Greater Tzaneen Municipality names new acting manager
Freedom Mthethwa has been appointed acting municipal manager of Greater Tzaneen Municipality following the resignation of Donald Mhangwana.
TZANEEN – Freedom Mthethwa, the director of electrical engineering at the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM), has been appointed as acting municipal manager.
His appointment follows the resignation of municipal manager Donald Mhangwana, who had been with GTM since April 2022.
Outgoing municipal manager takes up Tshwane role
Mhangwana was on a five-year contract due to end next year.
However, according to a source, he has since been appointed as municipal manager at the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
Mthethwa steps into acting role
Mthethwa will assume office from Friday, May 1, for a period of three months.
He joined the municipality in August 2022 and brings extensive technical expertise and leadership experience.
Before his appointment at GTM, he held senior roles at Eskom and the Development Bank of Southern Africa, where he gained strong institutional knowledge in infrastructure development and service delivery.
Process begins for permanent appointment
Council has also authorised the commencement of the recruitment process for a permanent municipal manager, with the position expected to be advertised in due course.
Farewell for outgoing manager
Mhangwana is regarded as a transformational leader, with no public record of scandals during his tenure.
The municipality recently hosted a farewell dinner for him at the Legacy Hotel.
Mayor praises leadership contribution
GTM Mayor Gerson Molapisane praised Mhangwana’s contribution during his time in office.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the contribution made by Mhangwana during his tenure as municipal manager.
“Under his leadership, the municipality strengthened its governance and financial management systems,” Molapisane said.
“We thank him for his dedication and commitment to serving the people of Greater Tzaneen and wish him success in his future endeavours.”
Strong governance record highlighted
During his tenure, the municipality consistently demonstrated strong financial governance, earning recognition at the Salga Limpopo municipal audit awards for maintaining unqualified audit outcomes for four consecutive years.
GTM also achieved full expenditure of its municipal infrastructure grant (MIG), eliminated unauthorised expenditure, and successfully produced annual financial statements in-house, an indicator of improved institutional capacity.
The municipality further received recognition as the best-performing municipality in Limpopo in support of the property sector from the South African Property Owners Association.
It also earned national recognition as the cleanest municipality in South Africa and secured top honours in the Greenest Municipality competition in Limpopo.
