- Anton Bredell has welcomed the judgement dismissing an appeal related to the appointment of Bitou municipal manager Lonwabo Ngoqo.
- Ngoqo had been dismissed from the municipality in 2012 after being found guilty of financial misconduct.
- Bredell said he had taken Ngoqo's appointment and a R781 184 irregular payment to court after "exhausting all other options".
An appeal regarding the irregular appointment of Bitou municipal manager Lonwabo Ngoqo, as well as a payment of R781 184 to him in February 2019 found to be unlawful, has been dismissed, Western Cape MEC of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell said on Friday.
Bredell, through his spokesperson James-Brent Styan, said he welcomed the judgment by the Labour Appeal Court after the municipal council two years ago took a decision to appoint Ngoqo, despite him being dismissed from the municipality in 2012. This, after disciplinary proceedings found him guilty of financial misconduct.
He was reportedly found guilty nine years ago on four charges of misconduct, the Cape Times reported, in connection with a land deal, where the provincial Department of Human Settlements granted the town R28 million for land later found by an independent valuation to be worth R2.4 million.
Bredell said he had taken Ngoqo's appointment and the irregular payment to court after "exhausting all other options", and challenging the legality of the actions taken by the municipal council, which was "intended to circumvent the law".
"In August 2019, the Labour Court found in the minister's favour. The court found that the decision taken by the Bitou council was unlawful and ordered that the settlement agreement entered into between the municipality and Mr Ngoqo be set aside, and that Mr Ngoqo's appointment as municipal manager also be set aside," Styan said in a statement.
"The municipality then took the matter on appeal. That appeal has now been dismissed, with costs."
Bredell said the Bitou council will now be liable for the costs for a case that it "continued to drag out for longer than was necessary".
"It's a pity that some council's leadership insist on going to court, using council's money to drive their own personal agendas," Bredell said.
- Compiled by Tammy Petersen