NELSPRUIT – Mbombela Council has dismissed its municipal manager (MM). Mr Xolani Mzobe, who was appointed as MM in 2012, was dismissed on Thursday.
He was suspended in November on the recommendation of the MEC for Co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) Mr Simon Skhosana. This followed an investigation by the department into allegations of irregularities pertaining to the procurement of services surrounding the Afcon tournament last year, which Mbombela co-hosted.
A committee was appointed by council in January to investigate the allegations against Mzobe, and he was found guilty on 30 of the 32 charges against him. These ranged from authorising procurement in contravention of supply chain management regulations, failure to report purported deviations to the Audit-General, payment of service providers for services rendered, failure to implement council resolutions, fraud and dishonesty.
While Mzobe was suspended, no action has been taken against Mr Rasheed Matola, the other individual Cogta recommended be suspended following its investigation. Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for the municipality, said it was an internal matter that are dealt with internally and can only be disclosed once finalised.
He said that any financial reports on Afcon spending will remain deferred until all disciplinary matters have been concluded. The current acting MM, Mr Lolo Ditshego, has been appointed on a six-month basis and his tenure will therefore come to an end at the end of May.
It is unclear how long the position of MM will remain vacant, since the chief financial officer (CFO) has been in an acting position for almost a year. Ngala said earlier that the process of appointing a CFO will be completed soon.
Ngala said that Mzobe has been informed of the decision to dismiss him. “As a municipality we respect his rights to subject the outcomes of the tribunal to any review process at any level.”
