They say history is the sum total of all things that could have been avoided and when considering the drama that has unfolded at Swellendam Municipality in recent months, it’s then plausible that leadership in this region has failed the community it serves.
Swellendam Municipal Manager, Anneleen Vorster, returned to office today (November 25) after the Cape Town High Court ruled on November 22 that due process was not followed when Council had placed her on special leave on October 23, pending an investigation into alleged misconduct in their supply chain management.
Honourable Judge Hayley Slingers also ruled that The Council, the Speaker of the Council, Swellendam Local Municipality, shall pay Ms Vorster’s legal costs jointly and severally.
While it is still unclear whether Council will appeal this decision, ratepayers will in all likelihood be asked to cough up in the vicinity of R1-million.
The independent investigation into the misconduct allegations is still under way and findings of the said investigation are due to be delivered to Council on December 1.
What should further fuel the frustration of ratepayers is that Swellendam Municipality barely has the budget to provide basic service delivery – let alone extra for political blunders.
Forgotten Barrydale plays central role in political turmoil
Situated some 44km away from Swellendam, with the Tradouw Pass serving as a somewhat symbolic buffer, events that took place in the often forgotten and generally neglected village of Barrydale (Ward 2) paved the way for what has, and still is, transpiring in the municipality.
One particular event that would shape the municipality was a Ward Committee Election which took place on February 22, 2022.
The farther backwards you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see
Winston Churchill
At the conclusion of this meeting former Deputy Mayor of Swellendam, Michael Pokwas, was lambasted after he announced the composition of his ward committee.
The community had come out in numbers to ensure that their candidates would be represented but, once the votes were tallied, the then Director of Corporative Services of Swellendam Municipality, Anneleen Vorster, said to Pokwas that he could determine what the Committee he had to work with, should look like.
*News62 can confirm that this statement by Vorster as the truth, as we were present.
Pokwas subsequently ignored the official vote count and proceeded to place individuals he felt could make a difference in the various positions. His decision was met with utter disgust and several community leaders accused him of rigging the election.
Following advice from Council, Pokwas’ preliminary committee was revised and the community vote stood.
This committee would spend most of its energy fighting Pokwas with only one or two individuals achieving any sort of results within their portfolios.
This is where it gets interesting
After exposing what he perceived as an injustice, soon to be confirmed Ward Committee Chairman Charles Payne’s onslaught to oust Pokwas commenced.
It was confirmed by several members within his committee that the chairman would under no circumstance cooperate with Pokwas – who at that stage was still the top leader in the community.
Several attacks were launched by the Barrydale Ward Committee aimed at removing Pokwas from his position as Deputy Mayor.
This lack of unity, coupled with internal power struggles within the ruling DA – which had full control of the municipality at that stage – would eventually see the party revoke Pokwas’ membership.
Pokwas along with (then) Speaker Bongani Sonqwenqwe and Gcobisa Mangcu-Qotyiwe were ousted for voting against a caucus decision and while Sonqwenqwe and Mangcu-Qotyiwe’s positions in council were filled by DA members, the removal of Pokwas forced a bi-election.
Farmer’s wife thrown to the wolves
While petitions and complaints against Pokwas were spearheaded by the Ward 2 Committee, not a single member of that committee was put forward as the DA candidate of choice to stand in the crucial by-election.
Instead a local farmer’s wife, Beate Joubert, who had no political experience whatsoever, became the face of the party in Barrydale.
Prior to the by-election the DA had six of the 11 seats in Council and they would lose their majority when both Ikey Ferguson (ANC) and Brandon Festus (PA) obliterated Joubert at the poles.
VF+ Take Centre Stage
Meanwhile Juan van Schalkwyk of the Freedom Front Plus became the most influential person in Swellendam Municipality when he was promoted to Speaker.
This promotion was done to ensure that he would always vote with the DA as part of the coalition agreement between the two parties – ensuring power remained with the DA.
It was, however, clear that (even prior to the promotion) Van Schalkwyk would not sit passively when he thought there were injustices.
He, for instance, almost completely lost his cool at one of his first General Council Meetings (then still a regular councillor) where the incumbent Municipal Manager (Anton Groenewald) was due to receive a bonus that was in line with an Audit Committee decision which had been previously approved by Council.
“The ratepayers cannot afford this as we need to recover from the damage that was inflicted during the pandemic,” Van Schalkwyk said at the time.
Van Schalkwyk was unaware that he did not have the authority to interpret national regulations according to his meaning.
Groenewald, hailed as one of the top municipal managers in South Africa, would eventually find greener pastures at Midvaal Municipality in Gauteng, opening the door for Vorster to become MM, a position she had previously held in Prince Albert.
Midvaal, a DA stronghold in the province, has under Groenewald’s leadership received no less than 22 awards since his appointment of which best municipality in South Africa is but one.
When considering the chaos that is currently prevailing locally, it would appear that there is a lack of knowledge with regards to municipal procedures (from all parties involved) that is proving to be nothing but embarrassing for Swellendam.
Role players in the greater Swellendam community who only started attending Council Meetings fairly recently, were under the impression that Van Schalkwyk’s behavior towards them was out of order, when in fact he has been outspoken since day one.
During all the meetings where he had been so vocal not a single complaint was laid against him for misconduct.
No love lost between Mayor and Speaker
Some say it might be a case of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer, but in recent weeks it was confirmed that Swellendam Mayor Francois du Rand and Van Schalkwyk have beef that goes back many years.
According to various sources, Du Rand had previously fired Van Schalkwyk in his capacity as a service provider to the municipality. Based on public statements published by these men, it is clear that one of the two (or both) may have not buried the hatchet of their previous battle.
