The DA-led municipality will sit on Friday for a special meeting to discuss the fallout of a leaked video containing racially-charged comments.
The Stellenbosch municipality is set to hold a special council meeting on Friday to address the fallout of a leaked video containing contentious remarks made by an official.
Acting Corporate Services Director Alexander Kannemeyer was seen arguing against the hiring of white candidates and making their lives “difficult” should they be hired.
Union Solidarity have also joined the action against Kannemeyer, giving the municipality an ultimatum that, if not met, will result in legal action.
Push to suspend
Kannemeyer was serving in a human resources capacity in 2023 when he was filmed complaining about the demographic composition of the municipality’s technical staff.
He voiced additional concerns about the messages sent to internal staff when hiring white men from outside the existing pool of staff and the propensity for the preferred candidates to be white men.
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The municipality told The Citizen on Wednesday that Kannemeyer’s remarks did not represent official policy and that he was speaking in an advisory role.
Stellenbosch mayor called for the council meeting on Wednesday, with Democratic Alliance national spokesperson Willie Aucamp elaborating on the reason for the urgent action.
“Race-based bullying, or bullying of any kind, has no place in any workplace. Every candidate and every employee must be treated fairly and equitably, no matter their race or culture,” he said.
The party will on Friday bring a motion to terminate Kannemeyer’s acting directorship, an effective demotion while the DA investigate the matter.
“The DA caucus will also call for his suspension by the municipal manager, who has the power to do this,” stated Aucamp.
Union gives ultimatum
Solidarity stated on Wednesday that they had had the video for several months after a municipal employee who was on the recorded virtual call shared it with the union.
The whistleblower faced the wrath of municipal management, who initiated disciplinary charges in April for sharing the video with solidarity.
“Solidarity brought a case on this behalf of the member, and judgment was rendered in Solidarity’s favour on June 24,” the union confirmed.
The union has given the municipality seven days to suspend Kannemeyer or face legal action.
“The memorandum to the mayor also points to several other grievances from Solidarity against Kannemeyer regarding other discriminatory remarks and incidents in which he was involved,” the union confirmed.
‘Not about transformation’
Afrifourm stated on Wednesday that municipalities should focus on service delivery and that merit-based appointments were the best way to ensure results.
“The community will ultimately suffer the most if the municipality insists on their race-based vendetta to either exclude or force out the best candidates,” stated Afriforum.
The civil rights group said that Kannemeyer’s remarks were unprofessional, as he had a duty to protect workers’ rights.
The DA concurred, with Aucamp saying their push to demote or suspend Kannemeyer was due to his professional failure.
“This matter is not about transformation, employment equity or empowerment – it is about a senior staff member publicly committing to bullying and harassing people in the workplace.
“No person in South Africa would support a policy that calls for bullying and harassment in the workplace,” Aucamp concluded.
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