But the anti-business CFO Andile Dyakala now also faces an additional internal ELM probe into his alleged gender-based abusive behaviour and alleged insubordination. Dyakala is known to be vehemently opposed to the Mayoral Business Forum recently established and which will see ELM and business resources harnessed to restore services and good governance. The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) has again called for Dyakala’s immediate suspension and investigation – and wants his head for his role in the disastrous ending of ELM’s lucrative smart meter programme. “Dyakala must go so that ELM and the Vaal can look forward to recovery and rebuilding without the patronage networks of the former acting Municipal Manager Oupa Nkoane,” says Klippies Kritzinger, CEO of the GTCoC. Gender-based criminal charges were laid at the Vanderbijlpark Police on Sunday by acting Executive Mayor Khetiwe Ntombela against ELM CFO Andile Dyakala after a series of social media posts and voice notes regarded as so extreme as to trigger official threat assessment processes.

Vaalweekblad has learned this following another highly abusive and threatening tirade in a recent online virtual meeting including Dyakala and in which he is accused of attacking and abusing not only Ntombela, but also Willy Bhila, the Provincial Administrator set over ELM recently. The alleged virtual meeting abuse is regarded as gender-based violence and gross insubordination by Dyakala and several female ELM councillors who have also complained privately about Dyakala’s threatening and abusive behaviour towards them over the years, but no formal charges were laid.

Dyakala is also alleged to have verbally abused Silas Zimu, a highly regarded administrator and energy expert sent by Gauteng Province to work under Bhila, in the same virtual meeting. Both alleged incidents are the subject of a high-level internal investigation at ELM following a formal and official internal complaint on Dyakala from acting Mayor Ntombela to Municipal Manager Lucky Leseane. Immediate police and ELM official comment on the criminal charges were not forthcoming at time of publication.

Dyakala is seen within ANC circles in the Vaal and Gauteng as an extremely divisive figure whose meddling in politics cost the ANC the Tshwane Metro and whose continuous manipulation of ELM Council has stalled numerous anti-corruption and maladministration steps against him and former acting Municipal Manager Oupa Nkoane. The twin investigations against Dyakala have now brought the vicious power struggle directly into the public domain.