Africa-Press – South-Africa. Mzingisi Nkungwana, who was appointed as acting city manager of Mangaung, was forcefully removed from his office.
A video of Nkungwana being forcefully removed circulated on social media on Tuesday.
In the video, the metro police chief, Israel Kgamanyane, is seen pushing Nkungwana and trying to force him out of the office.
Kgamanyane can also be heard saying: “I am just assisting you to go out.”
He then called security guards to assist, but the guards did not intervene. Nkungwana pushed his way to the office and sat on the couch, asking for his “pump”.
When he left the office, he said he was going to the police station.
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Before the incident, the mayor of Mangaung, Mxolisi Siyonzana, wrote to Kgamanyane to get Nkungwana to “comply with the contents of the letter written to him on the 14 April 2022”.
In that letter, Nkungwana was told to “return the assets belonging of the municipality that was given to you when you occupied as the directorate social services and the acting city manager.
“You are further called upon to desist from holding yourself out as the acting city manager and attempting [to] render any services in an attempt [to] perform the responsibilities of the office of the city manager.
“It is important to note that the MEC of Cogta [Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs] did not give concurrence to extend your employment contract beyond 31 March 2022.
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“Based on this, you are advised that you are not allowed to report for duty, and you are then advised to return all the tools of trade of the Mangaung metro municipality.”
End
The municipality’s spokesperson, Qondile Khedama, told News24 that Nkungwana’s contract came to an end at the end of March, and he was requested to vacate office.
But, despite the mayor telling him that his contract had lapsed, Nkungwana still wanted to occupy the office.
On Nkungwana opening a case, Khedama said:
Khedama said that, from Thursday, the new acting city manager, Tebogo Motlashuping, “will temporarily take over the administration of Mangaung metro”.
He said Motlashupi had been seconded from the national Cogta department. “This comes following a recent decision by Cabinet to place Mangaung under full national administration.”
He said Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had “laid out the terms of reference that would guide national government’s intervention in its efforts to get Mangaung back on track”.
According to Sunday World, Nkungwana had opened a case of assault against Kgamanyane.
He reportedly said he would not be bullied and let anyone interfere with his duties. He believed he was being targeted for “cleaning up the mess that is Mangaung”.
“I was never appointed by the mayor, but by the council. The municipality must act decisively against Israel [Kgamanyane] and the mayor,” he told the publication.
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