Ngwathe finally appoints Municipal Manager
His appointment was welcomed by opposition parties in the council.
The Ngwathe Local Municipality has finally appointed a new Municipal Manager. Dr Futhuli Mothamaha will be stepping into this very important role.
Council accepted his permanent appointment last week during a special council meeting. Mothamaha has been the Acting Municipal Manager for Ngwathe since May this year.
For the past 18 months, Ngwathe has been struggling to keep the ‘boat’ afloat with almost all of the top management positions being vacant since last year.
This includes the key positions of Chief Financial Officer, Director of Corporate Services and Director of Community Services.
Ngwathe’s previous permanent appointed Municipal Manager resigned suddenly and on short notice 18 months ago, after which the municipality has been struggling to complete the appointment process for a new Municipal Manager within the given time frame.
Mothamaha was the third municipal manager to be seconded by the province for the position.
The appointment of a Municipal Manager is not only crucial for the management of the municipality, but also for the appointment of suitable candidates in all the other key management positions.
In the past three months as Acting Municipal Manager, Mothamaha has shown firm leadership in his immediate action to resolve the ongoing water crisis in Heilbron through negotiations with Rand Water. As a result, Heilbron residents now have water in their taps for the first time in months.
Mothamaha holds a doctorate in Business Administration and is not new to local government, the Ngwathe Local Municipality’s spokesperson, Steve Naale, said earlier.
He was a former municipal manager of the Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality which includes the towns of Harrismith, Kestell and Phudaditjhaba. He was also a former director in the office of the Director-General of the Free State Premier, a former director of Regional Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, an acting director for Sport, Arts and Culture (both in Maluti-a-Phofung), programme implementation manager for Integrated Sustainable Rural Development and Municipal Support for the Independent Development Trust (Limpopo Regional Offices), deputy director for Financial Support and Public Accountability (Municipal Finances in the Free State Department of Local Government and Housing), district manager: Local Government in the Fezile Dabi District, and acting senior accounting officer in the Revenue Department in the Manguang Metro. He also has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Development Studies and a B.Tech degree in Public Administration, as well as a National Diploma in Municipal Administration and a certificate in Economic Development.
In a message to the community, Mothamaha said he is honoured to be part of the municipality.
“As a municipality, we will always strive to promote local economic development while providing excellent quality services. Indeed, our core values of transparency, commitment, accountability, integrity, and democracy will direct our path going into the future.”
“This team that I am leading is committed to ensuring stability through growing the economy, collecting revenue and attracting investments,” he concluded.
His appointment was welcomed by opposition parties in the council.
