Laingsburg suffered a natural disaster in 1981 when a flood killed 104 people. Now it faces a political disaster with a mayor accused of assaulting his deputy amid allegations of corruption and "Karoo capture".
The dorp on the N1 with a haunted past has a town council almost as scary. A year ago it handed the mayoral chain to former petrol attendant Johannes Mienies, only to snatch it away a month later.
It has since reinstated former mayor Mike Gouws, who is accused of assaulting deputy mayor Irene Brown. Mienies, in the meantime, is fighting back, claiming he was illegally deposed and has taken his challenge to the Cape Town high court.
The opposition DA claims the political chaos is so bad that last month it had to approve draft annual financial statements in the absence of councillors from the ANC and the Karoo Ontwikkelingsparty (KOP).
The extent of the crisis was laid bare last week in an internal ANC dispute involving Brown, Laingsburg councillor Benny Kleinbooi and the ANC provincial leadership.
Kleinbooi and Brown were summoned to Cape Town to account for alleged insubordination. Correspondence related to this meeting reveals infighting and dysfunction.
In a letter Brown sent last week to ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs, she appealed for action against Gouws. She claims he "brutally" assaulted her 18 months ago.
"Comrade Faiez, it is still heartbreaking to think and relive that ordeal … and the fact that you did nothing for the whole year since the incident," Brown wrote.
"Since that incident the same woman-abuser and attacker is still arrogant and under the protection of [Central Karoo regional secretary] Windy Plaatjies and the regional executive committee."
A criminal complaint has also been made against Gouws.
Brown declined to comment beyond saying she was awaiting feedback from her provincial leadership.
Kleinbooi said his run-in with the ANC was due to his attempts to expose council corruption, including the alleged irregular awarding of tenders. On Tuesday he laid a criminal complaint with Laingsburg police.
In an affidavit he said he was being victimised because of his anti-corruption stance and called for a Hawks probe of the council. "I have been suspended for being a whistleblower and for exposing the corrupt activities in the Laingsburg municipality," Kleinbooi said.
Mienies, who could not use the mayoral car because he has no licence, confirmed his ousting from the council.
"There was never a disciplinary hearing against me. I was just informed that I was removed and membership of KOP suspended," he said.
James-Brent Styan, spokesperson for the Western Cape local government MEC Anton Bredell, said Kleinbooi was entitled to return to work.
"It is the department's view that [Kleinbooi] may still serve on the council as there has been no request from the council to the MEC … to suspend Mr Kleinbooi," he said.
Gouws scoffed at some of the allegations against him before terminating a call from the Sunday Times. He slated Kleinbooi as "a joke all over town" and denied assaulting Brown.
DA caucus leader Wilhelm Theron said party councillors had to approve the council's draft annual financial report because of the ANC infighting. "That's an ugly story that one. I'd rather not go into it," he said.
ANC provincial spokesperson Dennis Cruywagen said a disciplinary process was under way into allegations of misconduct against Kleinbooi.
"It would not be fair to comment further. He is still deployed to the council. The internal process does not affect his status as a councillor," he said.
Laingsburg police did not respond to questions...