DA heads to High Court over Knysna Municipal Manager

9 March 2023

Today, the DA in Knysna approached the Western Cape High Court to urgently review and set aside the appointment of Phineus Ombali Sebola as Municipal Manager.

From the outset, the DA has opposed Sebola’s appointment given his abysmal track record as Municipal Manager in Modimolle-Mookgaphong, where a forensics audit recommended criminal charges after he irregularly approved tenders, mismanaged public finances and bankrupted the municipality.

The ANC/Patriotic Alliance/EFF/PBI coalition of corruption appointed him following an irregular process where he was not the highest ranked candidate, not qualified and his employment history evidently not checked. They subsequently irregularly agreed to his salary on the highest scale.

Various processes needed to be followed before the matter could be brought to court and the DA is doing so at the earliest available opportunity.

The DA will argue that when Mr Sebola’s appointment is set aside, any appointments made by Sebola, and any contracts he signed, will be invalid. All applicants who apply for employment at the Knysna Council should be aware that their appointment is tenuous and subject to being invalidated.

The DA is already in court over irregular political appointments by the coalition of corruption - where we won an urgent interdict to remove political cronies from office, pending the court hearing in May.

The DA will not stand by while the coalition of corruption brings Knysna, already on the brink of bankruptcy, further to its knees.

Only the DA is strong enough to fight this in court, on behalf all residents of Knysna, who deserve so much better than the corrupt, incapable and uncaring local government.

Issued by Dion George, DA Constituency Head, Knysna, 9 March 2023