- Convicted child rapist Jeffrey Donson has been re-elected as Kannaland's mayor.
- Convicted fraudster Werner Meshoa has been elected as Kannaland's deputy mayor.
- Both criminals are members of ICOSA, which governs the troubled municipality with the ANC.
The Kannaland municipal council on Tuesday re-elected a convicted rapist as its mayor, and a convicted fraudster as his deputy, with the support of the ANC.
The council elected ICOSA leader Jeffrey Donson, who was convicted of statutory rape and indecent assault while he was Kannaland mayor in 2008, as mayor.
He raped a 15-year-old in 2004. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison.
He appealed to the Western Cape High Court.
While his conviction wasn't overturned, his sentence was reduced by Judge Lee Bozalek to a wholly suspended term of imprisonment, correctional supervision, a R20 000 fine and a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.
READ | Sex offender back on council
He was later, in 2008, re-elected to the council.
Werner Meshoa, also of ICOSA, was elected as deputy mayor.
Earlier this year, GroundUp reported that Meshoa, while speaker of the Kannaland council, was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice.
For the fraud conviction, he was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment or a R6 000 fine - and, for the obstruction of justice conviction, suspended for four years, with 36 months house arrest for obstruction of justice.
As he would not do a one-year prison term, he was still eligible to serve on the council.
Nicolaas Valentyn of the ANC was elected as speaker.
After the election, ICOSA emerged as the strongest party in the troubled municipality, with three councillors. The ANC and DA each have two councillors, and the Kannaland Independent Party one.
ICOSA will govern the municipality, which has been under administration since 2018, with the ANC.
READ ALSO | ANC recalls Kannaland mayor to end coalition with DA
After the 2016 municipal elections, the ANC and DA banded together to keep Donson away from the mayoral chain. However, this coalition didn't last long. The ANC "recalled" its mayor and deputy mayor, and went into coalition with ICOSA.
According to News24's Out of Order Index, Kannaland is the second worst-performing municipality in the Western Cape. It owes nearly R14 million to Eskom. Its 2018/19 audit received an unqualified finding opinion, and its 2019/20 audit was not completed in time.
The Auditor-General flagged Kannaland as needing "extra effort and intervention".
Kannaland is on the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs' list of dysfunctional municipalities and receives an intervention package.