DA, ANC in Knysna clash over director’s appointment

THE DA in Knysna has rejected the appointment of a new director of community services for the municipality, claiming the appointee, Sandile Ngqele, lacks senior managerial experience.

However, the ANC has disputed the claim and said the DA needed to go back to the drawing board and check its facts.

Knysna DA Constituency Head Dion George said Ngqele’s appointment could result in a costly dispute for the municipality.

George said: “At a Knysna Council meeting on April 29, the ANC and the KUC (Knysna Unity Congress) voted to appoint a director of community services despite councillors being presented with a report which found that the appointed candidate has three judgments and two defaults in a financial history screening report.

Despite ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent testimony to the Zondo Commission that the ANC will now only appoint people to public service jobs who are fit for purpose, this is clearly not the case in Knysna. The person who the ANC in Knysna has voted to appoint as director of community services clearly does not meet the minimum requirements for this position.”

The DA would consider every action to rectify the appointment, he said, including High Court action and personal costs orders against those responsible should the appointment not be rescinded.

However, the ANC’s Southern Cape regional secretary Mzwanele Sokopo said the allegations about Ngqele being unqualified were a lie.

“Had there been any evidence during his career, proof of misconduct or other issues, that would have informed us that he is not a person who can be entrusted with a position of this nature, a director of community services. We would have seen that there were charges against him and then we would have considered not appointing the man. But no such evidence was presented.

“Ngqele holds a doctorate in public administration from UKZN. He joined local government in 1999 in Knysna municipality as an Integrated Development Plan co-ordinator dealing with strategy and performance management.”.