New search for municipal boss

THE troubled Makana Municipality in Grahamstown has to begin a new search for a municipal manager, after Local Government MEC Fikile Xasa rejected the appointment of Paul Notyawa to the town’s top post.

Xasa’s spokesman, Mamkeli Ngam, said the MEC believed that Notyawa, who had the backing of the majority of ANC councillors, did not have the required experience for the task.

The Makana council was divided on whether or not to appoint Notyawa, a Grahamstown lawyer and councillor, but he was later appointed, subject to Xasa’s approval.

Makana sub-regional secretary Andile Hoyi said that although they had no say in the appointment of senior managers, they believed that a local person was needed in the position of municipal manager.

“It is what the people of Makana want. Since 1994 that position has been held by people from outside Makana and now that we had a local person applying for that position we thought things would change in our municipality,” Hoyi said.

Makana Civil Society Coalition spokesman Jonathan Walton said it was a serious setback for the municipality.

“The fact that the municipality has no CFO [chief financial officer], no municipal manager and other senior management positions are vacant is really a problem. We were hoping that the MEC would concur this appointment although most people anticipated otherwise. This also means that this whole intervention will be prolonged unnecessarily.”

The municipality is currently under administration and has been without a permanent municipal manager since 2013.

Notyawa could not be reached for comment.