News24 | Stellenbosch HR boss resigns from acting post, dodges council suspension

Stellenbosch Municipality HR manager Alexander Kannemeyer resigned from his acting role as corporate services director.

• Stellenbosch Municipality HR manager Alexander Kannemeyer resigned from his acting role as corporate services director.
• His resignation means council cannot suspend him under the Municipal Structures Act.
• This comes after a viral video showing him suggesting life for white employees should be made “difficult” until they resign.

Embattled Stellenbosch Municipality human resources manager Alexander Kannemeyer avoided suspension this week by resigning from his acting role as corporate services director, leaving council powerless to act against him.

This comes after a special confidential in-committee council meeting which took place on Wednesday afternoon, during which councillors heard that Kannemeyer had resigned from his acting role as corporate services director last week.

However, Kannemeyer is still employed by the municipality as a human resources manager.

This followed a viral video in which he suggested that life for white employees should be made “difficult” until they resign.

The council convened the sitting to determine whether Kannemeyer should be suspended after he was given seven days to provide reasons why he should not be placed on precautionary suspension.

READ | ‘Racism allegations a witch-hunt’ - under-fire Stellenbosch HR boss in letter to council

DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp told News24 that Kannemeyer’s resignation as a Section 56 manager now means that council cannot suspend him.

In terms of the Municipal Structures Act, a municipal council can only suspend someone who is a Section 56 manager or who officially acts in that role.

Aucamp added:

He added that the DA still wants the matter investigated, as per a motion tabled before council two weeks ago and approved.

“The DA also requests that the municipal manager, who, in terms of the Structures Act, is now the only person that can suspend Mr Kannemeyer, do so immediately because of the risk that he could influence the investigation in his current position,” he said.

According to Aucamp, the Municipal Systems Act regulations require Kannemeyer to make these representations to council and for council to meet within seven days to consider those representations.

“That is what the law requires. That council meeting took place yesterday and had items on its agenda other than this item, so its meeting was not solely about Kannemeyer. By the time of Wednesday’s meeting, Kannemeyer had already resigned from the acting director position.

“The fact that Kannemeyer resigned as acting director for corporate services, however, does not negate the requirement for a council meeting to receive, note and consider the representations,” he said.

In his letter, Kannemeyer claimed the racism allegations were part of a witch-hunt aimed at derailing an ongoing investigation into senior officials accused of serious irregularities.

He argued that any suspension would pose serious risks to the municipality and insisted such action would be “unlawful, procedurally flawed and unfair”.

The decision not to suspend Kannemeyer followed deliberations on his detailed written submission, seen by News24, in which he set out reasons why he should remain in office.

In his submission, Kannemeyer reiterated that the viral video, which surfaced earlier this month, captured events from 13 March 2023.

In the clip, he expressed disapproval over the appointment of a white man and argued that the decision hindered transformation in the municipality.

He said the matter had already been investigated twice – internally in 2023, through Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration proceedings in October 2023 and through arbitration later that year. None of the complaints were upheld, and non-resolution certificates were issued.

READ | Stellenbosch director reaches exit deal with municipality amid misconduct claims

Kannemeyer said the investigation found no wrongdoing on his part and that “subjecting” him to a repeat of this matter amounted to transgressing the principle of double jeopardy.

He added that the municipality had been aware of the “infamous” social media video as early as June 2023.

“The only difference is that the video was not made public until now, and because it has been released or made public now through social media forums, the Stellenbosch municipal council has chosen to concede to the ‘trial by media’ principle to save face in the media and other forums who have all jumped on the bandwagon of misconstrued and severely derogatory information,” he said.

Approached for comment, the municipality on Thursday confirmed that council met in-committee on Wednesday to deliberate on the Kannemeyer matter.

“It would not be appropriate to comment publicly on a confidential, in-committee meeting. The municipality therefore has no further comment beyond what has already been placed in the public domain by the respective political parties,” it said.