Municipality and manager part ways amid probe
However, there seems to be more to this matter than meets the eye according to source close to the matter.
POLOKWANE – “Polokwane Municipality has agreed on a settlement to part ways with its municipal manager, Tabitha Constance Mametja on Friday, May 29 following her resignation.”
This was according to a press release issued by the Polokwane Municipality on Monday. The press release followed after Review published information on its website that Mametja had resigned as municipal manager. A municipal spokesperson contacted Review and professed to be surprised by this information.
The press release continued as follows: “Council resolved to settle the matter to avoid protracted disciplinary proceedings; huge legal costs associated with the disciplinary proceedings and further to bring stability to the municipality. The terms of the settlement are confidential and will only be disclosed by the municipality to appropriate authorities in discharging its reporting duties. It should further be noted that the independent investigation that was ordered by council would still continue for the benefit of council as it wants to learn from previous mistakes and strengthen the administration.”
However, there seems to be more to this matter than meets the eye. When Mametja was contacted on Monday, she sounded surprised to hear about her “resignation” and said the municipality could not make such an announcement without contacting her.
She promised to get back to Review on the matter, but Review only received an SMS later referring the publication to her attorney, Graham Moshoana. On Tuesday, Moshoana confirmed that he represented her. He did not confirm her resignation, but said: “The parties have mutually agreed to terminate the association and both parties were happy with the terms”.
Review requested the municipality for a copy of her “resignation letter”, and was told it would take a Promotion of Access to Information Act application for the municipality to supply it. The Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (or PAIA; Act No. 2 of 2000) is a freedom of information law in South Africa. It allows access to any information held by the State, and any information held by private bodies that is required for the exercise and protection of any rights.
Another source close to the matter spoke about some of the issues to be investigated against Mametja, which emanated long before she was appointed and which she was supposed to magically make disappear.
These included:
• The issue of her handling the African Market project of the municipality, for instance was a project initiated in the days when Thabo Makunyane was mayor of Polokwane. The market was built, but no provision was made for parking. A decision was then taken to close off a portion of Genl Joubert Street for parking, but this did not go down well during the public participation process and the adjoining shopkeepers and businesspeople did not agree with it.
• Her refusal to sign some service level agreements, which apparently were not in accordance with supply chain management regulations, which was then signed by the then chief financial officer (CFO).
• Her failure to discipline the then CFO for signing the contracts.
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