Africa-Press – South-Africa. The eThekwini Metro has finally appointed a full-time city manager, after a full council gave the green light for Musa Mbhele, who had been acting in the post, to get the job.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda made the announcement on Friday after the council rubber-stamped the appointment.
Mbhele was selected out of 158 applicants, including 17 candidates who were shortlisted and screened by the end of July.
The city manager post became vacant after former manager Sipho Nzuza was arrested by the Hawks and charged with fraud and corruption related to the R320-million Durban Solid Waste tender scandal involving former mayor Zandile Gumede and several other officials.
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The matter is expected to go to trial in March next year, with both Nzuza and Gumede pleading not guilty to the charges.
Appointing the city manager
Appointing the city manager has been a tedious process that saw the first panel, which consisted of an expert, Kaunda and ANC exco councillor Nkosenhle Madlala, dissolved after vehement objections from opposition parties which bemoaned the lack of inclusion.
From May, the recruitment process began afresh with the selection panel comprising the deputy mayor, three exco members and one independent expert.
Mbhele’s appointment comes a day after the sheriff of the court seized office equipment – including printers, computers and telephones – at the municipality’s offices in Jeff Taylor Crescent, Stamford Hill, after the City failed to pay back R30 million, plus R13 million in interest, to a service provider.
A warrant of execution was issued by the court on 28 May, instructing the sheriff to attach the City’s assets to recover the total amount.
News24 reported that the company, Daily Double Trading (trading as Pholobas Projects), approached the court for an order to declare the City had unlawfully blacklisted it. The company asked for R44 million.
Kaunda did not take questions on the matter on Friday, only conceding that it had occured.
“We have instructed our legal team to pursue this matter further in the Supreme Court of Appeal as we are convinced that a different court will reach a different decision in this matter.
“Since we have taken a decision to challenge this action, we will not be able to get into the merits of the case.”
Durban and surrounding areas have found themselves in an infrastructural decline in recent years following rampant corruption, Covid-19, and the July unrest. A lack of maintenance for years caught the City on the backfoot when the April floods hit, further exacerbating the already aged infrastructure.
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Kaunda said Mbhele had been selected as the top candidate after a gruelling interview and testing process.
“According to the [selection] panel, Mr Mbhele demonstrated a high level of experience and knowledge of strategic leadership in the municipal environment,” he said.
The mayor said Mbhele had a Social Science degree, Master’s in Town and Regional Planning, a Project Management Diploma, and a BTech Degree in Business Management.
“He has vast experience in local government and has been the Municipal Manager at Umzumbe Municipality and is currently Chief Operating Officer and Acting City Manager for eThekwini Municipality since July last year,” he said.
“The fact that he has been with the municipality for some time augurs well for us because he comprehends our challenges, and he is going to hit the ground running.”
Kaunda said Mbhele’s appointment would “stabilise the administration of the city and bring confidence to all our stakeholders”.
“The new city manager takes the helm of the only metro in the province at a time when the municipality is working hard to accelerate the rebuilding and restoration process following the July civil unrest and the devastating April floods.”
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