Cape Town - The provincial Treasury is investigating cases of maladministration and nepotism in the Theewaterskloof municipality, the Department of Local Government confirmed this week after the municipality’s erstwhile director of corporate services laid a complaint.
Advocate Joseph Isaacs, who was also the municipality’s legal adviser for more than a decade, alleged that he had been pushed out after giving unpopular advice relating to appointments and maladministration.
“Most legal advisers face the same problems in municipalities: politicians want you to give them the legal opinion they want to hear.”
His detailed complaint, which the Weekend Argus has seen, was forwarded to the Department of Local Government.
Isaacs said that it had taken the department eight months to respond to him and confirm that it had forwarded the matter to the provincial Treasury for investigation.
Isaacs’ allegations include a case of nepotism in which the son of a councillor was appointed in law enforcement.
James-Brent Styan, spokesperson for Anton Bredell, MEC for local government, said: “The matter is ongoing. The MEC views all allegations of corruption or maladministration in a very serious light.
“The matter was immediately referred to the relevant department which deals with such complaints and the department referred the matter to the provincial Treasury, (which) has the mandate to investigate these claims.
“The MEC has long urged that people with concerns and complaints about corruption and maladministration also go to the police and lay charges, so that these matters can be investigated by the authorities that are best placed to do so.”
Isaacs said he was unexpectedly told by the council he had been “unfairly” dismissed when it was restructuring. He was later paid R1.3million.
The municipality’s spokesperson Hugo Geldenhuys denied the allegations, saying they had been tested by “an entity” and no wrongdoing had been found. He would not give further details regarding the claims.
In an email later, he said: “The municipality cannot comment on allegations of unknown charges, and it can also not give details about non-existing matters.”