Anger at city boss’s absence at Mpac meetings
CITY boss Johann Mettler failed to arrive for yet another crucial meeting of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality yesterday, at which councillors were meant to interrogate the city’s performance in the last financial year.
His absence infuriated municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) members, who refused to continue the meeting without him.
The committee has scheduled weekly meetings to dissect the annual and auditor-general reports over a five-week period to ultimately draw up a turnaround plan to fix the problem areas.
The city received a qualified audit from the AG for the 2016-17 financial year for R11.5-billion in irregular expenditure dating back to 2002 as well as the slack management of its property, plant and equipment (PPE).
This means it was unable to correctly account for the value of its assets and infrastructure used to deliver services.
Mpac chairwoman EFF councillor Yoliswa Yako said she had written to Mettler to voice her displeasure at his missing a third meeting.
However, Mettler said he could not attend yesterday’s meeting because he was out of town on council business.
“At all times, there was an acting city manager present to deal with any matter in my absence,” he said in a text message.
“The deliberations of the committee must continue as scheduled.”
He said all questions directed to him at the Mpac meetings should be dealt with by the acting city manager, in consultation with the relevant executive directors. At the two previous meetings – on January 30 and February 13 – Mettler sent corporate services boss Vuyo Zitumane to fill in for him.
Yesterday, human settlements head Nolwandle Gqiba was the acting city boss.
But the councillors believed Mettler was undermining the committee and thus not serious about addressing the audit concerns highlighted by the AG. “The fact that we have three findings is the result of such things where you undermine council and you undermine us as political heads,” Yako said.
“It may happen that the city manager would be occupied, but a third time is a red flag to the regard with which he holds this Mpac.”
Mettler denied undermining the Mpac, saying he had notified the committee of his inability to attend the meetings ahead of time.
But Yako said the committee would ensure that he accounted for both his absence and the findings in the AG’s report.
ANC councillor Ncediso Captain said it was embarrassing that they had to constantly appeal for him to attend the meetings.
“We humbled ourselves and asked this,” Captain said.
“It’s embarrassing that the head of the administration is not here and it means that there is a serious problem.” Another ANC councillor, Makhi Feni, said he was disappointed that Mettler considered the meetings as “Hollywood, where officials are sent to act”.
“This is part of service delivery to our people,” Feni said.
“It would be a wrong precedent for us to carry on with this meeting in the absence of the city manager.”
Feni said Mettler’s absence substantiated the concerns of instability highlighted in the AG’s report.
DA councillor Kabelo Mogatosi urged the councillors to keep in mind that there were deadlines and targets, and he appealed for the meeting to continue.
“We cannot as a committee be influenced by any individual or official and as a result fall short of our mandate,” he said. “We cannot be derailed by individuals.”
His plea, however, fell on deaf ears as the meeting was postponed after a brief caucus by the various political parties.