Settlement reached with Suspended Municipal Manager

- Linda Jaquet -

The Speaker of the Prince Albert Municipal Council, Mr April Pienaar, confirmed to the Friend that the Council had reached an out of court settlement with the suspended Municipal Manager, Mr N M Wicomb, on 29 August 2007. Mr Wicomb’s employment contract with the Municipality was ended and he was paid out his monthly salary until the end of December this year.

According to Mr Pienaar, the Council believed that the settlement prevented any further delay in what was becoming a drawn-out and costly disciplinary procedure.

Mr Wicomb was suspended earlier this year on full benefits and charged with lack of service delivery and the non-implementation of over 40 decisions by the incumbent Municipal Council.

Mr Wicomb’s disciplinary hearing was postponed on more than one occasion, at the request of both his and the Municipality’s legal representatives, respectively.

Mr Pienaar said that the Council planned to advertise the vacant Municipal Manager’s position and to fill it by 1 January 2008.