BARBERTON – The sudden resignation of Umjindi Municipality’s acting director of civil services, Decia Matumba before she could be appointed on a full-time basis, came as no surprise, according to Barberton Times sources within the council.
It was expected to approve the appointment of Matumba formally on January 30 during a meeting in the Umjindi Chamber Hall.
Matumba held the position of acting director for about a year.
However, she tendered her resignation effective January 24 to join South Africa Local Government Association.
Her appointment to Umjindi was viewed as nothing more than a political deployment in which the council’s top brass and their associates had planned.
Fuelling the allegations of political interference in her appointment, according to our sources, was the fact that the department Matumaba acted in – civil services – was going to merge with that of spatial planning and human settlements.
“That meant she would be a director of civil services, spatial planning and human settlements.
The post was formed via the amalgamation of the two departments – civil service and spatial development planning and human settlements.
Barberton Times was tipped off about Matumba’s possible appointment as a director last November. Despite numerous attempts to obtain comment from Umjindi spokesman, Sam Jele, and writing several emails about Matumba’s alleged possible appointment at the time, council remained mum.
Speculation which fueled further allegations that the council wanted the position to be filled by someone they could manipulate, emerged during last week’s council meeting.
Barberton Times can confirm that 12 applications were received for the post and seven candidates were shortlisted. The candidates were Matumba, Charl Moller, Vusi Mbalati, Jackson Skosana, Jacobus de Lange, Matimba Malungana and Nicolaas Vermuelen. All seven were invited for interviews but Skosana and Moller didn’t avail themselves.
On concluding the interviews, the panel recommended that due to their highest points scored, and potential that was demonstrated by Vermuelen and Matumba, they were both invited for competency assessment, which was held on November 4.
It was after the competency assessment that Matumba was reportedly recommended. The interviewing panel consisted of Umjindi Municipal Manager, Pat Msibi, Cllr Mongezi Nkosi, Cllr N Mkhabela, Johan Burger of Ehlanzeni District Municipality, Zanele Mantashe-Lushaba (Cogta) and Gugu Zulu, a human resources practitioner.
Executive mayor, Lazarus Mashaba, despite having admitted that the council was teetering on the brink of collapse, said the post would now be readvertised and Vermuelen, who came second during the interviewing process, would not be considered.
“When we employ, we must employ the best of the best, not second best. I’m not saying the candidate who came second (Vermeulen) was not best, but the one who resigned (Matumba) was the best.
When we employ, we must ensure that the candidate we hire has the experience and understands the municipality, (sic)” said Mashaba.
According to Phillip Minnaar of the DA, the ANC has decided to readvertise the post because Vermuelen was not approved by the ANC deployment committee.
“The council will now have to spend another R30 000 going through the same process just to appoint the person the ANC deployment committee had already decided on.
After the appointment, the ANC will declare the process as free, fair and transparent. It clearly doesn’t adhere to any form of open opportunity society where everybody has equal rights and opportunities,” said Minnaar.
