“Even though I have not been able to resolve all your issues, it has been an honour to serve the community of Ngwathe.” This was the message from Mr Bruce Kannemeyer, who has been the municipal manager (MM) of Ngwathe for the past five years.
His contract with the municipality ended on Thursday, 31 March. Florence Mokgobu, the director of Corporate Services, will be acting as the MM for the next three months of the recruitment process for the position.
The council earlier approved the national advertisement for the MM position. It also gave the go-ahead to establish a selection panel chaired by the executive mayor of Ngwathe. The position was advertised in the Sunday Times on 6 February and the applications closed on 25 February.
Council bade Mr Kannemeyer farewell at the Council meeting on Wednesday, 30 March.
The provisions of S57 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 stipulate that the employment contract for an MM must be a fixed term up to a maximum of five years, not exceeding a period ending one year after the elections of the next council of a municipality.
The Local Government Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 also pre- scribes that an MM must have the relevant skills and expertise.
When Mr Kannemeyer was appointed in Ngwathe in 2017, he was the first MM to be permanently appointed in the position, after at least seven acting municipal managers had come and gone over the past 10 years.
Before his appointment in Ngwathe, he was the MM of the Phumelela Municipality in the Free State, which includes the town of Vrede. During his career, he also held the position of municipal manager of the Stellenbosch Municipality (2007–2010), and the OR Tambo District Municipality.
