23/10/2026
Your vote can get your town or city working for all!
*If KIM is not part of Knysna’s government, they must resign from their lucrative government positions*
_By Ryan Smith – Democratic Alliance Constituency Head for Knysna_
*Date:* 14 October 2026
*Release:* Immediate
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes a press statement by the Knysna Independent Movement (KIM) stating that it has laid criminal charges against myself and my party for allegedly publishing misinformation by claiming that KIM is part of the ANC/PA/EFF/PBI coalition of chaos in the Knysna municipality. This matter is very simple to resolve.
KIM holds two powerful, well-paid positions in Knysna to which they were elected with the support of the ANC, PA, EFF, and PBI. The DA abstained on both votes. Councillor Mark Willemse was elected to the position of Speaker while Councillor Susan Campbell was elected to the position of Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC). They were elected to these positions and continue to enjoy the massively inflated salary and benefits of the very political arrangement they now pretend not to be part of.
According to the Government Gazette published on 2 June 2022 emanating from the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act 1998, the Knysna Speaker earns R709 349,00 per annum, while a committee chairperson such as the MPAC chairperson earns R651 654,00 per annum. This means that Councillors Mark Willemse and Susan Campbell earn more than double what an ordinary opposition councillor does. This is why KIM constantly turns its guns on the DA and not the ANC, because they need to protect their positions and salaries which the DA has turned down because the DA refuses to join any coalition of corruption and mismanagement.
If KIM is indeed not part of Knysna’s coalition of chaos, why do they hold positions in which they enjoy higher salaries and benefits than oppositions councillors? If KIM wants to prove that it is on the side of residents, they must resign from their positions and revoke the higher salaries and benefits from which they continue to profit at the taxpayers’ expense.
We further call on Councillors Willemse and Campbell to pay back the additional money they have earned since May 2025 as part of the governance arrangement in Knysna to show Knysna’s residents that they are not part of it. If KIM is not a part of Knysna’s coalition of chaos, they must put their money where their mouth is.
MPAC exists to expose corruption and hold the municipality accountable. Yet under Councillor Susan Campbell’s leadership of MPAC since May 2025, corruption and maladministration in Knysna have not been defeated. They have grown worse. That is not leadership, that is failure. But instead of accountability, KIM offers theatrics. Instead of explaining why it clings to cushy positions while Knysna collapses, it opens spurious criminal charges against the DA.
Voters can now see exactly what this is about. KIM is not interested in saving Knysna. It is interested in protecting positions, protecting salaries, and keeping the DA out. The DA will not be intimidated. We will continue telling residents the truth: every vote that props up small parties only leads to an ANC-led government. The anti-DA coalition is a vote to keep Knysna trapped in the same chaos. KIM made its choice when it took up the Speaker position and the MPAC chair. They chose to stand against Knysna’s residents, so they should stop pretending they are not part of the problem.
*Media Enquiries:*
Matthew Simms
DA Western Cape Communications Officer
081 066 1041
