Zitumane to stay in post – temporarily

Controversy ends with council agreement to search for new corporate services boss

AFTER a dramatic tussle between the DA and UDM over the contract extension of acting corporate services boss Vuyo Zitumane, the Nelson Mandela Bay council eventually agreed she should stay on until a permanent head is found.

Zitumane’s contract extension was one of the main bones of contention between mayor Athol Trollip and his deputy, Mongameli Bobani, which ultimately led to the collapse of last week’s council meeting.

Although Bobani was dead set against the extension of her contract – saying it would be tantamount to corruption to continue with an agreement with her firm – he is said to have voted in favour of it with his coalition partners on Tuesday.

Insiders said the ANC was the only party which did not support that her contract be extended.

It was discussed in the confidential session of the council meeting.

His about-turn follows the intervention by the DA and UDM’s national leaders – Mmusi Maimane and Bantu Holomisa, respectively – earlier this week.

It was agreed at the Monday meeting in Cape Town that a permanent head be hired within six weeks to replace Zitumane.

Zitumane, who was seconded to the city by the Department of Cooperative Governance in 2015, has the backing of Minister Des van Rooyen’s department to continue until a new executive director is appointed.

She was part of the Section 154 support team sent by then minister Pravin Gordhan to help turn around the city’s administration.

In a letter to city manager Johann Mettler, department deputy director-general Themba Fosi wrote: “The extension of Ms Zitumane’s contract is hereby extended as from the end of January 2017 until the conclusion of the filling of the section 56 vacancy.”

Zitumane is filling in for former corporate services boss Mod Ndoyana, who was fired recently.

The council, on Tuesday, approved the outcome of the disciplinary hearing which found Ndoyana guilty of six of the 10 charges against him.

He had been on paid suspension for about 18 months.

Bobani also raised concerns last week about the way Ndoyana’s dismissal was handled, complaining that he had been fired by Mettler before the matter was discussed by the council.

Bobani is said to have voted in favour of the report on Ndoyana’s disciplinary inquiry.

Ndoyana was found guilty of:

Acting with improper motive/gross negligence when he approved the acquisition of IT modules to the value of R20-million which led to fruitless and wasteful expenditure;

Deliberately misleading and/ or improperly influencing the council by interfering in the tender processes to try to get a specific company appointed;

Fraudulent misrepresentation by unlawfully extending the contract of a service provider;

Dereliction of duty for not disciplining an employee and for refusing to recover irregular expenditure incurred through a tender; and

Acting dishonestly/gross negligence.

But Ndoyana said he was still fighting his dismissal.

“I referred it to the Bargaining Council and there was a certificate of non-resolution,” he said.

“I referred it for arbitration and I am waiting for a date.”