The Matzikama municipality has referred recommendations back to the office of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell regarding the investigation into the irregular appointment of Heinrich Koopman.
A forensic investigation spearheaded by Bredell found that the appointment of Koopman – the son of current Matzikama deputy mayor Amelia Job – deviated from the requisite local government frameworks and failed to comply with the Recruitment and Selection Policy.
The report recommended that Koopman be removed from his position as an Administrative Official and the position be readvertised.
The investigation report stated that while Koopman applied for a job at the municipality, declared his relationship with Job, and the selection panel was aware of this relationship; however, there was insufficient evidence to conclusively prove nepotism in the appointments.
It was recommended that disciplinary action be instituted against officials implicated in Koopman’s recruitment and a copy of the report be provided to the Auditor General.
Municipal manager, Lionel Philips, confirmed a special council meeting was held on Wednesday.
“The Council referred the recommendations back to the Minister (MEC),” said Philips.
Further enquiries to Philips's office were not answered by deadline.
Bredell’s spokesperson, Wouter Kriel on Thursday said they had not yet received the communications from the municipality. The MEC’s office would respond to enquiries in due course.
The ANC demanded that the DA take action against the municipality’s “corruption and maladministration”.
According to ANC provincial secretary, Neville Delport, the special council meeting was disrupted where opposition councillors were “denied copies of the Forensic Report, preventing them from reviewing the findings and making informed decisions”.
“The report reveals that Koopman repeatedly received appointments despite lacking qualifications – violating municipal recruitment policies and resulting in wasteful expenditure under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
“These findings show that the DA’s own members, including elected officials, have acted in their own interests instead of prioritising the needs of the people they serve.
“By presenting alternative findings before the council even reviewed the Forensic Report, the DA reveals its unwillingness to confront the corruption and mismanagement within its own ranks,” said Delport.
DA constituency head in Matzikama, Thomas Walters, said they noted “yet another attempt at misinformation by the ANC”.
“The investigation found, interalia, that proper processes were not followed in the appointment of a relative of a councillor. It did not find grounds that the councillor in question unduly influenced the process.
“Furthermore, the report, selectively leaked, has not been finalised, because the municipality has sought clarity on some of the recommendations that need to be considered before the report can be finalised,” said Walters. Attempts to get comment from Koopman were unsuccessful by deadline.
Cape Times