SECUNDA – Mr Mitchel Melato is appointed as the new acting municipal manager for Govan Mbeki Municipality.
This decision was taken during a special virtual council meeting that was held on Thursday, 11 March.
Mr Melato is replacing Ms Lizzy Shabalala who will be going back to her position as director of the Community Services Department.
Ms Shabalala was appointed last year as acting municipal manager for Govan Mbeki Municipality after the suspension of Mr Felani Mndebele.
She acted for six months in this position.
The then Govan Mbeki executive mayor Ms Thandi Ngxonono, recommended that Mr Mndebele be placed on precautionary suspension due to non-performance.
The ANC supported this recommendation and Mr Mndebele was subsequently suspended on 3 September 2020.
Mr Mndebele’s response to these allegations were heard during a virtual extra ordinary council meeting on Wednesday, 2 September.
Mr Mndebele disputed allegations against him.
In that virtual meeting, Mr Mndebele said since his appointment, there had been massive political interference meted out by the then executive mayor (Ms Thandi Ngxonono) on the appointment of staff, the appointment of service providers to do business with Council and the payment of service providers.
“This has made my day-to-day running of the municipality to be impossible. I could not effectively carry out my duties as I was expected to consult with her.
“If I do not, I am labelled as a delinquent or threatened with my job,” Mr Mndebele said at the time.
There were also allegations made that the municipal manager and officials failed to deliver services to residents due to negligence, such as daily load shedding, no removal of refuse and a serious backlog on most of the services that the municipality is suppose to deliver to the people.
Mr Mndebele said load shedding had nothing to do with him and his administration, claiming it was caused by Eskom’s notified maximum demand.
He said waste was removed on a weekly basis, although sometimes there had been backlogs because the operational fleet was below 50 per cent.
At the time, Ms Ngxonono said the responses of the municipal manager did not provide adequate reasons not to suspend him.
She wanted an independent investigator to investigate his allegations against her.
Ms Ngxonono also recommended that Mr Mndebele be placed on “precautionary suspension” with full pay.
Opposition parties were unhappy with Ms Ngxonono’s recommendations.
Ms Ciska Jordaan, DA caucus leader, said what Mr Mndebele had revealed, was what they had always suspected and raised in all council meetings.
“The DA is deeply disturbed by the allegations that there is massive political interference meted by the executive mayor in a number of matters and that the municipal manager was expected to consult with the executive mayor on all decisions to be taken,” said Ms Jordaan.
The EFF also rejected the suspension of Mr Mndebele.
The opposition parties withdrew from the council meeting and the meeting was moved to the next day after it did not form a quorum.
They said the mayor should be kicked out, not Mr Mndebele.
The ANC used its majority to oust Mr Mndebele after opposition parties refused to take part in the meeting on Thursday, 3 September 2020.
Ms Elizabeth “Lizzy” Tshabalala, director for Community Services was then appointed as the acting municipal manager.
Ms Ngxonono later resigned as the executive mayor and was eventually replaced by Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma.
Mr Mndebele recently told Ridge Times that he took the matter to the High Court and the case will be heard on 5 May.
According to Mr Mndebele, he was wrongfully charged.
“I feel the chairperson was biased towards the municipality, failing to be neutral, but I’m not surprised because I know that you cannot bite the hand that feeds you.
“The chairperson proceeded with the hearing without my legal representative and that also contravened the 2010 regulation of the Municipal Systems Act. That is why I took the matter to the Labour Court in the first place,” said Mr Mndebele.
Govan Mbeki Municipality executive mayor, Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma, said during their last council meeting they requested the Gert Sibande District Municipality’s new for a second candidate as acting municipal manager and was sent Mr Melato.
Mr Melato met all the requirements for the municipality though it was not clear for how long he will remain in this position.
He is also a director at Gert Sibande District Municipality.
