Karasburg to review junior council election allegations

The Karasburg Town Council says it will review the junior council election if evidence of favouritism emerges, following allegations that Grade 11 pupils were unfairly excluded.

This comes after Ernst Jager Combined School board chairperson and community activist Jacobus Basson alleged that the election was unfair and corrupt.

Basson says the town council representatives overseeing the election reportedly denied Grade 11 pupils from ||Kharas High Combined School and Ernst Jager Combined School the opportunity to participate as junior town councillors.

“They told the respective principles that Grade 11 pupils are not allowed to participate but they allowed Lordsville Secondary School Grade 11 pupils to participate.

The mayor of the junior council is a Grade 11 pupil from Lordsville,” Basson says.

He says the town council reportedly attempted to sideline his daughter from participating.

“My daughter is a Grade 11 pupil at ||Kharas High Combined School. She was awarded the Grade 10 top performer prize at the beginning of this year.

But because I speak against the council’s wrongdoings, they are robbing the children of opportunities,” Basson says.

Ernst Jager Combined School acting principal Myrtle Vries says she was not informed by the town council’s employees and councillors that Grade 11 pupils may not participate.

Vries says the application process of pupils who wanted to stand for the election was completed in 2025 under the previous principal, who retired in January.

“The children have to apply while they are in grades 9 and 10.

Thereafter I was invited to the swearing-in ceremony. So no one told us that our Grade 11 pupils are not eligible.

The pupils should have just applied while they were in grades 9 or 10 and not while they are in Grade 11,” the acting principal says.

Town council acting chief executive Ludwig Berend has denied any favouratism.

Berend says only three out of four schools submitted applications last year, adding that 22 pupils were chosen for interviews.

Ten pupils were from Lordsville Secondary School, 10 from ||Kharas Combined School and two from Ernst Jager.

“This whole thing is personal and has nothing to do with corruption.

Basson believes that his daughter would have been the best candidate to serve as chairperson of the junior town council. But she didn’t apply last year.

She only expressed interest to serve on the town council this year, while the process was completed last year,” Berend says.

Basson confirms that his daughter expressed interest this year.

“We were not aware of this junior town council thing until our principal got invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony. That was when I heard at Ernst Jager that Grade 11s are not eligible.

“And at the same time my daughter came home and said she wanted to run for council, but that she was informed at her school, ||Kharas Combined, that Grade 11s are not eligible,” Basson says.

Karasburg mayor Franciskus Skeyer says he heard the allegations and informed the chief executive and his team to meet with the concerned party.

“I want them to bring their documentation, including all the applications and processes followed to select those who made it to the interviews.

“I also informed them to bring the constitution of junior town councillors so that we review the process together and put aside those allegations,” the mayor said.

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