Shock, disbelief and utter surprise, these are only a few words to explain the general mood in Middelburg after it came to light that former municipal manager Theo van Vuuren is talking up the joystick there.
Some even regard the news that broke on Thursday, October 12 as a hoax.
According to reports, residents and municipal staff in Steve Tshwete are up in arms over the fact that Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza may have appointed Van Vuuren to act as manager for the municipality.
Van Vuuren was always covered in controversy in Emalahleni since he was selected by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Mr Simon Skhosana, to take the steering wheel of the sinking municipality and steer it to steady waters back in 2013 as an administrator. He soon became synonymous with the short, medium and long term strategy he implemented. These strategies were intended to stabilise municipal delivery capacity, executing municipal functions in a way which would build sustainability and building in the long term a strong enabling environment.
On October 29, 2015 it was decided that Van Vuuren be appointed as municipal manager where he was responsible for the administration, staff and finance sphere of the municipality as he had been given full authority to do so within the framework of the Municipal Finance Management Act and also the Systems Act.
Mr Theo van Vuuren might be appointed as acting municipal manager in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
But under his watch, Emalahleni’s Eskom account escalated from R204-million to R1.3-billion.
“The Steve Tshwete local municipality must kiss its clean audit track record goodbye if there’s any truth behind allegations that Theo van Vuuren has been appointed as acting municipal manager,” said Cllr Palesa Mobango, Democratic Alliance Chief Whip Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
“Van Vuuren clearly has nothing to offer Steve Tshwete municipality but if he is appointed, it will be a clear indication that the ANC government has no interest in the plight of people it vowed to serve,” Mobango said.
Van Vuuren said there has been no formal communication between him and the office of the premier.
By the time of going to press there was no feedback from Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
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