Neil Diamond appointed as new MM for next three years
The appointment was made official on Wednesday.
MBOMBELA – For Neil Diamond, being a servant to the community and his family are the two most important things in his life.
“I do not believe you can be happy if you have a successful career but not a loving family to share it with. I also do not believe you can have a loving family but you are not able to provide for them. It is all about balance,”
he said.
The acting municipal manager for the past 18 months was officially appointed municipal manager for the City of Mbombela Local Municipality on Wednesday for a three-year period. “It’s like I have been setting the table for the perfect dinner these past 18 months and now I have the privilege to sit down for the meal,” Neil said.
He added that he would have been sad if he was not appointed permanently, but that he was more than willing to give up his seat at the table knowing that he had at least set it so well. One of the greatest highlights of his time at the head of the municipality so far is the fact that he has “officially left his Gauteng trainers in Alberton and we are now very proud to call ourselves Lowvelders.”
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He and his wife, Justine, and two children, Mikayla (14) and Daniel (11), moved to Mbombela when Neil started at the temporary position. Diamond added that he would not have been in this position without his family’s support. Other highlights he has achieved during his year-and-a-half tenure include the successful implementation of the financial turnaround strategy, the plan for a new fleet of vehicles (some of which have already arrived), to increase and improve service delivery, to sort out the majority of personnel-related issues by giving equal pay for equal work while increasing productivity, and getting the bulk of the water supply back in the hands of the municipality.
He admitted that things do not always run smoothly, but that they have come a long way from where they were 18 months ago.
“This is largely also thanks to my management team, who have worked hand-in-hand with me this whole time.”
He, however, does not plan to sit still now that he has been permanently appointed. Neil plans to improve both the water and the electricity supply for the whole of Mbombela to have the same level of quality services as well as to manage a clean and accountable administration.
“I want to make sure that all the employees of the municipality have a shared vision of being the servants of the people.” He too is a proud servant, but “never leaving my family behind.”
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