Cogta joins BCM selection panel

THE office of the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Fikile Xasa has deployed its senior manager in human resources to form part of a selection panel set up to recruit Buffalo City Metro’s city manager.

Phelisile Kondile was successfully appointed by the BCM council to the panel about two weeks ago at a council meeting after mayor Xola Pakati tabled a report in council seeking approval for the appointment.

Kondile will be the fourth member of the panel previously given the nod by council.

The other panel members are Pakati, infrastructure portfolio head Ncedo Kumbaca and former city manager in BCM but currently head of the Eastern Cape department of human settlements Gaster Sharpley.

Sharpley’s inclusion on the panel was met with strong resistance from opposition benches and some ANC councillors in December.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday MEC Xasa said Kondile’s inclusion on the panel was a strategic move aimed at preventing any dispute between BCM and Cogta over the appointment.

“Kondile is the best person to be part of that panel because the appointments that I keep rejecting and those I accept are informed and advised by him.

“Generally, we advise municipalities to include Cogta officials in such processes so that we can stop this thing of turning back critical appointments if proper procedures are not followed,” Xasa said.

Pakati told the Dispatch yesterday that according to their plans a new city manager would be appointed on April 1.

The post was left vacant after former city manager Andile Fani was fired in September after he was found guilty of illegally appointing a Cape Town-based construction company to build houses in Reeston and supply top structures at a cost of R74-million.

Xasa said his office wanted stability in BCM.

“We want stability at the level of the political leadership of BCM and we expect the ANC to assist us with that and deal with the issues so that there could be stability.

“Sometimes they do not know what their roles are as the mayor, speaker of the council and chief whip, especially on matters like the appointment of a city manager.

“We hope that there will be no interference with this process,” Xasa said.

Opposition party DA’s councillor Jan Smit said they hoped the process would satisfy the MEC as he had a problem with all the appointments.

“We hope this time the processes will be followed and that there will be no further delays on this matter,” he said. —