A COUNCILLOR fears for the safety of his family after receiving a menacing "Happy Christmas" note yesterday with a bullet enclosed in the envelope.
Uitenhage Ward 45 councillor Monde Vaaltyn has laid charges of intimidation at KwaNobuhle police station. He said a group of small business owners from Port Elizabeth had been phoning him almost daily since last month, demanding of him to stop meddling in a civil works contract in KwaNobuhle which is supposed to start next year.
Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the SMMEs, the chairman of Black Business Federation of South Africa, Mhleli Peter, said while they had contacted Vaaltyn a couple of times to ask him why he was involving himself in matters of business, they were not, in any way, to blame for the bullet in the envelope.
Vaaltyn said the impasse with the SMMEs was sparked by a letter that he wrote to city manager Mpilo Mbambisa three weeks ago asking why 11 SMMEs - all from Port Elizabeth - had benefited from the contract while Uitenhage businesses were left out in the cold.
The project to install a sewer link in wards 44 and 45 is worth R23-million, with Techni Civils appointed as the main contractor. The municipality's policy dictates that 30% of the contract must be sub-contracted to SMMEs.
"I wrote to Mr Mbambisa to ask why they chose the SMMEs when the tender document said there must be a tendering or bidding process," Vaaltyn said. "I said it can't be that you take 11 SMMEs from Port Elizabeth while you didn't consider Uitenhage businesses. I told him to investigate the matter.
"That e-mail to the city manager ended up in the hands of the SMMEs - and I started getting phone calls from these SMMEs who were quoting my letter," he said.
Things came to a head last week Wednesday when a group of about 20 small business owners turned up at his council office, demanding to discuss the matter with him.
"Someone informed the Uitenhage business forum and they also turned up and then it became a fight between the two groups and I called the police to intervene."
Vaaltyn said the latest phone call he received was on Wednesday evening and he was allegedly told they would "deal with me".
Yesterday morning he discovered a bullet inside an envelope with the words "Happy Christmas honourable Vaaltein [sic]" on the top in the front yard of his home.
Peter said a group of business owners had tried to meet with Vaaltyn last Wednesday because they wanted to "clarify a few things with the councillor" - not to close his office.
"On [Wednesday] night, we phoned him to say if he doesn't want the SMMEs from the rest of the metro to benefit - and only businesses from his ward - then he must tell us and then we'll say goodbye, happy Christmas.
"He is sticking his nose in business which does not belong to him," Peter said.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said there was a need to empower emerging businesses and the municipality had made its tender process "friendly to SMMEs".
He said threats of violence would not help matters.
"It will at the end compromise the [municipality's] efforts to bring a better life for all and move South Africa forward."
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Councillor sent a bullet in envelope - tender dispute boils over to threats
A COUNCILLOR fears for the safety of his family after receiving a menacing "Happy Christmas" note yesterday with a bullet enclosed in the envelope.
Uitenhage Ward 45 councillor Monde Vaaltyn has laid charges of intimidation at KwaNobuhle police station. He said a group of small business owners from Port Elizabeth had been phoning him almost daily since last month, demanding of him to stop meddling in a civil works contract in KwaNobuhle which is supposed to start next year.
Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the SMMEs, the chairman of Black Business Federation of South Africa, Mhleli Peter, said while they had contacted Vaaltyn a couple of times to ask him why he was involving himself in matters of business, they were not, in any way, to blame for the bullet in the envelope.
Vaaltyn said the impasse with the SMMEs was sparked by a letter that he wrote to city manager Mpilo Mbambisa three weeks ago asking why 11 SMMEs - all from Port Elizabeth - had benefited from the contract while Uitenhage businesses were left out in the cold.
The project to install a sewer link in wards 44 and 45 is worth R23-million, with Techni Civils appointed as the main contractor. The municipality's policy dictates that 30% of the contract must be sub-contracted to SMMEs.
"I wrote to Mr Mbambisa to ask why they chose the SMMEs when the tender document said there must be a tendering or bidding process," Vaaltyn said. "I said it can't be that you take 11 SMMEs from Port Elizabeth while you didn't consider Uitenhage businesses. I told him to investigate the matter.
"That e-mail to the city manager ended up in the hands of the SMMEs - and I started getting phone calls from these SMMEs who were quoting my letter," he said.
Things came to a head last week Wednesday when a group of about 20 small business owners turned up at his council office, demanding to discuss the matter with him.
"Someone informed the Uitenhage business forum and they also turned up and then it became a fight between the two groups and I called the police to intervene."
Vaaltyn said the latest phone call he received was on Wednesday evening and he was allegedly told they would "deal with me".
Yesterday morning he discovered a bullet inside an envelope with the words "Happy Christmas honourable Vaaltein [sic]" on the top in the front yard of his home.
Peter said a group of business owners had tried to meet with Vaaltyn last Wednesday because they wanted to "clarify a few things with the councillor" - not to close his office.
"On [Wednesday] night, we phoned him to say if he doesn't want the SMMEs from the rest of the metro to benefit - and only businesses from his ward - then he must tell us and then we'll say goodbye, happy Christmas.
"He is sticking his nose in business which does not belong to him," Peter said.
Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said there was a need to empower emerging businesses and the municipality had made its tender process "friendly to SMMEs".
He said threats of violence would not help matters.
"It will at the end compromise the [municipality's] efforts to bring a better life for all and move South Africa forward."
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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