The Western Cape Government (WCG) has asked for a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into Theewaterskloof Local Municipality officials attending the Rugby World Cup final in France.
Also read: Bredell to investigate municipal officials’ trip to France for RWC
John Michels, the deputy mayor of Theewaterskloof Municipality and speaker Derick Appel reportedly planned to visit embassies and discuss potential project partners during their trip in October 2023.
During the same month, the Democratic Alliance (DA) requested that the Western Cape Provincial Treasury investigate their trip. At the time, Mayor Mary Liebenberg denied that taxpayers funded the trip on the municipality’s Facebook page, stating that the DA made mistakes in a poster in which they ‘attacked office bearers in Theewaterskloof Municipality’, adding that it is an attempt to ‘score early election points’.
However, despite months of attempts to obtain information about the trip being blocked by the municipality, the provincial government has now referred the matter to the SIU for investigation.
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‘The matter was reported to the SIU,’ says SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago. ‘Our internal processes are being used to determine whether it falls within our mandate and whether there is a need for a proclamation before we start with any investigation.’
The municipality’s spokesperson, Hugo Geldenhuys, had previously informed News24 that the municipality wouldn’t comment on the actions of political parties. ‘In general, please note that previously, the municipality commented in detail about the matter related to the Rugby World Cup. The municipality has nothing new to add.’
The DA also filed a Promotion of Access to Information Act request, stating that despite multiple written inquiries, the municipality hadn’t shared details about the trip. The party aims to obtain any agreements or deals signed during the visit to France and England.
Furthermore, it seeks records regarding whether the trip was officially approved by the council and the council’s decision on the trip.
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Also read:
DA requests probe into municipal officals’ visit to France for RWC
Picture: M. Cooper / Unsplash