Walter Sisulu happy with new ‘manager’
COOPERATIVE governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa has appointed an administrator for the troubled Walter Sisulu Municipality.
On Friday, Xasa met with councillors in Burgersdorp where he introduced Khayelihle Mpungose as caretaker administrator of the local authority.
This comes after the municipality was placed under administration and its municipal manager, Thembinkosi Mawonga, removed.
His contract had been unlawfully extended last year without Xasa’s blessing as required by law.
After meeting with the council on Friday, Xasa went on to meet community members and other stakeholders at Greenslade community hall in Dukathole township in Aliwal North.
On January 4 Xasa gave the municipality notice of his intention to invoke section 139 (1) (a) of the constitution, citing the municipality’s shortfalls in executing its obligations. He highlighted how it had defaulted on its financial obligations, including an Eskom debt of R141-million inherited from Gariep and Maletswai municipalities, which later merged to form Walter Sisulu.
Xasa also highlighted the issue of the vacant posts of the chief financial officer (CFO), director of corporate services and director of community services as some of the reasons necessitating discretionary provincial interventions.
On January 16, the council resolved to agree with the contents of the MEC’s correspondence and requested the secondment of a capable person to assume responsibility of certain powers of the municipality, pending council’s establishment of its own enhanced systems.
In a statement issued by municipal spokeswoman Nombulelo Mgojo, she said Mpungose and an acting CFO, Nceba Bomvane, who were introduced by Xasa, had been contracted to the municipality for six months, subject to a review of the intervention.
Mgojo said Mpungose would be responsible for all the functions of a municipal manager.
“He will deal with financial management and administration, in particular credit control, debt collection, supply chain management, development and implementation of a financial recovery plan with the national and provincial treasuries,” she said. “He will be tasked with facilitating the appointment of the municipal manager and all directors.”
She said monitoring and evaluation of the intervention would be done by Cogta’s departmental steering committee by considering the administrator’s reports on a monthly basis.
Mayor Bulelwa Khweyiya welcomed the provincial intervention and committed to cooperate and not interfere with the processes of the administrator.
Mgojo said Xasa reiterated that the municipal council retains its authority and executive powers, and said it should continue with its oversight functions to ensure that all goes according to plan. —