NEWS: MBDA braces for new role
Focus on managing properties and regeneration of CBD and townships
THE Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) must embrace its new role of managing facilities in the city – even hiring people with the necessary expertise and skills. Newly appointed chief executive Ashraf Adam, who took control of the agency yesterday for the next five years, said managing facilities had happened by default.
“And my argument is we must embrace it,” he said.
His appointment came after two rounds of advertised recruitment which yielded no positive results and then a headhunting process.
The position opened up after Pierre Voges resigned in January last year.
Adam said the municipality continued to offload properties to the agency.
This included the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Tramways Building, Helenvale Resource Centre, Uitenhage Science and Technology Centre, the Campanile, the Donkin Reserve and the Atheneum.
“We are being asked to look after buildings and that is fine,” he said.
Adam said the agency would also embrace the maintenance of Bayworld once it received a request from the municipality.
Other areas of focus would be regenerating the Port Elizabeth CBD and turning townships into areas where people want to work and live.
“Govan Mbeki Avenue was a flagship project of this agency. We are very proud of what we did. It was new, innovative.
“We tried something, it worked but it is no longer working for several reasons.
“Some of the reasons are that retail and informal trading are different,” he said.
“At the same time with the growth of NMU, students have found accommodation there. If it weren’t for the students the place would be dead.”
He said Telkom Park was also on his agenda but no developer had shown interest despite two adverts calling for proposals.
“We then investigated as to why there had been no takers to develop the area.”
He said it seemed the property was too big and the agency was considering dividing it into smaller sections with the relevant zoning.
Adam was appointed as the acting chief executive in May after being seconded by the South African Local Government Association. He has 28 years of experience in various sectors of government.
He has worked for the Drakenstein Municipality, Municipal Demarcation Board, Department of Public Works and as a consultant for the World Bank.
Adam spoke at a media conference about issues around his job at the Department of Public Works and aspects related to the recruitment process for the MBDA.
We are being asked to look after buildings and that is fine
He said he initially refused a security check as it was going to be carried out by a business with links to an Israeli company.
“We have very good legislation in South Africa to protect our personal information,” he said.
“And I say this unashamedly that I am pro-Palestine by design.
“But any company, whether it is an American or Congo company, I am not going to give permission to a third party to access my information.”
Headhunters then carried out the security clearance.
On earlier questions about his psychometric test – which information leaked to The Herald showed Adam performed poorly – Adam said he would not release the results as it would set a bad precedent.
“I was given advice elsewhere where I could compromise other employees going forward. I don’t mind because it says good things, but I can’t.”
A psychometric test typically consists of numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and diagrammatic reasoning tests.
Asked about some of the details contained in the assessment, Adam showed The Herald its summary, which read: “A dynamic, driven, decisive leader who is strategically focused on the achievement of goals in a pro and ethical manner.”
He said he was suspended while working for the Department of Public Works.
He started working at the department in September 2010. He was then suspended in December 2010 and resigned while still on suspension in June 2011.
“We reached an agreement while I was on suspension. There were no charges but I am contractually obliged not to disclose this information.
“I have nothing to hide but I can’t disclose anything. I hold my head up high. There were no charges. We just reached an agreement,” he said.
His stint at public works also coincided with former national police commissioner Bheki Cele’s R1.7-billion lease debacle.
In August 2010, former public protector Thuli Madonsela was asked to probe the procurement of the lease for South African Police Service offices.
Almost a year later, Madonsela found that the public works minister at the time, Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, and Cele were guilty of maladministration.
Adam said he was not suspended because of the lease debacle.
“It was other stuff. I did refuse to sign the police lease,” he said.