Fired ELM CFO Andile Dyakala’s bid to have his suspension and firing set aside failed in the Johannesburg High Court last week.

The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) is already far advanced with the process of replacing Dyakala and reversing his disastrous financial management legacy at the embattled local authority over several years.

Acting judge Kganki Phahlamohlaka found that Dyakala did not meet or attempt to even show the requirements necessary for urgent relief by the High Court as requested by him – even calling his argument a “self-created” urgency.

Dyakala’s term at ELM was punctured by regular financial malpractices and disasters which saw Eskom and Rand Water debt sky-rocket to almost R7 billion cumulatively before the National Treasury granted ELM debt relief from R6 billion Eskom debt.

A Vaalweekblad investigation revealed several years ago that Dyakala had even hid a letter of demand from Eskom to the municipality from politicians such as executive Mayor Gift Moerane and even denied the existence of the letter to the media.

Both Eskom and Rand Water attached ELM bank accounts and the chaotic situation resulted in ELM not being able to pay employee salaries on time several times and service delivery was brought to a halt for a time.

Dyakala was also linked to huge ELM revenue losses when he participated in abruptly ending the BXC  Smart Meter programme without alternative planning in 2019.

Chaos and panic ensued and thousands more electricity meters were by-passed and revenue losses reportedly approached R2 billion.

The BXC smart meter programme was later re-instated by high Court Order.