Cape Town - A Kannaland Municipal official is crying foul after a colleague who assaulted him during an office brawl was let off with a slap on the wrist.
Drama continues to be the order of the day at the beleaguered municipality after a video emerged that depicts a brawl between former acting municipal manager, Morné Hoogbaard who occupied his successor, Ian Avontuur’s office and refused to leave.
The incident occurred on March 16, but disciplinary proceedings against the culprit, manager for community services Reginald Timmie, accused of throwing the first punch began and concluded on Tuesday afternoon.
Video footage, seen by Weekend Argus, shows a group of angry men standing outside the office Hoogbaard reportedly refused to vacate.
The squabble started when Avontuur, dressed in the black suit and tie, walked towards the doors of his office.
Timmie, who is wearing a red chequered T-shirt in the video, can be seen remonstrating with the other men when he suddenly hit Avontuur’s then acting personal assistant, Brad Benades. Timmie also grabbed Benades’ phone as he was recording the incident.
An argument between employees of the Kannaland Municipality erupted into a huge brawl after the former acting municipal manager besieged the office of his successor. The incident occurred in March but the DC process against the perpetrator started yesterday. @IOL @WeekendArgus pic.twitter.com/L1yENaEsEf
— Brandon (@brandonn_journo) June 22, 2022
However, on Tuesday the hearing did not take place. Instead a settlement, a written warning, was reached. But Benades is unhappy.
ANC mayor Nicky Valentyn confirmed the incident, but said the disciplinary hearing was for matters that were previously levelled against Timmie, and not the office brawl.
The settlement, according to Valentyn, is to close current and outstanding matters against him.
"We reached a settlement, I can confirm that," Valentyn said.
Benades, according to Weekend Argus’ understanding, filed a grievance against the settlement.
“He (Timmie) needs to pay for what he did - they can suspend me, I don’t care, I want justice to prevail, nothing else,” Benades said.
Valentyn confirmed that they received Benades’s complaint against the sanction.
Timmie could not be reached for comment.