Ngoco’s disciplinary hearing starts
00:00 (GMT+2), Thu, 06 October 2011
Source: Candice Ludick (Knysna-Plett Herald)
Lonwabo Ngoqo, suspended Bitou municipal manager, decided to insist that his disciplinary hearing (DH) be open to the public as is his legal prerogative. “I have nothing to hide,” said Ngoqo.
The DH convened on Wednesday, September 28 at the municipality’s council chambers and was presided over by retired Supreme Court of Appeals judge, Pete Combrinck. Only two witnesses were heard and as such continuation has been postponed until October 12, 13 and 14.
Ngoqo was suspended on July 22 following a precautionary suspension since July 14. At that time, Executive Mayor Memory Booysen said, “The underlying reason for this decision was that it had become apparent that since the election he was reluctant to give the new council his full co-operation in its task of familiarising itself with the state of the administration and in taking over political control thereof.”
Bitou appointed Thys Giliomee, sole member of Employer’s Workplace Law to investigate the matter and compile a charge sheet. Ngoqo was supplied with a charge sheet by Frances Schroter on September 5.
None of the original allegations against Ngoqo were present in the final charge sheet.
The bulk of the charges against Ngoqo were related to the “wavelengths matter”, an intended property purchase with the intention of erecting low-cost housing in New Horizons, which went wrong.
The provincial government had made funds available to the municipality subject to an independent evaluation on its behalf. The municipality’s then legal counsel, Hardy Mills, had advised Booysen not to enter into the agreement as proposed by the provincial government.
Mills had cautioned the council and provided an independent valuer’s report compiled by Niel De Klerk, the former president and current examiner of the South African Institute of Valuers, stating that the R2.4 million valuation submitted by the provincial government “is so obviously false that it should be the subject of a disciplinary enquiry”.
Read the full story here.
Well done to Lonwabo for requesting the hearing to be open to the public contrirary to what was requested, let us all hear the truth
Thys Giliomee seems to be a guy used to force senior municipal officials out of their jobs by various means, does anyboddy know more
If one has nothing to hide, off course you will want the public present. On the other hand, if you are busy with underhanded business, you wish to do so in the dark.
The DA and the media said that Lonwabo and ANC is corrupt. Their case is falling apart, because of their own lies. You can only tell a lie for as long as you lie, but the thruth will prevail. O by the way Nick Barrow lost another case in Oudtshoorn Magistrate court yesterday. Eitah the legal bills are killing the DA!!!!!
Hopefully the DA or Barrow is paying and not the taxpayers.
All the officials who are been persecuted by the DA and this hopeless Natzi must resist until the end. When you settle with them on a package of eight months whilst you have three years left of your contract, you are the loser! Fight them all the way to the courts. They want to criminilize people and than settle and you sit with a tarnished reputation. Let’s unite and defeat them!
Anyone who is a victim of the DA purging process is invited and encouraged to contact JEF.
Nigel Delo who was CFO at Swellendam Municipality from 2007-009 made some serious allegations against Patricia De Lille in that she put pressure on him to award a tender to a Independent Democrates benefactor.Now these allegations was made by Delo at a SCOPA hearing at the Provincial legislature. The media is now spinning this matter to make it look like De Lille is the victum and Delo the villian. She now threathens to sue Delo for defamation. I was always of the opinion that there are more about this “Holier than thou” De Lille that meets the eye. Every one associated with the ANC must be corrupt according to the Holy Book Of De Lille and Zille, but I now that there are being fingers pointed at her De Lille and Zille for tender irregularities and corruption everybody else who are pointing fingers are liars. More of their corrupt activities will come to the fore! Gemorste!
Congrats Delo- You are indeed a hero for all black professionals! Let De Lille face the music. Don’t be afarid of idle threats of legal action. We will support you all the way!
Bring on the legal action! When the truth is told, the results will inevitably be the same as with Brummer and Barrow’s litigation.
Terence you are spot on. Delo must be commended for exposing these hypocites. We now need to support him because the DA will continue harass him and to destroy his character and reputation.ANC please come forward and lead us through this period.
Comrades at haws been confirmed in the Cape Times what I always knew, how corrupt the DA and now Patricia De Lille are. Two previous mayors confirmed to the Cape Times that De Lille (the whisle blower of Arms Deal) put pressure on them to invest their respective municipalities funds in a company that has very close ties with the Independent Democrates. I trust someone in the ANC’s leadership structures will have the guts to go to the nearest police station to lay a charge of corruption against De Lille.
DA led BAitou Council is again at it intimidating municipal staff with intention to suspend five officials including the CFO (Deon Lott) and Director Technical Services (Phumla Ngqumshe). They will stop at nothing to intimidate officials for very flimsy reasons, but they nust be warned that we will stop at nothing to defend the rights of the people!
I am afraid it seems as if this website is a bit quiet. It looks like there is nothing happening in the Eden region. Whats going on? It can’t be that everything is hunky -dory. Four employees recieved notices of intention to suspend at Bitou Municipality.
Who are the officials and what r the charges?
Send us reports of wrong doing please. We will gladly follow up on them.