Africa-Press – South-Africa. The City of Johannesburg’s acting city manager Floyd Brink has been placed on special leave.
Brink’s special leave comes after allegations of misconduct and flouting of procurement processes in the acquisition of portable handheld communication devices and CCTV equipment for the Public Safety Department.
The deals were worth R320 million.
Recently, Brink revoked the City’s anti-corruption unit head Shadrack Sibiya’s powers to investigate corruption and wrongdoing.
City of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse ordered that Sibiya’s powers be reinstated.
In a statement on Tuesday, Phalatse said Brink’s suspension was aimed at giving an independent investigator time to get to the bottom of the allegations.
While Brink is on leave, Christiaan “Tiaan” Ehlers has been appointed as the acting city manager.
“Across the City, Mr Ehlers is considered to be a pair of safe and uncompromising hands who has served the City of Johannesburg under several political administrations led by different political parties and politicians. He has 34 years of local government experience, 17 of which are at the executive management level.”
According to Phalatse, since August 2021, Ehlers has served as the executive director of the Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, which encompasses City Power, Joburg Water and Pikitup.
Ehlers has a bachelor’s degree in town and regional planning, which he obtained from the University of Pretoria in 1980. In 1990, he obtained a master’s degree in business leadership from the University of South Africa. He also has a National Certificate in Municipal Financial Management from Wits University, obtained in 2016.
He was part of the APMG Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Founding Programme in 2017.
“On behalf of the multiparty government, I wish the acting city manager all the best, and I have no doubt that he will serve the City and its close to six million residents without favour and with a commitment to equitable and quality service delivery,” Phalatse said.
Phalatse said they were working hard to appoint a permanent city manager.
“The appointment of a permanent city manager is of critical importance to the multiparty government and our priority of building a well-run city. In the interest of service delivery and the residents, we are working to conclude the process of appointing a permanent and capable woman or man as city manager,” Phalatse added.
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