‘Official state visit’ to watch Rugby World Cup final kicks up Theewaterskloof Municipality funding spat

Theewaterskloof Municipality speaker Derick Appel at Cape Town International Airport on Monday, 23 October 2023. (Photo: Facebook)

By Victoria O’Regan

25 Oct 2023

Two senior Theewaterskloof Municipality officials are headed to the Rugby World Cup final on what the council has dubbed an ‘official state visit’, but questions have been raised about the real reason behind the trip – and who is footing the bill.

Daily Maverick has seen a Theewaterskloof Municipality document stating that deputy mayor John Michels and speaker Derick Appel were to travel to France and the UK this week on an “official state visit” to watch the Springboks take on the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup final in Paris and to meet embassy officials.

The 17 October letter, addressed to Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) director-general Zane Dangor, from Theewaterskloof Municipality’s municipal manager Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, reveals the plan of Michels and Appel to travel to France and the UK between 23 and 31 October and to be in Paris for the Rugby World Cup final.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Rugby World Cup News Hub

“As part of the international visit, a partnership engagement will be taking place with the Leicester Tigers Rugby on Wednesday, 25 October 2023, at its facility situated at the Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium in Leicester (United Kingdom), to engage and discuss sports development programmes and partnership arrangements,” read the correspondence on an official Theewaterskloof Municipality letterhead, seen by Daily Maverick.

theewaterskloof michels Theewaterskloof Municipality Deputy Mayor John Michels at Cape Town International Airport on Monday, 23 October 2023. (Photo: Facebook)

theewaterskloof appel Theewaterskloof Municipality speaker Derick Appel at Cape Town International Airport on Monday, 23 October 2023. (Photo: Facebook)

“The delegation [will] kindly request a meeting and pay a courtesy visit to the Embassy in the United Kingdom and France and meet with the relevant officials to discuss trade and investment.”

“Given the official travel to both the United Kingdom and France it would [be] appreciated if a note verbale can be provided,” it continues.

Theewaterskloof Local Municipality, in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, is led by a coalition of the ANC, Patriotic Alliance and Good party.

Appel, who is also the treasurer for the Western Cape ANC, is facing charges of allegedly assaulting three law enforcement officers during centenary celebrations in Riviersonderend in September, News24 reported.

Michels was reportedly facing charges in an internal investigation by the Good party in March this year, following sexual harassment allegations.

The local municipality includes the towns of Greyton, Grabouw, Genadendal, Villiersdorp, Tesselaarsdal, Riviersonderend, Caledon and Botrivier.

Who’s footing the bill?

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the DA in Theewaterskloof called for “immediate answers” from the PA, ANC and Good coalition on the deputy mayor and speaker’s plans to attend the Rugby World Cup final “under the guise of an official state visit”.

“If the official visits are an excuse to watch the Rugby World Cup, it is a complete disgrace that executives from a municipality like Theewaterskloof, find it appropriate to go watch rugby matches and meet with a rugby club, all while services continue to crumble under [their] corrupt and incapable leadership.

“The DA in Theewaterskloof calls on the PA-led coalition to explain the said letter and to give clarity on who will be footing the bill,” said Isaac Sileku, the DA’s constituency head in Theewaterskloof.

In response to questions from Daily Maverick, Theewaterskloof Municipality spokesperson Hugo Geldenhuys said on Wednesday that funding for the trip did not come from municipal coffers, nor did the municipality have a hand in arranging the trip.

He was, however, unable to confirm who did fund the trip.

“The narrative that the speaker and deputy mayor were ‘sent’ to France by the municipality is wrong. The municipality did not pay for any of their expenses and also did not send them,” said Geldenhuys.

“They decided that whilst they’re in France, they would, on their own accord, visit embassies and potential project partners to investigate and forge opportunities for Theewaterskloof Municipality and the people of this municipal area. They will also discuss sporting opportunities for the youths of Theewaterskloof with rugby and other roleplayers.

