Overstrand muni manager cleared of allegations

Writer: De Waal Steyn.

I find no basis to support the allegations of misconduct levelled against the municipal manager, Coenie Groenewald and accordingly recommend that the allegations be dismissed.”

These were the findings of Adv Pieter Schalk Bothma in an investigation that was launched after a complaint was lodged in March by resident Anton Kruger, who is the administrator of several public participation sites on Facebook and a member of a group calling itself LiberTAS (Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability).

At a special council meeting convened on 9 March, it was unanimously recommended by all parties that while council found no evidence to support the allegations of misconduct by Groenewald, in the interest of openness and transparency a special investigator would be appointed.

The complaint alleged that, in accordance with the municipality’s Unauthorised, Irregular or Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure Policy, Groenewald had “demonstrated poor judgement” in awarding a turnkey property development tender to the value of R600 million to construction group ASLA Devco, after the tender had initially been awarded to M5 Developments by the municipality’s Tender Adjudication Committee in 2007.

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