HIGHVELD – Mr Simon Felani Mndebele from Bethal has been appointed as the municipal manager for the Govan Mbeki Municipality on Friday, 28 September.
Mr Mndebele was the director of corporate services in the Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality.
His appointment came after a year of instability in the municipality and a struggle to fill the post since the end of the former municipal manager, Mr Mmela Mahlangu’s contract.
The Govan Mbeki Municipality has seen a range of acting municipal managers and directors of departments since then.
The DA believes that the delay in appointing the municipal manager has only added to the challenges in the municipality, due to constant change and lack of continuity in administrative leadership and apparent political interference.
Ms Ciska Jordaan, Ward 25 councillor and DA Caucus Leader, said the DA welcomes the appointment of Mr Mndebele though they have some concerns about the unnecessary delay in the appointment.
She said it was presented in the item that interviews for candidates who had applied for the position were held on the 24 July, while the advertisement for the vacancy reflected a closing date for applications to be 1 June.
“It was unanimously agreed that Mr Simon Felani Mndebele would be appointed, however it is disconcerting that Ms Thandi Ngxonono, executive mayor, would not, upon our request, provide reasons for why it has taken such a long time after the closing date for applications to interview potential candidates.
“Why it has taken such a long time to present these candidates to the council when interviews were concluded on the 24 July.
“It should be noted that this was more or less around the time that Mr MC Morolo, acting municipal manager, was seconded to the municipality following Ms Refilwe Mtsweni’s, premier, response to disgruntled protesters in eMbalenhle who had called for the then acting MM, Mr Thisha Mhlanga, to be removed.
“The question is, if the process of appointing the municipal manager was nearly completed, why did the ANC insists on removing Mr Mhlanga and appointing Mr Morolo for such a short time period, despite disagreement coming from the opposition parties?
“Since the interviews were conducted, in two months’ time, there had been ample opportunity in several meetings to transparently deal with the matter of appointing a municipal manager, rather than hampering the business of the municipality with political interference into administrative matters as described above.”
Also read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/124768/sapromo-says-gmm-mayor-is-incompetent/
She said her party is also concerned with the requirement in the council document mandating the Ms Ngxonono to decide upon consultation with the successful candidate the effective date of his employment.
“The DA has made it that our trust in Ms Ngxonono’s ability to carry out her task unbiasedly, has been affected heavily by weak performance in critical matters such as the Eskom debt, the refuse removal and the accounts fiasco that have been addressed by the municipality since she was elected to her position and also by the controversial allegations of assault against her, possibly indicating contravention of her code of conduct.
“However the DA welcomes that the Executive Mayor has vowed to appoint the new municipal manager at his soonest availability as a matter of urgency, and that for once an official in the Govan Mbeki Municipality has been appointed based on merit, a successful interview and the most preferred competency out of all the candidates that have applied.
“Even though we hope sincerely that Mr Mndebele could manage with the innumerable financial and administrative challenges that this municipality faces and that the municipality would benefit from some stability in its management, we remain painfully aware that prior mismanagement, financial incompetency and ever escalating debts may present him with an unsolvable difficulty.”
The Sakhisizwe Progressive Movement said it is concerned with the quality of resolutions taken by the Council.
Mr Sibusiso Hlolweni, president of the party, said that his party have always reported that the Council is just there for the sake of compliance, not to champion service delivery and for the progress of residents.
He said, he has served the Govan Mbeki Municipality for almost two years now and that he have seen it all.
“I have seen incompetency, redundancy and functionalism.
“I am reliably informed that even the appointment of the municipal manager was fueled by a certain ANC faction from Bethal.
“It is these kinds of political deployments that destroy public institutions.
“Sapromo will follow the performance of Mr Mndebele as a municipal manager closely and we will wait to see if he is not going to channel municipal funds to the Bethal faction of councillors.
Mr Humphrey Dube, EFF councilor, said the party welcomes the appointment of Mr Mndebele and that according to his CV, it looks like he is competent.
“We will give him support as long as he stick to his job and not allow political interference.
“We hope that he will not serve the interests of the corrupt, but he will serve with dignity.”
The Govan Mbeki Municipality had not commented at the time of going to the press.
Also read:
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/121068/govan-mbeki-municipality-might-go-administration/
