Tag Archives: Shaun van Eck

Shaun Van Eck Breaks His Silence on What Happened at Knysna Tourism

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Knysna Tourism is set to continue crawling in the mud (deservedly so). Shaun van Eck, the ex-CEO, is challenging his dismissal and charging Greg Vogt, the current CEO, with defamation. The ragged relationship between Shaun van Eck and myself is well known to the greater public, in no small part because of this blog. However, it’s been a challenge keeping this story alive and pursuing justice so i’m pleased that van Eck has finally broken his silence. He gives new takkies to the controversy, hopefully enabling it, as my pending court cases will, to run out of the shadows into … ‘Click here to read full article…’

The Immaculate Conception of Greg Vogt (Part 1)

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The NSPCA has confirmed that Greg Vogt, the new CEO of Knysna Tourism (KT), has been charged for his alleged role in elephant abuse at Knysna Elephant Park (KEP) during his 7-year tenure as manager. His selection as CEO is controversial and i have previously stated my belief that this was in order to continue the cover-up of the financial disaster that befell Knysna Tourism and should have led to politicians and municipal staff being punished. Ironically, three of the alleged guilty, who were Board Directors with Vogt during that time period, comprised the panel that selected him out of … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Were Knysna Tourism’s Payments to Greg Vogt Legal?

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Greg Vogt will become CEO of Knysna Tourism on July 1 2014 despite clouds of questions hanging over him. I haven’t met a member of the public who can understand his appointment into such an important position. Only the politicians and Lauren Waring seem to be motivating their decision… and that is suspicious in itself considering their role in all that went wrong at Knysna Tourism. In the next blog about him i will show you how he was appointed and why it doesn’t add up. But let’s start with the suspicious payments paid to him by Knysna Tourism via … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Tourism Truth #6: ‘Minister’ Windy Alan Winde Has Failed Knysna

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The buck doesn’t stop with Alan Winde, the MEC for Tourism, but he’s likely, legally, to take the most flack for what has happened in Knysna. Emphasising Alan’s ironic position during Knysna Tourism’s financial disaster is that he was concurrently, the MEC for Economic Development. Even worse, since the 2014 General Election, he’s been given a third portfolio, that of Finance too! Does the addition of the latter now make it even harder for the public to get the truth about financial irregularities in Knysna? MEC is the acronym for ‘Member of the [Provincial] Executive Council’ but, in the Western … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Tourism Truth #5: Winde & Myers Turn Their Backs on Knysna

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Early this year, i shared this letter with you. I repeat it because it fits the chronology of this blog series and provides valuable substantiation and information. Considering that they have all failed to provide the answers they promised, and that Peter Myers (now the Chairman of the Knysna DA Constituency) is actively altering the truth, makes it very important for you to absorb this: Dear Alan Winde and Peter Meyers I have exhaustively tried to get answers and being repeatedly blocked for almost 3 years by the DA, Knysna Municipality (KM) and the Knysna Tourism Board. It is notable … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Tourism Truth #2: The Lauren Waring Lie

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Another central figure in the Knysna Tourism controversy has always been Knysna’s Municipal Manager. Lauren Waring would not assist the public protector by saying what can only amount to a serious distortion of the truth in practice: “We advise that Knysna Tourism is not an entity of the Knysna Municipality nor do we have majority control or shareholding within Knysna Tourism. The Knysna Municipality only provides an annual grant to Knysna Tourism and the relationship between the two parties is regulated by a service level agreement… it should be noted that Knysna Tourism is not a government sector department or … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Tourism Truth #1: The Greg Vogt Lie

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The central question is whether the spending of taxpayer’s money requires oversight? It must seem to be one of the dumbest questions of all time but remains the most relevant regarding the Knysna Tourism financial disaster that resulted in zero punishment and seemed to reward the ex-CEO, Shaun van Eck, with R270 000 and the new CEO, Greg Vogt, with a high-paying job. I’ve written so much and dealt with so many people yet the fundamentals have remained unanswered for 3 years. These have been deliberately obscured by those involved who talk very well (yet with little substance) and subjective … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Should There be Elephant Guilt?

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Oct 26 2015: There is a lot more to this story. I have more information at hand that suggests i soften my stance, that possibly there is no right or wrong but an incredibly difficult grey in between. I still believe that the staff who were involved should have suffered more severe punishment than dismissal but all the facts were not in evidence. Interestingly, rather than hate me for the blog below, The Knysna Elephant Park responded by opening their doors to me. What i’ve seen has encouraged me to look deeper into both sides. The elephant industry, especially in … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Dear Alan Winde, Peter Myers, Magda Moos & Helen Zille

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The goal has long been to understand the financial situation and management of Knysna. This email primarily concerns the Knysna Tourism aspect of that. It further serves to assess the credibility of Alan Winde’s (MEC for Tourism, Finance & Development), Peter Meyer’s (Knysna DA Constituent) and a DA Branch Manager’s offer to assist and the DA’s claim to transparency and accountability. I have exhaustively tried to get answers and being repeatedly blocked for almost 3 years by the DA, Knysna Municipality (KM) and the Knysna Tourism Board. It is notable that you, Alan Winde, have been contacted several times the … ‘Click here to read full article…’

Facebook Alert: Do You Know This Man?

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Before this blog existed, there was little insight into the misdeeds of our local government. Highlighting their failures regularly puts me in the hot seat which makes my life, to put it politely, interesting. Today, it touches on some of you that i know. I refuse to pretend to be anyone but me. Whilst some may, for example, go to church on Sundays (but fail to be moral the other 6 days of the week), i believe in being me, warts and all. If i don’t allow you to see all of me then how could i ever be a … ‘Click here to read full article…’