Outcome of investigation into officials under wraps

The outcome of a disciplinary committee's investigation into the role of certain officials in the alleged irregular procurement of the services of a caterer for a dinner hosted by George Municipality is not being made public.

- Alida de Beer

The occasion was the welcome dinner for the Craven Week held in George from 3 to 8 July 2023.

Two DA councillors, Marlene Barnardt and Dirk Wessels (now a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament), were also implicated for contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Code of Conduct for Councillors that prohibit councillors from being involved in any procurement processes.

At a meeting on 27 June this year, the George Council decided that the matter would be investigated based on two separate attorney reports that were tabled at that meeting. According to these reports, in June 2023, the two councillors had each obtained a quotation from a different restaurant for catering for the dinner.