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The GOOD Party in Nelson Mandela Bay welcomes the decisions by the HAWKS to summon Gary Van Niekerk to court to face charges of fraud.

The charges relate to 2022. He had internal problems with his party, the Northern Alliance, which resulted in him not attending council for almost 6 months.

During his absence from council, Van Niekerk irregularly and directly sought a legal opinion despite being informed not to do so by the Acting Municipal Manager.

The Municipality was billed for the work and has been in a dispute for 2 years to recover the money.

A multi-party committee has already investigated the issue and found Gary Van Niekerk unanimously guilty of breaching the code of conduct.

The committee recommended Van Niekerk be removed or suspended from office; be issued a fine and reimburse money spent

We are optimistic the HAWKS investigation will finally bring closure to the issue.

But this is not the first controversy Van Niekerk has faced.

Having served as Speaker, Mayor and now Deputy Mayo, he constantly finds himself entangled in a series of scandals, casting a shadow over his ethics and credibility.

His actions and decisions have demonstrated a lack of commitment to the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability.

He has used municipal vehicles for personal joyrides, seriously damaging at least three, as well as an external rented car.

He took an unauthorized trip to China while not informing Council, nor disclosing all the details and related costs.

Fraud and corruption has become endemic in our country. It is eating at the very moral Fibre of our communities.

A councillor has been elected to bring about meaningful change in our communities.

We call on Van Niekerk to resign, so we can urgently restore trust in the executive.

The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve the necessary stability to address the multitude of critical issues facing the City.

Issued by GOOD Party