The DA-led Stellenbosch mayoral committee (Mayco) on Monday took a step closer to sacking the town's municipal manager. Bruce Kannemeyer, a former ANC MP, was appointed to head the winelands town's municipality in November 2004 under the previous ANC-NP partnership.
Since the March 1 local elections, the city is being run by the DA and a coalition of smaller parties. And since then the talk in the municipality's corridors has been about whether the new political bosses would retain - or dismiss - the municipal head.
The Stellenbosch municipality covers the historic university town and the surrounding suburbs and satellite townships of Khayamandi, Jamestown, Kylemore and Pniel over the Banhoek Pass.
The Cape Argus understands reliably that the terms of Kannemeyer's departure are now being negotiated. Kannemeyer has insisted on two conditions, according to a reliable source.
He is insisting on an acknowledgement that his removal from office would be handled by the mayoral committee comprising executive mayor Lauretta Maree and her hand-picked lieutenants from the DA, the ACDP, the UDM and the Khayamandi Community Alliance.
Thus the decision to dismiss him would be an openly political one. It is understood this has already been confirmed to Kannemeyer in writing.
Kannemeyer also wants the Mayco to state his dismissal would neither call into question his performance or professionalism, nor cast any shadow on his integrity.
Kannemeyer was recently embroiled in the controversy surrounding a travel agency, Maties Travel, which claimed the municipality had blacklisted it for not contributing free airline tickets to stars performing in a recent concert organised by the municipality.
Kannemeyer has denied this.
He also questioned recent reports suggesting the Scorpions were investigating him in connection with the furore.
Kannemeyer on Monday said investigators had not contacted him and he did not know what the allegation was founded on.
But, he would not comment formally on his future until discussions with the town's new political masters had been concluded.