Vatala goes to hearing this week
KNYSNA - Suspended Knysna Municipality Municipal Manager (MM) Dr Sithembele Vatala this week will finally answer to the allegations levelled against him by the municipality in February last year. He is due to appear at the disciplinary hearing today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday 25 and 26 February.
Vatala was put on precautionary suspension on 14 February 2020. The details of his suspension cannot be disclosed as it is an internal municipal matter. Commenting on the investigation at the time, Deputy Executive Mayor Aubrey Tsengwa said Council would appoint an independent investigator within seven days to probe the allegations and Vatala would be on suspension for the duration of the investigation. The investigator was to submit its findings to the municipal council within 30 days.
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and Knysna United have been calling for the municipality to finalise Vatala’s case as the municipality has been paying an Acting Municipal Manager (AMM) and Vatala for the same position for a year.
Knysna Municipality spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhoudt said the disciplinary hearing against Vatala has commenced with evidence being led on behalf of the employer, the Knysna Municipality. “The continuation of the hearing is scheduled to proceed on 25 and 26 of February 2021. We cannot provide an answer on when the matter is going to be concluded yet,” he said.
Knysna United chairperson Ralph Stander said they are ecstatic that the matter will be finalised now.
“It is wrong that the municipality pays two people for the same job, especially getting people from the outside to do the work while the MM is getting paid to do the job,” he said.
Stander said they have asked the national and provincial government to force the decision makers to pay for the costs incurred in hiring the AMM for a year.
“The decision to hire one AMM after another is irrational and wrong and someone must pay for the wrong decisions they have made. We can’t expect the taxpayers to pay for the wrong decisions made by the municipality,” he said.
Vatala’s legal representative, Sebastian Marx of McWilliams and Elliot attorneys, said he cannot disclose any information regarding the charges against Vatala or the case.
“The process started in December already and it is still ongoing. I cannot disclose anything more,” he said.