Sekhukhune municipality appointments raise ire

The appointment of managers and junior staffers in the Sekhukhune district municipality has got tongues wagging as some officials allegedly do not have the correct qualifications.

The council appointed Maureen Ntshudisane as municipal manager with effect from 1 September for a period of not more than one year after the next local government elections. Ntshudisane holds a master’s degree in development planning from the University of Witwatersrand.

The council also appointed Maselaganye Matji as director of infrastructure and water services. Matji holds a masters of science in civil engineering from Stellenbosch University and masters of business leadership from the University of SA (Unisa).

The council extended the tenure of Colbert Mufamadi as acting chief financial officer. Mufamadi reportedly holds an accountancy degree from Unisa.

Executive mayor Keamotseng Stanley Ramaila said: “We are confident that with their experience and knowledge of the local government, they will play a vital role in helping our council to fast-track service delivery.”

But the announcements were marred by controversy with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Bolsheviks parties claiming some of the appointments were irregular as not all the recruitment processes were followed.

“We would like to congratulate the new municipal manager and the new infrastructure, water and sanitation director for their new portfolios. But we cannot say the same about the three-month extension of Colbert Mufamadi. He has [allegedly] failed to provide his qualifications to the municipality since his appointment, some 15 years ago,” said Bolsheviks leader Seun Mogotji.

“All these years, he has been sending us from pillar to post each time we asked about his qualifications. Our question is simple, where are your qualifications Mr Mufamadi?”

Caucus leader of the DA in the Sekhukhune district municipality Solomon Maila said he had problems with the appointment of Thabo Segokodi and Laureen Makunyane.

“My problem is that these two were appointed without any advertisements made and any interviews conducted. To show that these two are so special, this municipality further went on to give them these jobs on a silver platter as they were appointed with only [alleged] primary education,” Maila said.

“That is not all. The salaries of these two employees has already been processed, in spite of them having been appointed without following relevant recruitment processes. We, the DA, say these appointments are irregular and must be reversed,” he added.

Contacted for comment, municipal spokesperson Willy Mosoma said: “It is indeed true that these two posts were not advertised. “The reason was in recognition of the Labour Relations Act 186 (1) (b), which stipulates on creation of genuine expectations by an employer towards an employee.”

He added: “The absorption of the two was in recognition of prior experience. Segokodi has been an [extended public works programme] casual worker since 2013, having only Grade 10, while Makunyane joined this municipality in 2015, with N4 in business administration.

“But as remedial action, the Sekhukhune District Municipality is putting systems and controls in place in an effort to prevent the recurrence of this action in future,” added Mosoma.

– news@citizen.co.za

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