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ELM CFO hearing enters second week

The secret disciplinary hearing on more than a dozen conduct, competency and gross negligence charges of ELM’s controversial CFO has entered its second week with municipal employees and the business community anxiously awaiting the outcome.

Andile Dyakala is reportedly accused of both gross personal misconduct and gross professional negligence leading to ELM’s financial management, revenue security and revenue generation to be mostly destroyed.

ELM is now under partial administration by Gauteng Province and its financial management and service delivery has been compromised in such a manner that it cannot even spend its Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) with more than R120 million sent back to national Treasury this year alone.

So far the virtual hearing of Andile Dyakala – the visible face of a shadowy grouping of ELM senior managers dubbed the “Gang of Two” by employees – has been conducted behind a veil of total secrecy by two separate firms of attorneys.

ELM has not allowed the public or media to join the virtual hearing which has been completely outsourced to Raphela Attorneys for the prosecution and with Majavu Incorporated providing the Presiding Officer.

This week ELM refused to divulge any detail of the proceedings and would also not say for how long the hearing was scheduled for.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC), which has for years exposed alongside  Vaalweekblad investigations the extensive maladministration, incompetence, unethical and illegal conduct of both Dyakala and former acting Municipal Manager Oupa Nkoane, expressed great concern at the secrecy.

“Whilst we respect the necessity to ensure the integrity of the proceedings, it must be realised that Dyakala’s mismanagement has destroyed service delivery, severely hurt business through non-payment of bills to service providers and also wiped out major revenue streams through illegal termination of the smart meter contract.

“This makes Dyakala’s hearing a matter of the utmost public interest and importance and the people of Emfuleni have a right to know what went wrong and how this destroyed services and business,” said GTCoC President Klippies Kritzinger.

Dyakala is reportedly also accused of waging smear and discreditation campaigns against both his own superiors at ELM and leading business and media figures in the Vaal, using extensive political contacts.

This includes the extreme gender abuse of acting Executive Mayor Khetiwe Ntombela, who was forced to obtain a court protection order against Dyakala.

But Dyakala and Nkoane were closely protected by former ELM Speaker Maipato “Chu Chu Shoes” Tsokolibane until her retirement after the 2021 municipal elections to ensure that ELM Council could not act against them.

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Gugulethu Kgongoane

Gugulethu Kgongoane is the Online Editor of Sedibeng Ster. Email: gugu@mooivaal.co.za She is also an online journalist of Vaalweekblad. Email: gugu@mooivaal.co.za

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