GOOD Statement by Rosa Louw,
GOOD Garden Route Municipality Councillor & Mayoral Candidate
02 October 2026
The arrest of a Former Mayor, Acting Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer on corruption charges has sent shockwaves and is a serious development for local government in the Western Cape.
These are three of the most senior positions in a municipality, entrusted with political leadership, administration and control over public finances.
SAPS alleges that a businessman holding a municipal security contract was solicited for kickbacks in exchange for the continuation of that contract, and that hundreds of thousands of rands had already been paid.
The accused are entitled to due process, and the allegations must now be tested in court. But allegations of this nature strike directly at the trust residents place in local government.
Municipal contracts involve public money. Nobody should have to pay anyone on the side to secure or retain work from a municipality. If that is what happened here, those responsible must be held accountable.
GOOD welcomes the investigation and expects the municipality to cooperate fully with law enforcement. For too long, corruption in local government has come at the expense of ordinary residents. Every rand lost to corruption is money that cannot be spent improving communities and delivering the services people pay for.
Knysna deserves better than a municipality making headlines for all the wrong reasons. It deserves leadership that understands that public office is about serving people, not serving yourself.
On 4 November, the people of Knysna will have their say on the future of their municipality.
Knysna needs to be saved from corruption, from the abuse of public office and from politics that has failed its people.
Public office cannot be a marketplace for kickbacks. It belongs to the people.
Media Enquiries: media@forgood.org.za