SPANNING tussen die Oudtshoorn Munisipaliteit en die bestuur en trusteeraad van die CP Nel Museum op Oudtshoorn het verlede week uitgeloop op ’n uitsettingsbevel wat die munisipaliteit teen die museumraad, en nie die museum nie, verkry het.
“Dié uitsettingsbevel is ’n dringende ingryping om onherstelbare skade aan ’n belangrike bate van Oudtshoorn se kulturele erfenis te voorkom,” sê Chris Macpherson, burgemeester van die Groter Oudtshoorn, in ’n verklaring wat deur sy kantoor uitgereik is. “Dit is vir my skokkend dat so ’n belangrike erfenis- en toerisme-aantreklikheid misbruik en in der waarheid geskaak word vir mense se persoonlike agendas ten koste van Oudtshoorn se mense.
“Die museum behoort aan Oudtshoorn en moet deur Oudtshoorn bestuur word. Ek wil dit duidelik stel dat die uitsettingsbevel op die raad van die museum beteken is en nie gedoen is om die museum te sluit nie.”
Die volgende ses aangeleenthede het volgens die verklaring aanleiding gegee tot die uitstettingsbevel:
• Die samestelling van die huidige museumraad is nie verteenwoordigend van die inwoners van Oudtshoorn nie en het geen verteenwoordigers uit die bruin gemeenskap nie.
Die twee verteenwoordigers van die munisipaliteit en Tuinroete Distriksmunisipaliteit word nie by vergaderings ingesluit nie.
Die museumraad bestaan hoofsaaklik uit mense van buite Oudtshoorn.
• Vriende van die Museum, ’n vrywillige inwoner-organisasie wat oor dekades die belange van die museum op die hart gedra en die museum befonds het, word misken. Geen finansiële state is beskikbaar gestel om te toon hoe meer as R1 miljoen wat deur die Vriende van die Museum ingesamel is, aangewend of belê is nie.
• Die museumraad het sonder magtiging van die provinsiale departement van kultuursake en sport hofsake aanhangig gemaak teen die Oudtshoorn Besigheidskamer, Oudtshoorn Toerisme en Agri Klein Karoo oor die gebou waarin hulle gevestig was met die vraag wat gevra word oor hoe dié koste gedek is.
• Die museumraad het regstappe teen die ontwikkelaars van die Queen’s Mall gedoen om hulle te verhoed om die parkeerarea op te knap.
• Die oorspronklike ooreenkoms tussen die museum en die munisipaliteit, wat in 1974 onderteken is, het die ou skoolgebou waarin die museum tans is en oor twee erwe strek ingesluit. Dié erwe sluit die biblioteek en ’n groot gedeelte van die parkeerarea van die Queen’s Mall in.
• Die museum het sonder om enige kwytskelding van die munisipale raad te kry, geen erfbelasting, water of kragverbruik betaal nie. ’n Rekening vir die agterstallige geld word nou op die museumraad beteken.
Reaksie van museum
Die bestuurder van die museum, Moses Mthethwa, se verklaring oor die uitsettingsbevel en klagtes van die munisipaliteit is eers gister laatmiddag ontvang en sal op Die Hoorn se webblad by dié berig geplaas word.
In sy reaksie bevraagteken Mthethwa die redes wat deur die burgemeester verskaf word en beskryf dit as vreemd. Hy sit breedvoerig uiteen in watter opsigte hy met die burgemeester se redes vir uitsetting verskil.
Hy sê dat die museum se trusteeraad hul pligte toegewyd, professioneel en met waardigheid uitvoer binne die raamwerk van toepaslike wetgewing in die beste belang van die gemeenskap van die Groter Oudtshoorn. Hy gee ook die versekering dat die trusteeraad van die CP Nel Museum verteenwoordigend is van al die mense van Oudtshoorn.
