Bitou Leadership in Disarray

Dear members,

As an association we take our oversight responsibility seriously, not only in cases of wasteful and fraudulent expenditure but especially when it comes to the issue of competence and integrity in the senior ranks of Bitou’s administration. These have been common themes in our communications to you and once again we are faced with poor decision making by this council.

Despite our exhaustive efforts to obtain an understanding from Bitou on recent questionable appointments, we have yet to receive any meaningful response, let alone an acknowledgment of our correspondence. The absence of response not only signals their dismissal and disrespect of our efforts but it raises greater concerns around their motives for the appointments.

Mr Peter Lobese. An inexplicable recent hire is that of Bitou’s ex-mayor Peter Lobese. The 2019 WC Provincial Forensic Investigation is in the public domain and revealed an appalling track record when he held the position of Bitou mayor. A criminal charge arising out of the content of the investigation was laid with SAPS. We have asked the Municipal Manager and Mayor Kamkam pertinent questions about his being recently re-hired, such as job responsibilities and salary, and whether the correct employment procedures were followed. We have not received any replies and have been stonewalled.

Municipal Manager Mr Mbulelo Memani. The Municipal Manager's role is one that requires utmost trust. It requires an incredibly high level of integrity and self-discipline. This is reflected in the legislation which requires that all municipal employees should act in the best interest of the municipality and avoid any situations that give rise to a conflict of interest and which may cause harm to the municipality's credibility and integrity.

A year ago, Mr. Memani was offered and accepted a settlement of R4.2 million to resign. An October court order, obtained by the DA party, instructed him to pay it back. Under the new council administration, Mr Memani was re-instated as MM, but six months after the court order, we understand that he has not paid back the money. To make matters worse, the DA-led council seem unwilling to enforce the court order. As a result, we are in a position where our Administration is being led by an alleged delinquent Municipal Manager who seems to hold the court in contempt, presumably believing he is immune to any sanction. This is hardly the level of trust and integrity required of a person who makes important decisions on our behalf on a daily basis, and it also sets a dreadful example for other municipal employees. Our communications with Bitou on this matter remain unanswered.

CFO Appointee, Mr Christopher Mapeyi. Mr. Felix Lotter's vacating of his original position as CFO has resulted in attempts to appoint a new CFO for Bitou. Bitou’s choice of replacement fell once again on Christopher Mapeyi. The name may sound familiar because Bitou also hired him in October 2022, but following much public outcry about his qualifications and suitability, he didn't bother to pitch up to work in January 2023. This led to his termination. Our letter attached gives chapter and verse on his track record. Now the Municipal Manager has chosen the same person again and once again we have queried this decision. Unsurprisingly, no reply.

Mr. Mapeyi is currently CFO of Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, one of the worst run municipalities in the country. The Auditor-General reported the finance department of Chris Hani to the Hawks and SAPS for tender abuse, in each of the past two years, so his track record should weigh heavily to the assessment of his capability and suitability. In the event that we did not have all the facts, we requested the supporting evidence to mitigate this public track record. Apart from a response pertaining to process, we have received no mitigating information to support this decision. So once again this is the CFO which the Municipal Manager is attempting to hire. Not only is his integrity and financial capability in question, but Mr Mapeyi also claims that his current annual salary is R2.4 million! (the legislated upper limits for this position at Bitou is R1.4m). We have been informed that our Municipal Manager is seeking a waiver from National Government to match that salary. If such a waiver is granted, this could have a knock-on effect as other Municipal directors and the Municipal Manager himself could use this waiver to gain further salary increases. This could cost our ratepayers millions, at a time when municipal manpower costs are already disproportionately high, at the expense of much needed infrastructure development and maintenance for the town.

Director Ms Melony Paulsen. Another costly concern has to do with Bitou's inability to conclude the disciplinary process of the Director of Community Services, Ms Paulsen, who was charged on several counts of corruption and has been on suspension at full pay for over eight months. This is just one example of a long list of never-ending disciplinary processes that costs the ratepayers a fortune. In too many instances we see those accused and suspended ending up back in the senior ranks of the administration due to sloppy process and/or political interference. Again our queries on this matter go unanswered.

We have questioned our councillors, the administration, the political parties, asked and been ignored, although the information should be freely available to the public. We are now proceeding to PAIA this information and prepared to go the legal route. Even though the Municipal manager drives the appointment process, the council must approve these decisions. The council is not fulfilling its duties.
We urge our members to express their opinion to the Mayor and their ward councillors and urge them to act responsibly in the best interest of the community and stop making these irrational and unsuitable appointments. Importantly, the court order against Mr. Memani must be enforced, and disciplinary processes expedited to hold officials to account and to minimize duplication of costs.

Ward 1 and Mayor Jessica Kamkam jkamkam@plett.gov.za
Ward 2 Councillor Dave Swart dswart@plett.gov.za
Ward 3 Councillor Mhlana tmhlana@plett.gov.za
Ward 4 Councillor Terblanche cterblanche@plett.gov.za
Ward 5 Councillor Mangxaba smangxaba@plett.gov.za
Ward 6 Councillor Seti nseti@plett.gov.za
Ward 7 Councillor Olivier aolivier@plett.gov.za

Kind regards,
Plett Ratepayers' Executive Committee

PDF documentLetters re Mr. LobeseDownload

PDF documentLetters re Mr. Mapeyi (9th April)Download

PDF documentLetter re Mr. MapeyiDownload

PDF documentLetter re Mr. MemaniDownload