New Bitou MM set to be appointed soon

PLETTENBERG BAY - After years of controversy around Bitou's municipal manager position, the town will soon have someone stepping into a permanent position.

The Bitou Municipality announced this week that interviews for the position took place on Monday 14 February and that it has been tabled to be approved at a council meeting on 28 February. It is expected that the successful candidate will be behind his or her desk from either 1 March or 1 April, depending on the notice period.

This comes after a series of issues around the position which started in February 2019, when Lonwabo Ngoqo was appointed municipal manager despite his dismissal from the same municipality over financial misconduct in 2012.

He was found guilty after disciplinary proceedings. This led to a series of court cases that all found that his appointment was unlawful.

Ngoqo however resigned and left the municipality on 31 December last year. Richard Bosman was then appointed as acting municipal manager and assumed office, but he recently resigned and the position was filled on 31 January by Bitou's expenditure manager, Ntho Maredi.

His appointment however sparked yet another controversy when local opposition party IPM reported a matter of fraud at the police, calling into question the legitimacy of Maredi's qualifications.

Maredi remained adamant that he is properly qualified for the job.

Bitou municipal spokesperson Andile Namntu said that Maredi was only appointed temporarily and that his contract came to an end on 14 February.

A new acting municipal manager has since been appointed. He is Noel van Stade from Paarl, who will be in the position until a permanent municipal manager is appointed. "The new municipal manager is expected to start on 1 April if he or she has to serve notice with the current employer. If not, he or she can start on 1 March," Namntu said.