage the George branch of Urban Econ, a partner in the Knysna Creative Heads Consortium. Chris Mulder was a previous client.
- In 2006, Chris Mulder headed the Forum for Sustainable Development (Forum). The Forum presented a detailed submission, in support of their opposition to the draft Spatial Development Framework (SDF). Redefining the urban edge for his proposed developments was obviously self-beneficial. How can that be irrelevant now?
- Marike Vreken, like Chris Mulder, is obviously highly involved in Knysna development. Their experience is not in dispute but in no way compensates for the legal requirement that anyone awarded the tender not have a conflict of interest.
- Knysna Creative Heads Consortium did not tender the lowest price (Lauren Waring has not divulged the costs involved).
It is important that Knysna not lose stride, as it so often has, because the topic has become ‘old’ or the battle seems incredibly uphill. We need to get tough and chase the Public Protector regards the constant shennanigans by our local government employees and politicians. Their disregard for the Knysna public has been appaling!
Not only have the Municipality proved impossible to pin down. It seems others are now crawling out of the woodwork to offer their predictable support to the decision which offered Chris Mulder’s company, the ISDF contract. Step forward, chief among them, Charles van Tonder who waxed lyrical in last week’s Knysna Plett Herald, attempting in the process to brand opponents of the decision, loonies. As a developer himself, Mr van Tonder is all too obviously nailing his colours to the mast.
Lauren Waring’s obstinacy, and the politicians support of her (against Knysna), is going to damage the future development of Knysna when courts rule that they did wrong. There are, thankfully, some who will not let this issue go. And i intend to keep it fresh in the public’s mind (as they far too often sink into apathy).
When it has been brought to light that the possibility exists that any organisation or individual voted or nominated into a position has the slightest chance of corrupting the system in any way their involvement should be immediately terminated.
Has the “Arms deal” taught us nothing?
It taught us lots i.e. the public’s good health means nothing and the greatest importance is the earnings of government employees. Knysna, arms deal…all the same thing.
…that is, unless the people buck the system.