Mayor Colan Sylvester Photo: Facebook Mayor Colan Sylvester Photo: Facebook
Cape Town – All eyes will be on the Oudtshoorn municipality today as its mayor, Colan Sylvester, waits to hear whether a disciplinary hearing against him by the DA’s federal legal commission will be implemented.
Reports have surfaced that five or more DA caucus members have threatened to resign should the hearing go ahead.
Sylvester was earlier this month given a notice to appear before the disciplinary hearing today, with 11 complaints against him, which he said mostly related to what the commission viewed as fabricated allegations by him against municipal manager Allen Paulse.
The allegations related to maladministration, Sylvester said.
The DA placed Sylvester on six-week special leave in August, and barred him from all party and official duties pending the investigation.
Sylvester said he was unsure whether the hearing would proceed, as he had informed the commission he required more time to prepare.
“My legal counsel informed the federal legal commission that the charges against me needed more clarity as they were vague and unclear. They relate to the municipal manager and, among others, allege that I fabricated the allegations against him.
“(Today) our caucus will meet to discuss the matter, but what I can tell you is that half of the caucus is upset that the hearing is taking place, some are of the opinion that this situation was race-based,” he said.
Sylvester alleged the DA leadership had ordered its caucus to remove the matter relating to allegations against Paulse from the agenda.
He said he could not answer whether members would resign as he was as in the dark about it. In August Sylvester said he was following procedure by suspending Paulse because of “overwhelming evidence”.
Oudtshoorn DA constituency head Eleanore Bouw-Spies declined to comment while four DA councillors the Cape Times contacted denied having any knowledge of members threatening to resign.
Oudtshoorn DA chief whip Hendrik Botha said the caucus has been prohibited from speaking to the media.