Tapile to head up municipal services again

BUFFALO City Metro’s “dysfunctional” municipal services department has been given another acting head of department after the contract of acting head Sandile Booi expired.

The BCM council recently resolved that the general manager for amenities, Kholekile Tapile, again act in the position from April to June 2017.

Tapile acted in the position previously and last year the department received criticism for failing to implement the revamping of the Mdantsane NU2 swimming pool.

Last month, BCM re-advertised four heads of department vacancies including that of head of municipal services.

It is hoped that filling the position will bring some stability to the troubled department after the Eastern Cape department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa rejected a “flawed” appointment made in April last year.

Former member of the provincial legislature Neo Moerane was appointed as the head of municipal services. However, Xasa rejected her appointment saying recruitment processes “must be complied with” and the posts should be re-advertised.

In the confidential report tabled before council recently, acting city manager Bob Naidoo said: “It is recommended that the general manager amenities, Mr Kholekile Tapile, be appointed to act as head of department municipal services … Mr Tapile will be paid an acting allowance on the entry notch of the head of department salary scale, as required.

“The post of head of department municipal services is fully funded, so funding is available.”

Naidoo said it was expected that a permanent appointment “will be made by June 2017”.

The DA said they welcomed the appointment.

Councillor Annette Rademeyer said: “That department by its own admission is dysfunctional … Mr Tapile has acted in the position before and we wish him good luck.

“There are huge problems in that department, we need someone who will first of all get the city clean. We need someone who will pull the department together and boost the morale of the staff members,” Rademeyer said. —