SECUNDA – The Mpumalanga Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has given municipalities that do not comply with the Treasury’s minimum competency guidelines, until June.
Mr James Masango, DA Member of the Provincial Legislature, said in the Echo of 25 October, “Managers do not comply”, that many senior municipal officials in Mpumalanga, including those of the Govan Mbeki Municipality, do not comply with the minimum requirements to hold their positions.
The incompetence was revealed in a written response by Mr Simon Skhosana, MEC for the Department, to Mr Masango two weeks ago.
The report states that only the municipal manager of Mbombela Municipality complies with Treasury’s minimum competency requirements for municipal managers, while only the chief financial officers of the Chief Albert Luthuli and Lekwa municipalities comply as set down for those.
Mr Simphiwe Kunene, spokesman for the department, said the assessment does not mean that the managers do not qualify and are unable to do the jobs they are employed for.
“It means there are compliance issues which they need to comply with as set out in the guidelines from Treasury.”
Mr Kunene said municipalities who have applied for special extensions are those with managers who do not meet the minimum requirements, for example that a manager does not have the number of years’ of experience in a managerial position as required by the regulation.”
The report says a municipal manager must have financial and supply chain, core managerial and occupational competencies.
He or she must have a higher education qualification NQF Level 6 (B Degree) or certificate in municipal management and must have five years’ experience.
It says a chief financial officer must be proficient in the competency areas, have a higher education qualification, have work-related experience, have an NQF Level 7 (Honours Degree) or must be registered as a chartered accountant.
He or she must also have a minimum of seven years’ experience on middle management level and two of those must be on senior management level.
A deputy chief financial officer must have a minimum of five years’ experience, two of which must be at least on a middle management level or seven years in a role related to the position.
He or she must have core managerial and occupational competencies and the required minimum levels in unit standards, NQF Level 6 in an accounting field (equivalent to a B Degree).
The supply chain management official must have a minimum of five years’ experience, two of which must be on a middle management level or seven years in role related to the position.
He or she must have supply chain management and financial competencies and the required minimum levels in unit standards. The official must also have an NQF Level 6 (B Degree) or a certificate in municipal financial management.
An income manager must have an NQF Level 5 in the accounting field, finance or economics which is equivalent to a National Diploma in Public Finance Management and Administration.
He or she must have five years’ relevant experience of which two must be on the middle management level and they must have financial and supply chain management competencies.
Mr Kunene said all municipalities that do not comply with the minimum competency guidelines have been given a grace period to ensure they comply.
“Municipalities will be given an opportunity to comply during this period.
“The MEC will have to write a letter to advise the municipalities to comply with the regulation at the end of the special extension.”
Mr Kunene said if a municipality does not comply, the MEC will take that municipality to court through a declaratory order to null and void the appointments of non-complying municipalities on appointed officials.
Mr Henry Masango, head of Communications and Marketing of the municipality, said the employment of the municipal manager, Mr Mmela Mahlangu, was concluded before the minimum competency requirements for senior municipal officials came into effect in January.
He said these competency requirements were not included as an inherent requirement for appointment when the post of the municipal manager was advertised.
“The incumbent was appointed on the strength of his academic qualification that are par excellent in the execution of the municipality’s mandate of delivering services to the communities.
“An application for extension has been granted so as to comply with this Treasury regulation since it is mandatory to acquire these minimum competency requirements.”
The National Treasury did not comment at the time of going to press.
