Cape Town - Over the past three financial years, the Western Cape has spent about R170 000 on legal fees to fight the public protector’s findings against Local Government MEC Anton Bredell, who was found guilty of breaching the Code of Ethics in October 2021.
Premier Alan Winde said the costs are those of senior and junior counsel briefed and their related attendances in the matter to date.
Winde said: “The total fees for the 2020/21 financial year were R27 600, for the 2021/22 financial year R89 470.04 and for the 2022/23 financial year R52 497.50.”
He revealed the amount in a written response to a query about how much had been spent on legal fees since 2019 to date on reviewing the public protector’s findings against Bredell.
The question had been asked by provincial leader of the opposition Cameron Dugmore (ANC), who also wanted to know the provincial government’s reason for taking the matter under review.
In October 2021, the now suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found Winde and Bredell in breach of the Executive Ethics Act, and ordered Winde to act against Bredell within 60 days.
Mkhwebane found that Winde acted unconstitutionally when he told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in June 2020 that a political agreement between Bredell and DA councillors, in the Oudtshoorn Municipality, to place the council under the administration of the province was legal.
However, in April last year, Winde said he would not discipline Bredell, as advised by the public protector, and that he had instead taken the report on Bredell’s breach of executive ethics code on review.
In his reply to Dugmore, Winde said: “The public protector’s findings and report were taken on review based on legal advice as to the lawfulness and rationality thereof.”
Winde said the review was instituted by himself and Bredell as co-applicants and while initially opposed by the public protector.
He said the matter had subsequently become unopposed after the Office of the Public Protector withdrew its opposition.
The issue will now be set down for hearing on the unopposed roll of the Western Cape High Court later this year.
mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za