There is a clear conflict of interest as deviations from tender procedures are usually approved by the Municipal Manager before it is reported to council, and this should therefore be avoided in any well-run government.<\/div>\n
Keagen Gertse, GOOD<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Keagen Gertse, GOOD councillor and caucus whip in Drakenstein, said based on the party\u2019s questions tabled in council it has revealed that Jacques Carstens, the municipality\u2019s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), at the time served as Acting Municipal Manager and Chairperson of the Bid Adjudication Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is a clear conflict of interest,\u201d he declared, \u201cas deviations from tender procedures are usually approved by the Municipal Manager before it is reported to council, and this should therefore be avoided in any well-run government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor any council this should have been a grave concern, yet the DA has once again failed to show it is truly serious about clean governance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paarl Post <\/em>understands that the need for social housing in Simondium and other parts of Southern Paarl was identified in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\nResponding to the GOOD\u2019s claims, Bradley Brown, Drakenstein\u2019s current CFO, told Paarl Post<\/em> the party\u2019s allegations are inaccurate and the matter of the deviation was \u201ctaken out of context\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBrown said the urgent need to address housing challenges in Southern Paarl, including evictions, informal settlements and lack of housing opportunities in areas such as Simondium became a pressing issue back in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said \u201cat the time, evictions and the need for alternative accommodation came to the fore as serious challenges. The Brickfields\/PA Camp Informal Settlements have the potential for uncontrolled growth, and the Simondium project was struggling to take off, which raised serious concerns in the housing sector of Southern Paarl.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brown added Asla Devco (Pty) Ltd also engaged with the municipality to explore potential solutions for the area, focusing particularly on addressing the challenges faced by the Brickfields Informal Settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him a decision was made in 2017 to approach council to consider entering into an agreement with the construction company aimed at resolving the housing challenges within the Southern Paarl area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He admitted that at the time the municipality did not have the internal capacity to address these challenges effectively and viewed partnering with a \u201cturnkey contractor\u201d as the most cost-effective solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Brown the item was brought before council on 26 October 2016, when a comprehensive explanation for Asla Devco (Pty) Ltd\u2019s appointment was given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said following public participation on the issue, council resolved and gave effect to the appointment of the company for housing projects in Southern Paarl on 21 July 2017 as well as authorisation of the Municipal Manager, finalising a service-level agreement between company and the municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe initial appointment was made through a deviation process,\u201d Brown said, \u201cand all subsequent expenditures will be recorded as deviations. The project is currently underway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gertse, however, said the current municipal council, in office since 2021, should be provided with a full report on how the company was awarded the contract and why the deviation was needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe DA has already proven that it is not serious about dealing with alleged corruption, if one considers how they protected former Mayor Conrad Poole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf they are serious about clean, good governance they should table the report as a matter of urgency and allow opposition parties to scrutinise it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project is a joint initiative of Drakenstein Municipality and the Western Cape Government and will bring about 384 housing opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two spheres of government are investing a combined R77 million into the Simondium project, which will run over three years and include the development of infrastructure services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The GOOD party in the Drakenstein municipal area is demanding answers for why a new housing development in Simondium reportedly to the tune of R23 million was awarded to a private construction company \u201cwithout council oversight\u201d by the 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Bradley Brown glibly quotes Section 53(2) of the Rates Act ( 6 of 2004 ) to justify the \"prescribed fee\" to cover \"administrative costs\". Although an objector does in fact apply to the Municipal Manager to supply the reasons\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lesersbrief_81187.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lesersbrief_81187.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lesersbrief_81187.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lesersbrief_81187.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Lesersbrief_81187.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":110508,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/drakenstein-veroordeel-pogings-om-grond-in-simondium-te-beset\/","url_meta":{"origin":48394,"position":4},"title":"Drakenstein veroordeel pogings om grond in Simondium te ‘beset’","author":"Paarl Post","date":"16 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Die Drakenstein-munisipaliteit het die optrede van sowat 40 mense, wat onlangs 'n stuk munisipale grond in Simondium probeer beset het, ten sterkste veroordeel.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Die behuisingsprojek kom langs die Simondium Prim\u00eare Skool. 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According to Drakenstein Municipality residential property values in the Paarl and Wellington area have increased by between 50% and 60% over the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/paarlpost\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Drakenstein have seen rapid development in the area. 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