Africa-Press – Eswatini. Minister of Housing and Urban Development Apollo Maphalala has urged the Municipal Council of Mbabane (MCM) to handle the recruitment of its next chief executive officer professionally.
It has been six months since Gideon Mhlongo retired as CEO of the municipality.
Holding the fort is the Director of Corporate Services Bongani Dlamini as acting CEO.
The recruitment of the next CEO was allegedly controversial.
In August some of the candidates who applied for the post, along with other ratepayers as well as some of the elected 12-member council questioned the selection of the recruitment agency by the office of the director of corporate services.
They claimed Dlamini had overly undue advantage from the others as he had shown interest in applying for the position while still acting CEO.
They argued that it would blemish his reputation if he wanted to fairly compete and become the choice CEO as he was allegedly bordering into conflict of interest.
The minister raised the issue yesterday during his vusela tour at the council’s chambers with the members of the council, Mayor of Mbabane and the city’s Ward Two councillor Vusi Tembe, his deputy Ayanda Sigudla who is Ward Seven councillor.
“I want to implore the municipality of Mbabane.
“You are at the pinnacle of local government in this country. You need to demonstrate that you are now senior in this thing. “Demonstrate it in all aspects. You are recruiting a CEO. You are here to give us a report on what is happening, but you need to demonstrate that we are senior and can manage your own affairs without interference,” Maphalala said.
Present at the vusela were the management of MCM and officials led by the acting CEO, where they took the minister an a short tour of their activities and challenges they faced as they operated.
He said the purpose of his visit was to vusela, adding that he had an open door policy with which he operated.
He added that it would be discouraging to government if there were squabbles. He clarified that he was not talking because he heard anything on the recruitment of the CEO, but only heard that Dlamini was acting.
“Clearly you have an assignment to recruit the CEO. But I am saying handle that business with due diligence and care because the whole kingdom is watching as you are at the pinnacle of local government. Better remove any type of riff-raff so that you demonstrate that this is how local government should be run.
“If you do that, it will lift the profile of the municipality,” Minister Maphalala said, adding that at some point he would love to have the council meet with Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini on its issues.
Maphalala said the PM was infusing the culture among his Cabinet, of serving the people, which was testament of the recently concluded retreat.
He said local government ought to emulate from the PM and show to other local governments in the country how to lead.
With local governments reporting to the ministry, Minister Maphalala said Mbabane was the capital city thus must toe the line and lead by example. He said there was a need for clear demarcation of a CEO not becoming a politician and vice versa, adding that bickering would not solve the issues.
He then assured the mayor that he noted the issues he submitted and that they needed politicians to handle them.
“As politicians, we will work on these issues, including the clash between the mandate of municipalities and Tinkhundla centres and the finances. I have heard that the electorate send you with a clear message but when you get to office you find that there are no funds to execute those directives,” he said.
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