“As they intend to have talks with government organs abroad, the municipal manager wrote a letter to a relevant organ of state to request diplomatic support and recognition for the speaker and deputy mayor,” he continued.

Geldenhuys failed to confirm who paid for the trip, and in a WhatsApp message, referred Daily Maverick back to Michels and Appel for comment.

“I cannot comment on payment for the trip as the municipality is not paying. About their personal arrangements and payments, you should talk to them [Michels and Appel],” said Geldenhuys.

Curiously, both Michels and Appel claimed to be paying for the “official state visit” themselves.

In response to our questions, Appel initially referred Daily Maverick to Geldenhuys for comment. However, in response to a follow-up request for comment, he later replied: “My trip is paid [for] by myself!”

Michels responded to questions from Daily Maverick simply with a thumbs-up emoji. However, in a post on a Grabouw community news group on Facebook, the deputy mayor maintained that Theewaterskloof did not pay for his trip – but he does not say who did.

“I want to put it on record that Theewaterskloof doesn’t give out a cent for my trip overseas. The project that I am doing as deputy mayor to continue sports ties with abroad is to further the dreams of our youth. This is my project and I am doing it as [deputy] mayor. IT DOESN'T COST [THEEWATERSKLOOF] A CENT.

“The reason for the letter going around is to help me get a visa because my first visa application was unsuccessful,” he said in the Facebook post.

This contradicts what the municipality claims was the reason for the letter.

‘Official clout’

According to Geldenhuys, the letter was to request “some official clout so that they [Michels and Appel] can talk on behalf of Theewaterskloof Municipality – so that is why they wanted some diplomatic support”.

In response to a question from Daily Maverick on why a letter was needed from Theewaterskloof municipal manager Solomons-Johannes if the municipality was not funding the visit, and Michels and Appel were travelling of their own accord, Geldenhuys said: “Whilst they’re there, they are going to endeavour to talk to local municipalities there to see if they can forge partnerships between us and them. So what these guys are actually doing now – as far as I can gather – is that they, without us paying for anything, are going to try and create opportunities between us and those municipalities and also sport codes…

“But that I have very little information on because this is not an official municipal thing. But because they are going to try and see municipalities, they wanted some sort of support… that would help them to act as government entities. So that we can benefit but we don’t pay for anything. So that is basically all I can tell you.”

Daily Maverick contacted Solomons-Johannes for comment, but he referred us to Geldenhuys.

Geldenhuys also confirmed that no decision had been taken by the council on the trip.

“There was no council decision about this and the municipality is not paying for it. What I am trying to tell you is that I do not know whether there’s an entity that pays for it. I do not know that. All there is that I know is that we did not make the arrangements and we’re not paying for it,” he said.

On our question of why Appel is part of this “official” delegation representing the municipality overseas, given the criminal charges against him, Geldenhuys replied: “The speaker of Theewaterskloof appeared in court, but the allegations or alleged charges were not read. The speaker was not requested to [plead]. The case was postponed for further investigations.”

Speaking to Daily Maverick on Wednesday afternoon, the DA’s Sileku questioned where Appel and Michels got the mandate to engage on behalf of the municipality if the trip had not been approved by the council.

“If they want to represent the council, then they [must] have a mandate. Firstly, the speaker does not have a mandate to go and speak on behalf of council; the deputy mayor does not have a mandate because he is deputy mayor and he does not have delegated powers. How is he going to engage with people if that delegated power was not given to him by the council?” he said.

“They need to prove to the public that Theewaterskloof never paid for the trip and that it’s not an official state visit, and they need to explain why that letter was written to Dirco. What was the purpose of that letter written to Dirco? Why did they see it as a need to write to Dirco, if Theewaterskloof is not involved?”

Daily Maverick sent questions to Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela on Tuesday, but no response was received by the time of publication. DM

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Who’s footing the bill?

‘Official clout’