KDM appoints new CFO amid controversial suspension of Shamir Rajcoomar

Mthandeni Nene has been appointed as the acting chief financial officer for the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM).

His appointment comes amidst a controversial suspension of former CFO, Shamir Rajcoomar, who had been in the role for 17 years.

Nene was selected in a special council meeting on July 14 and will act in the role for a minimum of three months.

He was director of revenue management at KDM before the decision and had previously held the CFO position at the Msinga local municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Nene was one of three candidates within KDM who was considered, while an option to ask the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs for an outside candidate would have taken too long.

The CFO is one of the most important positions in a municipality, particularly given the extra pressure placed on KDM’s finance department by over R1.2-billion in flood funding that will need to be managed.

This is why concerns were raised by municipal sources about the timing of Rajcoomar’s suspension, given similar investigations came to naught in 2017 and 2018.

“The post which has various responsibilities in terms of legislation has to be executed and there is no legislation preventing the appointment of an acting person,” said KDM spokesperson, Sipho Mkhize.

KDM did not comment on the specifics of the investigation, citing that it was an in-committee item, which means it was not open to the public.

At council last week, Nene was added to the list of signatories for municipal bank accounts to become one of eight within KDM who have access and oversight to the accounts.

Rajcoomar was removed from the list as part of the same item.

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