New finance chief at GGM

Nkuna’s appointment comes after the former CFO resigned last year to take up a lucrative position in the Tzaneen area. Nkuna’s appointment was lauded by all parties in the council who hailed it as a positive move towards addressing the municipal finance system. His contract is for a five-year term. However, the opposition questioned the delay in the appointment of a municipal manager, arguing that municipal finances can not be stabilised without a permanent manager.

“While we welcome the appointment of the new CFO, we are concerned about the delay in the appointment of a permanent municipal manager. We understand that the post for CFO was advertised simultaneously, so why do we fill one position and leave the other pending,” Patriotic Alliance (PA) councillor Pat Mabandla said. Another contentious issue raised was the continuation of the three-year contracts of the municipal audit committee members.

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The contracts ended on February 1, but they have received a three-month continuation until a new committee can be appointed. The opposition questioned the decision, accusing the audit committee of a poor work record. “They were supposed to be here at this council meeting to brief us on their work but they did not show up. That is a clear sign of noncompliance, yet you continue to give them more time to work at the municipality,” EFF councillor, Silence Mongwe said in objecting to the extension.

He insisted that the GGM rather work without an audit committee while it tries to appoint suitable members. In response, the speaker, Ernest Mboweni said it was necessary for the council to grant them an extension as the municipality cannot function without an audit committee in place. “We understand that there is a need for a new audit committee and we are busy with processes to employ one. However, in the interest of good governance, we need to have a temporary audit committee working while we run the processes.”

The matter was put to vote and was approved by the ANC majority. Meanwhile, GGM’s mayor, Thandi Zitha, has congratulated the newly appointed CFO, saying the municipality was counting on him to safeguard its finances. “For us to ensure effective service delivery to communities, we need someone like you to ensure that the municipal finances are stable,” she said.