• Op die Facebook-bladsy van die CP Nel Museum is verlede Vrydag aangedui dat ’n uitsettingsbevel op 25 Oktober bedien is. Luidens die inskrywing is die kennisgewing “nie voorafgegaan deur enige samesprekings of kontak tussen amptenare of die museum se trusteeraad nie.”
Volgens die museumraad was hulle nie bewus van ’n raadsbesluit oor die uitsetting nie, en sal hulle die besluit bestry en ’n kopie van die raadsbesluit oor die uitsetting wil bekom. (Deur Stefan Skapie Goosen)
• Die CP Nel Museum trusteeraad se volle terugvoer:
Media Release – CP Nel Museum Board of Trustees.
1. The Mayor of the Oudtshoorn Municipality issued a statement on 1 November 2022, titled the Eviction of the Board of the CP Nel Museum.
2. The Mayor cited a number of reasons, as forming the basis for the decision to evict the CP Nel Museum from the premises at 3 Baron Van Rheede Street, Oudtshoorn.
3. The reasons provided by the Mayor are questionable and strange.
4. It is correct that the CP Nel Museum belongs to all the people of Oudtshoorn, but it is completely wrong to contend that there are troubling issues that are being allowed by the Board of Trustees, to the detriment of the museum.
5. Foremost, the CP Nel Museum, as are all other museums, is subject to the Museum Ordinance No 8 of 1975 (“the Museum Ordinance”). The CP Nel Museum, as are all other museums, is accountable to the Provincial Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Sport. The Board of Trustees exercises control of a museum in line with provisions of the Museum Ordinance and are appointed by the Provincial Minister.
6. Trustees are appointed following a nomination and vetting process. They are not appointed at will, without any care or consideration. The appointment of the Board of Trustees comes after the public nomination process is advertised in Government Gazette and local newspapers. Following the nomination process, the Minister considers applications received and appoint the trustees based on the defined criteria.
7. Four Trustees of the CP Nel Museum were born, reside and work in the greater Oudtshoorn area.
8. All the Trustees of the Board of the CP Nel Museum, share common interests with the greater Oudtshoorn community.
9. The Trustees acknowledge and recognise the valuable contributions made by the Friends of the CP Nel Museum. It is with great concern that their invaluable contribution is opportunistically used to infer that there are disregarded.
10. The financial records of the CP Nel Museum are prepared in line with the Museum Ordinance. The Trustees of the CP Nel Museum, as the controlling body of the museum, are mandated to ensure that the accounting records are properly prepared, audited and tabled at the museum’s annual general meeting. In addition, the museum’s financial records are scrutinised by the Auditor General and since 2018, the CP Nel Museum received a clean audit.
11. The museum is not accountable to the Oudtshoorn Municipality, but to the Provincial Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Sport. Accordingly, the financial records of the museum are made available to the Ministry, and not the Oudtshoorn municipality. To make it patently clear, there are no financial irregularities at the museum, and the Auditor General monitors the audit process performed by the museum’s independent auditor.
12. The CP Nel Museum received an exemption and is not required to pay any municipal service fees to the Oudtshoorn Municipality. This exemption was authorised by the full Municipal Council in May 2005.
13. In 2016 and again in 2022, the issue of municipal arrears due by the CP Nel Museum were raised with the Board of Trustees and the decision of the full council was presented to the municipality. The Board of Trustees are not aware of any resolution purporting to revoke the decision made by the full council in May 2005.
14. The action initiated by the Board of Trustees of the CP Nel Museum are the subject matter of litigation. Save to state that the litigation was properly considered and authorised, it would be irregular for the Board of Trustees to address the merits thereof in the media.
15. The Board of Trustees of the CP Nel Museum executes its functions diligently, professionally, without bias or undue influence. It does so with humility and dignity, and within the confines of all applicable laws, in the best interest of all the inhabitants of the greater Oudtshoorn community.
16. Be assured that the Board of Trustees of the CP Nel Museum are representative of all the people of
Oudtshoorn, and not just a part or segment thereof.
End!