Municipal Manager bone of contention

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The municipal manager position in Bitou remains a point of contention after a series of issues plaguing the municipality, including allegations of mismanagement.

Thabo Ndlovu, who was appointed as MM following the 2016 local government elections, is back on the job after he had been placed on precautionary suspension. The suspension came after a forensic investigation into, among others, mismanagement.

The action came during the recent DA and Active United Front (AUF) coalition.

Illegal council meeting
Earlier this year, however, council voted for disciplinary proceedings against Ndlovu to end. This was successful because the mayor, Peter Lobese – acting against his coalition with the DA – sided with the ANC. The DA then sought a declaratory order in the Western High Court to declare the special council meeting illegal.

The DA caucus leader in Bitou, Bill Nel, said this was granted unopposed as Lobese’s attorneys advised him to withdraw the opposition.

Since the suspension, the MM position was filled but Johnny Douglas, who was deployed by the provincial minister of local government.

Lobese later voted with the ANC again, this time against extending Douglas’ contract.

The AUF-DA coalition has since collapsed and the AUF and ANC have seemingly rekindled the relationship that they had following the local government elections in August 2016, but which ended about nine months later.

Charges withdrawn
During a special council meeting on 14 May, it was resolved that all disciplinary charges against Ndlovu be withdrawn. Municipal spokesperson Manfred van Rooyen said it was also decided that Ndlovu's precautionary suspension be reversed and that he resume his functions with immediate effect.

The following day, on 15 May, Ndlovo accordingly reported for work.

Nel, however, said in a statement that the initial court order still stands. “This effectively interdicts Ndlovu from exercising any act as municipal manager until the court ruling is overturned,” Nel said.

Nel added that the Bitou legal advisor, Alan Croutz, was last week marched out of his office on precautionary suspension for having implemented the council resolutions to institute the disciplinary procedure against Ndlovu and to institute the forensic investigation.

The municipality did not respond to queries about this issue before going to print.

Read previous articles: