Municipal officials of Midlands council succumb to virus

A STRUGGLING municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is trying to rebuild after Covid-19 claimed the lives of three senior, long-serving managers within the space of three weeks.

The deaths started on December 17 when the manager for community services, Big Boy Mhlongo, 53, contracted Covid-19 and later died.

On December 23, another senior manager (human resources division), Tyran Ramnath, 38, contracted the virus, together with the acting chief financial officer, Msizi Ngcobo.

Ramnath died, but Ngcobo survived. However, fears of more deaths have continued to grip staff at the municipality.

A major loss to the municipality came last week (December 31) when the acting municipal manager, Sikhombiso Mthembu, 60, also died of Covid-19.

According to insiders, Mthembu, who rose through the ranks of the municipality, was earmarked to be permanently appointed to the position of municipal manager.

“He was supposed to come back from the hospital and sign a letter of appointment. His death was shocking and has robbed the municipality of a great leader,” said a staff member.

When he died, the municipality issued a statement saying it had lost a servant of the people of Richmond.

The MEC for co-operative governance and traditional affairs in KZN, Sipho Hlomuka also mourned Mthembu’s death, saying it came at a time when they were engaged in a battle to improve service delivery.

“Mthembu had been a loyal servant of the people of Richmond, and used his extensive experience in local government to serve his community,” Hlomuka said.

Richmond Municipality mayor Samora Ndlovu said they had lost the “cream of the crop” in these managers as they were a big part of ensuring stability in regional governance.