Municipal manager, Zamani Mcineka responds to town’s sewage saga
While Mcineka initially declined to comment on the sewer pump issue, saying that the matter needed to be treated with the sensitivity it deserved, he had a change of heart after it was brought to the public eye in the Newcastle Advertiser.
Municipal manager, Zamani Mcineka, has taken action against the senior official he holds responsible for sewer pumps that were paid for without having been delivered and installed.
The pumps were funded by a grant the municipality received from Cogta (Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) in March and would have gone a long way towards alleviating the constant sewage spills plaguing the CBD.
Sazi Shange was suspended on full pay with immediate effect last week Tuesday, September 20, pending a full investigation into the circumstances in which R1.6-million was paid for sewer pumps that had still not been delivered nearly three months down the line.
Shange wears many hats at the Newcastle Municipality. Officially, he was appointed at the Director of Sewer and Reticulation.
However, he is also standing in as the Director of Water Services, he was the acting Strategic Executive Director (SED) of the Technical Services Department until Bongokuhle Mnguni was appointed in the position on May 16, and, as a political activist, he is a branch chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC).
In terms of the investigation, Shange is the project manager entrusted with overseeing the refurbishment of the sewer pump station, including the supply and the installation of the sewer pumps.
On the front page of its September 16 edition, the Newcastle Advertiser stated that it was Mcineka who authorised the payment for the pumps on June 28. Mcineka confirmed this. His signature is as clear as day on both the direct purchase requisition, as well as the order for payment.
Yes, I did authorise this payment,” Mcineka says matter-of-factly.
He explains, “I approve, on average, about 20 invoices every day. Does it mean that before I approve each invoice, I get in my car and drive to the site to check what work has been done? The answer is no. This responsibility is delegated to the project manager. Otherwise, why is that person appointed? Even if I had to inspect the sewer pump station myself, I wouldn’t know what the different components are supposed to look like. You can never have an accounting officer who knows everything about the technical nature of the services the municipality provides. We depend on our senior managers for this.”
Read the full report in this week’s edition of the Newcastle Advertiser, on sale from Thursday, September 29.
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