The Democratic Alliance has begun legal proceedings against online publication The Cape Independent over allegations of large-scale municipal corruption, whilst the Western Cape government has announced an investigation into property lease irregularities at Stellenbosch Municipality.
Allegations of unlawful property transactions
The Cape Independent published an article alleging that Stellenbosch mayor and mayoral committee members bypassed council and competitive public bidding to approve leases and disposals of municipal properties, rendering many transactions unlawful and exposing the municipality to potential legal claims running into billions of rand.
The publication claims at least 12 properties were flagged on a council agenda for review, including the Flying Club, Riding Club, Anglican Church La Motte, several parking lots and a safehouse. It cites a treasury legal opinion from June 2025 stating that the municipality’s property transaction process violated the Municipal Finance Management Act and municipal asset transfer regulations.
It names several DA office-bearers, alleging they were informed and aided continuity of the alleged scheme.
DA pursues defamation claims
The DA announced legal action today, with national spokesperson Jan de Villiers saying the party would pursue the matter “to the full extent under law” if The Cape Independent failed to take corrective action.
De Villiers said none of those named were offered an opportunity to comment before publication and that the article contained “bald-faced lies”.
Party disputes personal allegations
He cited several examples, including what he described as racially-charged accusations against mayor Jeremy Fasser, whom the article labelled a “coloured candidate” and “a driving instructor” with “no meaningful understanding” of local government or finances. De Villiers said Fasser ran a successful local business for 21 years and served in local government for eight years across four portfolios and as deputy mayor before his election as mayor.
The article also claimed former mayor advocate Gesie van Deventer became mayor in 2016 due to her “close allegiance” with Schreiber, when they first met in 2019 when he became DA constituency head, according to De Villiers.
Another claim stated that DA councillor Rudi Buys was a “close friend” of Schreiber from high school. De Villiers said Schreiber matriculated in 2006 at a Stellenbosch high school, whilst Buys matriculated in 1992 at a high school in Windhoek, Namibia, and they first met in person in 2025.
The DA will demand full and prominent retraction of all defamatory claims, failing which significant damages will be sought, De Villiers said.
He said Stellenbosch Municipality has consistently ranked as one of the best-run municipalities in the country under DA leadership, ensuring clean audit outcomes and world-class service delivery.
Provincial investigation launched
Meanwhile, Western Cape local government MEC Anton Bredell announced that his department would investigate potential irregularities in how Stellenbosch Municipality manages lease agreements and disposes of municipal properties.
The investigation follows a preliminary review of complaints received by the department.
Bredell said the matter would be referred to provincial treasury to assess leasing and disposal policies, and to legal services in the department of the premier to assess legal and financial implications for lessors and lessees.
“If serious malpractice or maladministration is identified, a full investigation will follow,” Bredell said.
He said he expected full cooperation from Stellenbosch Municipality and noted “unhelpful social media allegations”, assuring a thorough and professional investigation.
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