PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - After years of controversy surrounding Bitou's municipal manager that led to several court cases, Lonwabo Ngoqo resigned from the municipality last week.
Ngoqo's tenure as municipal manager has been a tumultuous one, especially after he was appointed in the position in February 2019 following his dismissal from the same municipality over financial misconduct in 2012. He was found guilty after disciplinary proceedings.
Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell took the matter of his re-appointment to court after exhausting all other options and challenged the legality of the actions taken by the council. In terms of local government legislation, a municipal manager who is found guilty of serious financial misconduct by a disciplinary hearing must be placed on a register and isn't allowed to be appointed as a municipal manager for the next 10 years.
The appointment of a municipal manager must also be approved by the relevant MEC for local government. Bredell objected to the approval but the council resisted, which forced the MEC to enforce his decision via the courts.
In August 2019 the labour court ruled in Bredell's favour. The court found that the decision taken by the council was unlawful.
It ordered that the settlement agreement between the municipality and Ngoqo, as well as Ngoqo's appointment as municipal manager, be set aside. The municipality then took the matter on appeal.
The judgement in that appeal was delivered via e-mail on 11 February, informing the parties that the appeal had been dismissed with costs. This decision was once again appealed, following a decision by the AUF/ANC - the ruling coalition at the time - on 19 February this year. There has not been judgement in the latest appeal.
Newly appointed mayor Dave Swart announced that he had accepted Ngoqo's resignation on Friday 26 November.
"Advocate Ngoqo has already vacated the office and his last day of employment in the Bitou Municipality is on 31 December 2021," Swart said in a statement.
Charles Bosman has been appointed as acting municipal manager and assumed office on Monday.
Swart said the recruitment of a new municipal manager will follow applicable municipal procedures.
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