By Levy Masiteng
Emfuleni Mayor Hassan Mako’s office has confirmed that Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor Bruce Aldrin Nimmerhoudt was mistakenly named for appointment to the municipality’s mayoral committee, after the Democratic Alliance (DA) accused him of illegally serving in two councils.
Mako’s spokesperson, Mphikeleli Msibi, told Inside Metros that the PA had submitted Nimmerhoudt’s name in error as a replacement for Councillor Alfredo Sandamela, but had since corrected the mistake.
“Indeed a mistake was committed when the Patriotic Alliance submitted the name of Cllr Nimmerhoudt as its replacement for Cllr Sandamela. However, they have since corrected that and Cllr Rowan Wilton Lawaak who is to be sworn in [today] is the correct appointment,” Msibi said.
“The Executive Mayor, Cllr Hassan Mako has considered this an honest mistake by the leadership of the PA,” Msibi said.
The clarification follows claims by DA Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala that Nimmerhoudt remained a sitting councillor in Rand West City Local Municipality while also appearing to have been appointed to Emfuleni’s mayoral committee.
“Cllr. Bruce Aldrin Nimmerhoudt of the Patriotic Alliance is a sitting and serving Councillor of Rand West City Local Municipality – and it now appears that he is simultaneously occupying a seat in Emfuleni Council,” Chabalala said.
He further alleged that Nimmerhoudt was “double-dipping on taxpayer-funded salaries”.
The DA said it would seek criminal accountability should evidence emerge that Nimmerhoudt was unlawfully occupying two council seats, adding that it would refer the matter to the police for investigation into possible fraud.
Chabalala also claimed that Rand West City Council had not received a resignation letter from Nimmerhoudt and that Independent Electoral Commission records still reflected him as a councillor in that municipality.
“The Rand West Council has not received a resignation from Cllr Nimmerhoudt, meaning that now he is earning two salaries illegally,” Chabalala alleged.
Nimmerhoudt has denied that he serves in Emfuleni. Speaking to The Sowetan, he said his inclusion on the mayoral committee list was an administrative mistake and that he had neither been sworn in as an MMC nor served as a councillor in Emfuleni.
“I have not been sworn in as MMC in Emfuleni, nor am I a councillor there. I serve as a councillor in Rand West City,” Nimmerhoudt said.
He added that the intended appointee was Rowan Wilton Lawaak and insisted that he had “no interest in Emfuleni at all”.
The allegations followed Mako’s announcement of his new mayoral committee after he was elected Emfuleni executive mayor last week.
Mako succeeded former mayor Sipho Radebe, who was recalled by the ANC amid concerns over service delivery failures in the troubled municipality.
In announcing his executive team, Mako said the appointments followed consultations with coalition and alliance partners.
However, the DA said that the appointments reflected political bargaining within the governing coalition.
“The Emfuleni Mayor’s statement on the matter reads as clear as can be: ‘Following a vigorous process of consulting various stakeholders which included the alliance and coalition partners…’ – it is clear, this is political horse trading,” the party said.
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