Knysna Municipality director for Community Services Dawie Adonis did not have the qualifications for the post he currently occupies at the time of his appointment three years ago.
He was appointed permanently despite the post being advertised as a five-year contract.
These are allegations placed before the public protector for investigation by Knysna resident and legal consultant Susan Campbell, who alleges Adonis’s appointment was unlawful.
The office of the public protector has confirmed receiving the complaint over Adonis’s appointment and says a preliminary assessment was being conducted to determine if a full-scale investigation was needed.
In her complaint, Campbell claims the municipality and Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell were made aware, but both failed to take action, over the appointment of Adonis.
She also wants the public protector to investigate Bredell’s “deliberate” failure to comply with the Municipal Systems Act as he failed to take action within 14 days of learning of the illegal employment in 2013.
Campbell said it appeared the Knysna Council had learnt no lessons from its failure to exercise oversight over top officials. The previous Municipal Manager, Grant Easton, was also illegally appointed but Bredell’s office showed no interest, she claimed.
“At the time of his employment Mr Adonis had not yet completed the Minimum Competency Unit Standards (“MMCs”). I have been informed that he may have since attained the requisite MMCs, but request your office to confirm whether he has in fact complied,” she said.
Campbell said that in terms of the 2007 Regulations, municipalities could employ, or keep in their employment, senior managers who did not comply with the requirements until January 2013, subject to certain conditions. “When Mr. Adonis was employed on 1 July 2013 he did not comply with the academic requirements and the MMCs. At that stage National Treasury had not yet gazetted any exemptions or extensions relating to the above-mentioned requirements,” she said.
Knysna acting municipal manager Johnny Douglas said they were looking into the matter. He said they were unable to provide a comprehensive response until “we have finalised our own investigative processes”. Bredell’s spokesperson James-Brent Styan said they were awaiting the outcome of the public protector’s investigation