Endumeni’s new technical services manager is confident ‘obstacles will be challenged and overcome’

Newly-appointed municipal, technical services manager Mondli Buthelezi is no stranger to the local government sphere, having worked in the electrical departments at various municipalities since 2016.

Born and bred in Newcastle, Buthelezi matriculated at Ferrum High, after which he studied at the Durban University of Technology (formerly known as the Durban Institute of Technology), where he earned his electrical engineering qualification. His first job was as an electrical technician at Arcelo Metal (previously Iscor) in Newcastle from 2009 until 2011.

“While employed there, I applied to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University for a project management qualification and I graduated in record time in 2012,” he explained. Buthelezi further explained that in the same year, he left Arcelo Metal to work as a project leader at Eskom’s Majuba power station, where he oversaw electrical projects for the generating unit. He entered local government in 2016 when he was appointed as electrical manager at Dumbe Municipality (Paulpietersburg).

 He added that Endumeni Municipality is also having trouble controlling cable theft and paying off its Eskom debt, so this is one of the two issues that he will be focusing on. After working away from home for years, Buthelezi joined Uphongola Municipality earlier this year as the director of Technical Services.

“I served there for a few months before discovering the same opportunity here at Endumeni Municipality and Dundee is closer to home, so it was a no[1]brainer for me to accept the offer,” he explained. When questioned about the type of manager he is, Buthelezi remarked that he thinks all of the municipality’s employees are qualified for their positions and he isn’t there to ‘manage people specifically’. However, he is target-driven and would prefer to work with a team that completes the task before the deadline.

“I think we are all employed by the municipality in order to put the needs of the community first,” he said, stressing that he listens well and likes to lend a hand when needed. Since the entire municipal system is interconnected, he will not ‘be blinkered while serving the community’. He added that ‘four hands are better than two’, therefore I am open to learning new things, especially about the organisation’.

“The Eskom debt issue is the immediate challenge we need to address; and to benchmark from Newcastle Municipality, which has demonstrated that paying off the Eskom debt is feasible and achievable. And perhaps try to solicit and utilise the same strategy they used,” says Buthelezi. He added that he sees a bright future for Endumeni and believes that things won’t always be ‘gloom and doom’.

“Things will eventually get better for the municipality. “To overcome the present obstacles will require plenty of time, hard work and a competent management team led by a strong council. Together, we can accomplish more than we ever anticipated possible,” he enthused. His face brightens as he talks about his family… He was however overcome by grief after losing his mother in 2017. With a wife and three children (two boys and a girl), he is a family man.

“I am very proud of my family and my daughter is the only rose among the thorns,” he quips. Buthelezi concluded by saying that he typically spends his Saturdays playing sport with his friends, but Sundays are always reserved for his family. “I also derive strength from my six siblings, whom I am greatly fond of.

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