Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk gives readers (his version of) The Truth

While the Nelson Mandela Bay city council awaits word from Cooperative Governance MEC Zolile Williams on whether any action will be taken against Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk following his conviction for contempt of court, Van Niekerk has decided to share “The Truth” with the public.

The Truth is a series of articles, posted on his Facebook page, wherein he sets out his version of the events that led to his arrest for fraud and flouting the Municipal Finance Management Act.

His posts are based on the representations he submitted to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last month in the hope of getting the charges against him withdrawn.

The posts bear a striking resemblance to posters of The Herald, a Gqeberha newspaper, which Van Niekerk has accused of mocking him for statements he made during his court appearances.

“They have mocked me, but two can play at that game,” said Van Niekerk.

Van Niekerk faces charges of cyberfraud and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act, dating back to 2022, when he allegedly racked up legal bills that cost the municipality more than R570,000 when he was not authorised to do so.

Van Niekerk was removed as a councillor and from his position as council speaker after a squabble with his political party, the Northern Alliance, but a court order subsequently reinstated him.

Van Niekerk denies any wrongdoing, claiming that the legal opinions were part of his crusade against corruption and centred around the appointment of Noxolo Nqwazi as Nelson Mandela Bay city manager in March 2022.

In an attempt to have the charges against him scrapped, Van Niekerk presented the DPP with a detailed account and timeline of events, which he was confident would see him walk free.

However, the court set aside these representations, and his trial is scheduled for May 2026.

Read more: Nelson Mandela Bay Deputy Mayor Gary van Niekerk will ‘reveal the truth’ during fraud trial

After leaving the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, Van Niekerk vowed that he would “reveal the truth” and later that day shared an image on his Facebook page of a fake news publication named The Truth.

On Tuesday, he posted a lengthy “article” headlined “The Truth of the Case of Deputy Executive Mayor Gary van Niekerk”.

He has since posted two more articles and promised more to come.

‘The real story’

When asked about his “publication”, Van Niekerk said he was tired of media outlets not telling his side of the story.

“It is important for the truth to come out. The media has not been covering my version of events, so I decided to do my own reporting and to tell the people the real story.”

In one of his posts, headlined “Deputy Mayor’s Call for a Forensic Investigation at Legal Rocks the Bay”, Van Niekerk said he had “formally instructed” the acting city manager, Lonwabo Ngoqo, to initiate a forensic investigation into the municipality’s Legal Services Department, which Van Niekerk claimed is “where the rot begins”.

On Thursday, he confirmed that he had written to Ngoqo and would hold him accountable until the investigation was complete.

Ngoqo could not be reached for comment.

Asked why his posts imitated The Herald’s posters, the deputy mayor said it was his way of poking fun at a publication that mocked him after he was convicted of contempt of court.

Last month, Van Niekerk testified that he missed a previous court date because he had to attend an urgent event in Germany that could potentially secure foreign investment, create jobs and “save lives”.

He was convicted and fined R2,000.

Read more: Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk guilty of contempt of court

Not amused

Management at The Herald was not amused by Van Niekerk’s parody.

Bongani Siqoko, the coastal chief commercial officer for Arena Holdings, the publication’s parent company, said: “This is an unfortunate attempt to use The Herald’s style and design, seemingly in an attempt to confuse the general public and Nelson Mandela Bay community.

“We appreciate his right to freedom of expression, but there is a clear attempt to create confusion in the minds of the readers using The Herald style and design.

“While we condemn this, we know and trust that our readers will see this for what it is, and will not be fooled or fall for it.”

Opposition party officials also took Van Niekerk’s “truth” with a pinch of salt. Van Niekerk has called DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal “the most corrupt politician in Nelson Mandela Bay”.

DA councillor Morne Steyn said, “The law states that a senior official, like Van Niekerk, is obligated to lay charges and report cases of corruption to law enforcement.

“No cases, based on Van Niekerk’s claims, have been opened. So either he does not have the proof, or he has broken the law by not reporting them. So which is it?”

Steyn said he was awaiting a response from the city council over a motion he attempted to bring at a previous meeting, which the council speaker, Eugene Johnson, blocked.

Read more: DA accuses ANC speaker of protecting Nelson Mandela Bay deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk

Steyn tried to bring a motion requesting MEC Williams to decide on Van Niekerk’s future in the council after his contempt of court conviction.

Johnson cancelled the hearing of all motions during a council meeting last week, which Steyn said was a blatant attempt to stop the council from debating the issue.

In a letter dated October 28, the same day as the council meeting, Johnson requested Williams’ input and attached Steyn’s motion to the letter.

In the letter, she stated that the motion pertained to “a matter previously investigated” by the MEC’s office.

She referred to Williams’s intervention when Van Niekerk was suspended from the council in December following his arrest for the matter currently before court.

Steyn, however, said the motion dealt with a new issue — Van Nierkerk’s criminal conviction.

“We are not happy with the speaker’s letter, but we have not pressed the matter any further. Processes need to be followed, and we await feedback from the MEC with regard to Johnson’s letter,” said Steyn.

Williams could not be reached for comment. DM