Latest news with #ThandoMatika
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Knysna's future now in MEC Bredell's hands
Knysna mayor Thando Matika. Image: Facebook KNYSNA mayor Thando Matika has defended the municipality against the provincial government's plan to dissolve the municipal council, saying Knysna remained on the correct path to recovery. Local government MEC Anton Bredell recently notified the municipality of his intention to appoint an administrator until a newly-elected leadership takes over the municipality. Matika on Monday said they have implemented structural reforms and enhanced service delivery since the Council adopted the Consolidated Executive Obligations Monitoring and Enforcement Framework (CEOMEF) in June 2024, 'The journey is far from over but Knysna is on the correct path. A series of administrative and governance improvements were undertaken in August 2024, as outlined in the initial implementation report. 'By February 2025, the municipality had finalised the appointment of critical senior managers, achieved 97% completion of the Audit Action Plan, broadened the rollout of smart metering for both water and electricity. Tabled a budget-funding plan addressing sustainability beyond the 2024/2025 financial year, improved revenue management and expenditure control practices.' 'A multi-stakeholder Steering Committee, comprising representatives from the municipality, Provincial Government, and National Government, was established since the adoption of the Diagnostic and Support Plan on 1 March 2024 to oversee implementation and ensure accountability. Regular Steering Committee meetings, held both virtually and in person, provided a structured platform to monitor progress, escalate issues, and coordinate support across all three spheres of government. 'The latest Section 154 progress report was tabled before Council on 12 February 2025, supported by a comprehensive monitoring and reporting framework.' In his statement last week, Bredell said the municipality continued to experience 'serious challenges in governance and service delivery'. He cited several years of diagnostic assessments of the municipality's governance, financial, and service delivery matters. 'The assessment revealed deep-rooted governance failures, including a regressing audit opinion, an organisational culture of fear and uncertainty, political interference in administration, critical vacancies at senior levels, and a marked decline in service delivery." After Knysna municipality failed to adopt another report in December 2023, Bredell issued a notice of intention to intervene in terms of section 139 of the Constitution in the Knysna Municipality. However, at the time he said after considering the representations of the municipality, they developed the CEOMEF cited by Matika for the municipality to implement. According to Matika, by the close of 2024, a number of critical environmental and infrastructure achievements marked a turning point, notably the newly upgraded waste transfer station. To address Knysna's water and sanitation challenges, Matika said pumping stations and reticulation networks were upgraded, as well as 'increased functionality at the wastewater treatment works", among others. "The municipality responded to a notice from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) regarding wastewater non-compliance in May 2025. Mechanical defects at the wastewater treatment works were promptly addressed. A multi-stakeholder workshop held in April included DFFE, BOCMA, DWS, the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA) and provincial departments to address discharge regulations. The municipality committed to weekly effluent quality reporting and applied for a coastal discharge permit," the mayor added.
IOL News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
‘ANC member behind death threats on Knysna mayor'
Knysna mayor Thando Matika Image: SUPPLIED THE death threats levelled against Knysna Mayor Thando Matika in a voice note circulated in a WhatsApp group could be linked to the upcoming by-election in ward 8, following the resignation of former mayor, Aubrey Tsengwa. This is according to the ANC Victor Molosi Region in Knysna, as police confirmed they have since launched an investigation into a case of intimidation. "The matter is investigated by our Provincial Detectives Serious and Violent Crime Investigations who have already identified a suspect. Upon completion of the investigation, the docket will be submitted to the Senior Public Prosecutor to decide whether prosecution will be instituted or not. No one has been arrested yet," said police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie. According to the ANCYL Victor Molosi Region, 'disturbing' voice notes had been circulating where a 'rogue individual' makes death threats against Matika's life. 'We are aware of organised attempts by a few to destabilise Knysna. These malicious efforts aim to undermine the progress and harmony achieved by the diligent work of the Mayor and his mayoral committee, which includes dedicated leaders of the ANCYL like Deputy Regional Convener Kay Andrews. We call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate these attempts and hold accountable those who seek to disrupt the peace and prosperity of Knysna. We take these threats with the utmost seriousness. 'Notably, in recent years, a Councillor was gunned down in front of his house in Knysna. These threats must not be taken lightly. We must learn to tolerate each other even at the height of disagreements. The criminal making these threats must be arrested and should expose the others he is referring to in the circulating voice notes,' the ANC in the region said. Approached for further comment on the matter, spokesperson Moyisi Magalela said the person behind the voice note is a member but not part of leadership structures. 'We got to learn there are people who know him, who could identify him on the voice note he was sending. In the voice note he is talking about the mayor and his leadership style. It looks like he said there was an attempt before. Overall, he is saying the new mayor has big shoes to fill and questioning his leadership style. "Because of the past experience of Victor Molosi we told the mayor he must not take these things lightly. In that light he understands things are not normal and went to the police,' Magalela said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ He said they intended to talk to the structures about the incident to calm things down ahead of the by-election and urged law enforcement agencies to act swiftly. The municipality said they had met with police on the issue and a new date for a budget Integrated Development Plan meeting, which was scheduled to be addressed by Matika, was yet to be scheduled. 'The Knysna Municipality takes the recent security concerns very seriously. While we cannot discuss specific security protocols in the media, we can confirm that the Municipality has engaged with SAPS on this matter. The threats are deeply concerning as they not only endanger public representatives but also undermine Council's constitutional mandate and the public's right to participate in democratic processes such as the IDP and budget consultations. A new meeting date for Ward 8 must still be finalised.
