Police surround civic centre ahead of planned protest calling for immediate resignation of municipal manager
The public order policing unit has been deployed to the municipality where protestors are set to hand over a memorandum to municipal management, demanding the resignation of Municipal Manager, Advocate Bheki Khenisa.
A group calling themselves Steve Tshwete Residents and Businesses is demanding Advocate Khenisa’s resignation within 76-hours from the handover of the memorandum.
The group is calling for a forensic investigation into Advocate Khenisa’s municipal affairs.
If Advocate Khenisa does not resign voluntarily, the group is calling on council to suspend him. “If council fails, we are going to resort to a total shutdown of the civic centre until the group’s demands have been met.”
The group has called for a peaceful march which was said to commence at the Eric Jiyane Hall in Mhluzi at 10:00. The group is accusing Advocate Khenisa of “failing to correct the high rates and taxes and the municipal billing system”.
In the memorandum, the group further accuses Advocate Khenisa of awarding a contract for the construction of a substation for Mhluzi to “his associate, F-Tech Services”.
Other complaints include:
• Advocate Khenisa illegally entered into lease agreement for vehicles (Traffic Services, Law Enforcement, Solid Waste).
• Advocate Khenisa outsourced work that is performed by municipal employees, namely the patching of potholes, pipe laying, refuse removal, illegal dumping, plumbing and electrical work.
• Advocate Khenisa paid for projects that were either not completed or done.
• Advocate Khenisa changed banks without following prescribed procedures.
• Advocate Khenisa has two pistol-carrying bodyguards in council premises.
• Advocate Khenisa bloated the staff complement by creating unnecessary posts in the fleet and law enforcement sections.
• Advocate Khenisa does not want to open the completed Taxi Rank in Cowen Ntuli Street because he wants kickbacks.
• Advocate Khenisa failed to prioritize local residents and businesses for local tenders.
The group is demanding lifestyle audits for all municipal managers, a moratorium om the filling of vacant posts, the vetting of all municipal posts filled by Advocate Khenisa, a forensic land and property audit, an audit of smart city tenders, an audit on mine royalty usage, open electricity sales and the immediate suspension of all contractors performing municipal functions.
Police have told www.mobserver.co.za that they expect a peaceful handover.
