Government red tape delays interview with new municipal Administrator
Permission for an interview will now have to be sought from the office of the Cogta MEC
Who is Dumisani Vilakazi?
Have the majority of the rate paying citizens of Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality been introduced to the man whose decisions directly affect daily life?
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Mr Vilakazi, who replaced former Administrator Thandolwethu Manda, officially stepped into his position on January 21.
Effectively an Administrator is tasked by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta). With a unanimous consensus that the level of service delivery is declining, Mr Vilakazi has the potential to turn this around.
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In an attempt to interview Mr Vilakazi, the Estcourt News made contact with the local municipality.
The Communication Department advised a journalist that the preferred method of communication would be an emailed list of questions, instead of a face-to-face interview.
This was sent on January 23. On the day of the expected response and publication of the article, the journalist was suddenly informed via the Municipal Manager’s office that permission for an interview will now have to be sought from the office of the Cogta MEC.
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The questions directed to the new Administrator, which include his educational background and experience in public administration and local government and his short-term goals for the municipality are hardly top secret and were duly submitted to Cogta on January 28.
Waiting on a response from two contacts in the provincial department has proved fruitless. Being met with indifference is certainly not the transparency that government departments aspire to when all that is required is a simple introduction of a man who effectively rules our town.
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