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The civil rights organization AfriForum welcomes the decision by the Commercial Crime Unit of the Police (Hawks) to bring two former Oudtshoorn Municipal Managers, Martin Pietersen and Mpho Mogale, as well as a former attorney for the Municipality, Mr Clyde Avontuur, before the court on 28 January 2013.  
 
This is a result of a written complaint by AfriForum about the delay in cases that are considered to be in the public interest. AfriForum approached the National Head of the Hawks' Commercial Crime Unit, General Hans Meiring, to request that cases considered being in the public interest, be regarded as urgent.
 
The charges stem from contracts entered into with the attorneys AVONTUUR AND ASSOCIATES INCORPORATED who were engaged to act against debtors on behalf of the Municipality. Mr Clyde Avontuur appeared on charges of theft of the amount of R532 296 and failure to keep proper accounting records. Pietersen appeared on charges of fraud, alternatively theft of the amount of R313 267. Pietersen was also charged with failure to comply with expenditure management provisions in his capacity as Chief Accounting Officer, or failure to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized, irregular, fruitless or wasteful expenditure. Mogale appeared on similar charges, excluding the charge of theft.
 
The cases were postponed until 3 May 2013.
 
The Oudtshoorn branch of AfriForum applies to all 103 branch managers to show zero tolerance for the misuse of municipal property, which rightfully belongs to taxpayers, and theft of taxpayers' money.