The controversial and protracted KDM municipal manager (MM) selection process has drawn to a close, with Nhlanhla Mdakane reappointed for another five years.
Mdakane has held the post in various guises since 2014 – as interim, permanent and most recently, acting municipal manager.
His contract was extended by 3 months in January so that the hiring process could be completed, and he was officially appointed during an in-committee item in council last week.
While the process ticked all the boxes, opposition councillors felt a panel selected of only African National Congress (ANC) members would skew the result.
“From the inception of the process, the ANC did everything in its power to hoodwink the council into reappointing the current MM,” said ActionSA caucus leader, Nel Sewraj.
The panel consisted of mayor Lindile Nhaca, deputy mayor Thulani Ntuli and a municipal official of similar rank to a municipal manager, in this case the Ray Nkonyeni municipality MM, Maxwell Mbili.
Mbili has been involved in his own controversies recently after being rejected by the eThekwini Metro council as the ruling coalition’s preferred city manager.
Although details of the KDM process remain limited given the MM selection is an in-committee item, it is believed that about nine candidates were considered.
It is understood that three candidates were shortlisted and assigned suitability scores, after which only Mdakane underwent a competency test.
“This ANC-appointed panel ensured that the score for the current MM would be blatantly inflated. He scored 91 while the next shortlisted candidate (a seasoned municipal official) scored 51. Notice the extreme variance of 40! If nothing else, this huge gap in scores screams corruption,” said Sewraj.
“Aside from the selection process which has been kept under wraps, councillors have not been able to play any oversight role,” he said.
Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader Tammy Colley agreed, as councillors were only able to see the item on the day when the MM’s selection was approved.
“We saw it in the EXCO meeting on the morning of council, where the DA were the only party to raise any issues. It was then brought up again in general council later the same day where all councillors saw it for the first time,” said Colley.
Colley said she thought a better candidate could have been found.
“In the MM’s time in charge, we have seen no functional reduction in consequence management for executive directors. There has been little to no disciplinary action taken against non-functioning directors and their departments. We would rather have seen a further hiring process where other candidates could have been evaluated,” she said.
The DA, ActionSA and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) all objected on record in council, with Mdakane’s appointment being confirmed nonetheless.
