Political fallout in Drakenstein after corrupt mayor’s expulsion

In another development in the DA’s local-level corruption network’s recent bad luck, two senior officials in the community services department of Drakenstein Municipality have been suspended following allegations of misconduct.

It remains unclear if the suspensions of Esau and Saayman are connected. Johaar indicated that the ongoing investigation could lead to disciplinary hearings.

But the two officials are generally understood to have been close allies of the recently expelled mayor Conrad Poole, whose corrupt practices have bedeviled the residents of Paarl and Wellington for nearly a decade.

Poole was recently promoted to the Provincial Parliamentary list along with another longstanding corrupt mayor Memory Booysen, whose decade-long protection by DA national executives became untenable as the accusations boiled over in local press in his home constituency of Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM).

Memory Booysen’s allies in the GRDM civil service have faced corruption charges despite council’s efforts to suppress investigation, though the complexity of the case has led to its postponement.

While the DA have recently boasted of the performance of Drakenstein’s municipal government on paper, a recent piece in the local Paarl Post complains of a tight network of officials dominating politics who have led to the degradation of public services over the last few years, details of which are outlined in the above in the article on Conrad Poole’s expulsion.

Although the municipality did not confirm the identities of the suspended officials, it is understood that they are Gerald Esau, the executive director for community services, and Ernest Saayman, the senior manager for parks, sports, and cemeteries.

Seraj Johaar, the municipality’s executive director for corporate services, stated that “one senior official is currently suspended and another must provide reasons why he should not be suspended.”

The investigation into the suspensions is focusing on violations of the officials’ code of conduct, particularly related to damaging the municipality’s reputation. A source within the municipality revealed that Esau’s suspension may be linked to an incident at a workshop in the Garden Route, where he allegedly behaved inappropriately by getting drunk.

In a separate incident, Saayman filed a grievance against Johan Leibbrandt, the municipal manager, last November, accusing Leibbrandt of intimidation, abuse of power, and racism. Saayman claimed that Leibbrandt attacked his character during a service delivery meeting.

While the municipality prepares for disciplinary hearings, it is currently without an executive mayor after Conrad Poole was removed by a vote of no confidence. A council meeting to elect a new mayor, originally scheduled for 13 March, has been postponed.

According to the Independent Electoral Commission guidelines, the council must announce its next candidate for the position of executive mayor within 21 days.

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