ELM to close management gap for service delivery
The lack of a permanently-appointed top management team has been a major negative factor in the functioning of the local authority placed under partial administration by the Gauteng Provincial Government earlier this year, informed sources said.
Craig Kotze
SEDIBENG.- The appointment of a permanent but downsized top management team for the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) is now again on track as part of the local authority’s turnaround plan on revenue generation, service delivery and infrastructure management.
The lack of a permanently-appointed top management team has been a major negative factor in the functioning of the local authority placed under partial administration by the Gauteng Provincial Government earlier this year, informed sources said.
Organised business welcomed the news with GTCoC spokesperson Jaco Verwey saying a permanently-appointed ELM top management team was pivotal for stability and service-delivery.
“The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) would therefore welcome such a move and would support a properly-constituted process fully,” said Verwey.
ELM was previously in process of appointing a new top management team when it was halted by Gauteng Province after the municipality advertised a new streamlined management team several months ago – a move which could save about R2 million a year on salaries for top level officials.
ELM Executive Mayor Jacob Khawe had announced in April that a new management team at ELM would be appointed and would also be subjected to lifestyle audits and other integrity safeguards before appointment.
It is not yet known when interviews from shortlisted candidates will now be held and how exactly the selection panel will be constituted – it is understood that the business sector will be represented on the panel by Klippies Kritzinger, CEO of the Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC).
Uncertainty also shrouds the position of the Municipal Manager – presently filled by Oupa Nkoane whose one-year contract expires soon. The Municipal Manager is usually a political appointment directly by the Executive Mayor.
The GTCoC and ELM have been cooperating closely on the local authority’s turnaround strategy, notably on a ground-breaking Business Customer Center and also on the maintenance of pump stations relating to water supply and sewage management.
Growing cooperation between ELM and the GTCoC has also led to greater involvement and a R200 million funding injection by the national Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) in assistance for Emfuleni.
COGTA Minister Zweli Mkhize recently led an unusually large official delegation of around 35 senior officials to a major meeting between the GTCoC, top ELM officials and other business representatives.
