The arrests of senior Knysna municipal officials have prompted renewed calls for accountability within the troubled district.
Several political parties have spoken out about Thursday's arrests of Knysna’s former mayor, municipal manager and chief financial officer following allegations of corruption and kickbacks linked to a municipal security services contract.
The three are expected to appear in court on Monday.
The DA in Knysna welcomed the arrests, saying this followed years of concerns raised by the party about governance, procurement and the management of public funds in the municipality.
DA Knysna mayoral candidate Levael Davis said the party had consistently sought greater scrutiny and accountability in the municipality.
“After three years of DA investigations, there is now proof that our fight within the council was about the people of Knysna, and not politics,” Davis said.
The DA also criticised what it described as coalition instability and a decline in basic services.
Davis called for the criminal and Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations into the security tender be pursued to its conclusion.
“Knysna will simply not survive another five years of this coalition of chaos,” he said.
The ANC Western Cape, meanwhile, adopted a more cautious position, saying it would allow law-enforcement agencies to investigate the allegations and due process to take its course.
ANC Western Cape provincial spokesperson Sifiso Mtsweni said the party had noted the SAPS statement regarding the arrests of senior office-bearers and officials at Knysna municipality.
“We will allow due process and the work of law-enforcement agencies in investigating allegations involving any officials,” Mtsweni said.
The ANC said it remained committed to accountable, ethical and transparent local government in the interests of Knysna residents.
Mtsweni said the ANC would express its views once the matter appeared before court and the facts had been established.
The SA Communist Party (SACP) in the Western Cape also called for restraint, saying it would issue a comprehensive statement once it had gathered and verified sufficient information about the developments.
SACP Western Cape provincial chair Lizwi Gegula said the party hoped law enforcement and judicial processes would be allowed to unfold without interference and that due process would establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the allegations, regardless of the political affiliation of those involved.
“The SACP remains firmly committed to the fight against corruption, accountability and transparency, while upholding the constitutional principle that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” the party said.
The Knysna Independent Movement (KIM) also welcomed the arrests but said it would wait until the suspects had appeared in court before providing a detailed response.
“We welcome the arrests. We will issue a full statement on Monday, after the suspects have appeared in court,” KIM councillor Susan Campbell said.
The arrests come as Knysna heads towards the November 4 local government elections, with political parties already campaigning over the municipality’s governance record and future leadership.
