Trollip pledges wind of change for a graft-free PE
NEWLY-ELECTED Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip of the DA says he plans to fix the municipality’s controversial tender practices to root out senior executives who got their jobs in questionable circumstances.
In an interview this week, Trollip said no politicians would be appointed to the Nelson Mandela Bay administration.
His first victim is likely to be metro police chief Linda Mti, who was appointed by ousted mayor Danny Jordan in April this year.
Trollip said he would review the metro’s supply chain practices to ensure they were in line with legislation governing municipal finances.
“I made it quite clear that we will be running this municipality by the law and the Municipal Finance Management Act is very clear with supply chain management. I gather that hasn’t always been applied,” said Trollip. CHAIN: Athol Trollip addresses his first public meeting as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay this week
“I’m going to hold key politicians out of the administration and keep administrators out of politics. We will clean up,” he said.
Trollip said the Nelson Mandela Bay metro police had been set up under questionable circumstances and this needed to be investigated. “It was only launched just before the elections. It was a really cosmetic launch. We don’t have a metro police service for all intents and purposes,” he said.
“The current head of security, Mr Linda Mti, has got some issues, or I have some issues FIST PUMP: Speaker Jonathan Lawack, mayor Trollip and deputy mayor Mongameli Bobani of the UDM after the public meeting about his appointment. I’m going to be scrutinising that whole metro police force and the appointments that have taken place there,” said Trollip.
In 2008 Mti was found guilty of drunk and negligent driving. He had been nearly three times over the legal limit when he crashed into another vehicle in February 2005.
Earlier this year, the DA said Mti, a former commissioner with the Department of Correctional Services‚ was still under investigation by the Hawks for alleged fraud involving about R2-billion worth of tenders awarded to the Bosasa group. The tenders were awarded between 2004 and 2006‚ while Mti was with the prisons authority.
Trollip has set himself a “100day plan” for implementing changes.
“First of all, on Thursday I met with the municipal manager and various members of my caucus leadership. I met with the executive directors this morning [Friday] and I’m meeting some trade union leadership this afternoon,” he said.
“I’ve scheduled that I will go on a roadshow and visit all departments with the executive directors and their managers. And I want to be brought up to speed with all the issues.
“You must understand that there are legacy issues that I inherit from the previous administration, and then of course I’ve got to implement my manifesto,” said Trollip.
Trollip said there would be no room for corruption.
“That I made clear to all the executive directors.”