VRYHEID: Municipality insists on responding to demands

Lolo Madonsela

AbaQulusi Local Municipality (ALM) has defended itself after the leader of a termed “violent protest march” that took place in 2018, Simangaliso Zwane, told this publication a week ago that the municipality has never responded to their demands.
Municipal Manager Bonga Ntanzi said, “It is untrue that the municipality never responded to their demands. Former mayor, Jerry Sibiya, did respond to them. Also, if it was a case that the municipality did not respond, why wait this long? As the media, you need to be careful, as we are heading towards local government elections and all political parties are using every opportunity to campaign for votes”.
This publication has seen a copy of draft responses where, regarding the allegations of employees that were appointed by the Director of Corporate Service, it read: “The director in question has never appointed anyone in AbaQulusi in 2016. She was not part of Council in 2016; she has never appointed anyone because she started here in AbaQulusi Municipality in 2018”.
On the allegations of nepotism and involvement in unadvertised positions by the Speaker, it stated that: “The councillors are not part of the recruitment of officials below directors. The Speaker is neither part of any appointment and recruitment of staff nor a member of any recruitment panel, even for the Municipal Manager and directors.
“The issue of the involvement of the Speaker, Municipal Manager and Director in the employment of unadvertised posts is a witticism. We advise the community to visit our municipal notice board, where we normally paste our advertisements so that they will never be misguided and ill-advised”.

Also read: VRYHEID: Municipality yet to respond to grievances following Bhekuzulu march

On the matter of vehicles delivered to the municipality without correct Supply Chain Management procedures, it stated that: “We have not advertised a tender for municipal vehicles that were to be delivered. We had rental vehicles from RIS 2010 models with kilometres on the clock. Then RSI offered to swap those vehicles with 2015 models and that was the only different vehicles we received”. Zwane had said that, “I have been asking people that we allow the municipality time to investigate. But a year later, they still have not responded. Therefore, it’s fitting that we continue engaging with the community, as we have already started on how we are going to take our next step. The matters we raised there were genuine, and needed investigation and intervention. We have allowed them more than enough time to respond and take action where necessary”. The three IFP leaders and a bodyguard who were arrested following this protest (on attempted murder charges) will appear in the Vryheid Magistrate’s Court on November 19.

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