Dark cloud cast over CFO

KNYSNA NEWS - During its most recent council meeting on Monday 31 July, Knysna Municipality selected its new chief financial officer (CFO) as well as a director of corporate services.

This despite the fact that questions have been raised about both appointments.

Monday's council meeting was the municipality's third attempt at holding the meeting, of which the main agenda points were the appointment of three directors as well as a new CFO.

The director appointments on hand were: Director of Corporate Services, Director of Planning and Development and the Director of Integrated Human Settlements.

Meeting postponements

According to Knysna Municipal Manager Ombali Sebola, the two previous postponements were not without reason.

"The meeting was first adjourned due to outstanding information and again when the speaker was booked off sick," he said. While the council meeting did finally go ahead, only two of the four necessary appointments were ultimately made.

These were the appointment of Adv Luvuyo Loliwe as Director of Corporate Services, and that of Olga Ndlovu as CFO.

Loliwe's permanent appointment to the position comes little more than a month after he was removed from the position of acting director following a Western Cape High Court ruling. The ruling by Judge

J Slingers found that his reappointment was unlawful as it fell outside of the allowed time frame in which an acting reappointment could be made, which meant that he was removed with immediate effect in late June.

Dark clouds

Ndlovu's appointment, on the other hand, is shrouded in dark clouds as she was dismissed as CFO by her previous employer, Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in North West. Her dismissal was made on the grounds of, inter alia, financial misconduct following a lengthy internal disciplinary process by the municipality.

The Municipal Finance Management Act's Regulations: Financial Misconduct Procedures and Criminal Proceedings, states that if an individual is found guilty of financial misconduct after following disciplinary proceedings, "he or she may not be re-employed in any municipality for a period of ten years".

This, however, did not prevent Knysna Council's approval of her appointment.

Knysna-Plett Herald understands that Ndlovu has sought a review of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality's guilty verdict, but at the time of going to print, that municipality had not confirmed this.

It is also unclear whether or not a criminal case was opened or what the status of a possible investigation into the situation is.

When asked about the matter, North West spokesperson of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lt Col Tinyiko Mathebula, merely said, "I cannot divulge any details of the investigation."

Satisfactory appointments

In spite of Ndlovu's prior dismissal, and the prescriptions laid out in the MFMA, Knysna Municipality remains steadfast in the appointments that have been made. "Adv Loliwe and Ms Ndlovu were appointed by a majority of Council following a thorough recruitment and selection process.

"The majority of Council is satisfied that both candidates qualify in terms of the regulations and applicable legislation.

"These appointments are, however, subject to concurrence by the Provincial Minister for Local Government, Mr Anton Bredell," Sebola stated.

However, DA Knysna Constituency Head Dion George disagrees. "The Democratic Alliance in Knysna is appalled at the appointment... of Me Leslina Olga Ndlovu as chief financial officer at the council meeting that took place on Monday 31 July," George said.

"In terms of the guidelines for the appointment of managers directly accountable to a municipal manager, Council must ensure that the candidate has not been dismissed for misconduct.

"The Democratic Alliance will ensure that Minister Bredell receives all the relevant information on Ms Ndlovu. We cannot have another crook employed in our municipality to assist in the looting of public funds."

Bredell's office was approached for comment on Ndlovu's appointment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.

Luvuyo Loliwe