Regulations followed correctly

IN response to the letter in which numerous criticisms were levelled at the municipality around the process of the appointment of the city manager (“Council fails in legal duty”, December 2), the process of appointing a city manager is highly regulated, and requires that very specific legislated requirements and time frames are met. All of these requirements were followed to the letter, carefully ensuring that correct processes were followed throughout.

Given the recent, revolving door history of municipal managers under ANC leadership, it was incumbent upon the administration to ensure that no stone be left unturned when appointing the city manager. The decision to engage an outside consultant was taken by a full sitting of council on August 31 and was informed by the following factors:

First, the significant number of previous incumbents had contributed to significant institutional instability. Second, it was in the best interest of both the institution and the city to cast the net as widely as possible to ensure that we attracted the best possible pool of talent.

It was essential too that the process be as independent as possible to avoid any risk of contamination of the process and possible bias toward any particular candidate. Finally, the municipality needed to ensure stability as quickly as possible by finding and employing the right person.

The process that followed saw the submission of more than 70 applications and yielded a pool of extremely well qualified individuals. The candidate initially identified through the process certainly ticked all the right boxes, but was regrettably disqualified due to non-disclosure of matters of material significance that had a direct bearing on his suitability for the position.

The agency involved did exercise due diligence in doing the required background and probity checks. That said, the new incumbent, Johann Mettler, was one of the shortlisted candidates identified by the agency, which consequently negates any notion of fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The matter has been thoroughly investigated.

The process was not only legal and compliant, it was within approved council policies and has undoubtedly yielded the best person for the job.

I can concur on one point raised by the writer, however, which is the high level of competence of the acting corporate services executive director. Vuyo Zitumane is both professional and competent, and it was for this reason that she was hands-on throughout, being intimately involved in and responsible for this process.