ELM financial recovery hit by contract extension of top official – GTCoC

By Craig Kotze
Direct interference in party politics by top ELM officials led to the contract extension by council last week of a controversial and incompetent acting Municipal Manager (MM) – and will also derail financial and management turn-around plans at the failing local authority.
Having a discredited and demonstrably incompetent acting municipal manager (MM) still in place at ELM would also severely affect the appointment and credibility of a new permanent MM who will now not be in place by November, said organised business.
Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) CEO Klippies Kritzinger expressed his shock and disappointment at ELM Council’s shock decision to extend the contract of acting Municipal Manager Dithaba Oupa Nkoane for another three months despite him being at the centre of huge unresolved governance disasters and scandals.
Kritzinger has repeatedly called for the suspension and disciplining of Nkoane and CFO Andile Dyakala on grounds of gross negligence and dereliction of duty on the continuing meter replacement saga and other issues.
“Nkoane and Dyakala’s mismanagement severely undermines ELM’s Financial Recovery Plan (FRP) and sets back plans for clean and competent administration at ELM – this is urgently needed to restore investor confidence in the Vaal and to restore the regional economy,” said Kritzinger.
Kritzinger added the GTCoC and other business stakeholders had already presented Executive Mayor Gift Moerane with planning on how business viewed the implementation of the FRP in Emfuleni.
Kritzinger has also urged Moerane to investigate evidence of a dirty tricks smear campaign by top ELM managers agaginst business, the media and uncaptured officials at ELM.
Both Gauteng Premier David Makhura and his MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Lebogang Maile refused to decide on the Nkoane contract extension but instead handed the task to ELM council, MooiVaal Media (Ster/Vaalweekblad) has learned.
This left political parties and the business sector asking why Gauteng Province had abdicated its responsibility as ELM was already under partial administration by Province due to financial mismanagement. Nkoane was appointed acting Municipal Manager by Gauteng Province.
Province not deciding on Nkoane’s contract extension allowed weeks of political manipulation and even direct interference in party politics by Nkoane and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Andile Dyakala to influence especially regional ANC and EFF political structures in Emfuleni, MooiVaal Media has learned.
Last Thursday, ANC and EFF councillors voted together in council to extend the Nkoane contract by another three months in a move which countered the intention of Executive Mayor Gift Moerane to suspend Nkoane by Council vote and have him investigated, political sources said.
Having Nkoane suspended by council was also delayed over three weeks by Speaker Maipato Tsokolibane who postponed council meetings on spurious grounds and which prevented uncaptured elements in council to act against Nkoane, said the sources.
Her cancellations of council meetings included dissolving a meeting on grounds that council recording microphones were missing leading to a wave of protests and fears of dirty tricks by top managers wished to escape accountability in council for governance disasters.
Although anticipated, the Nkoane contract extension last week sent shock-waves through business and uncaptured political communities as it ignored his direct role in implementing especially the disastrous smart meter replacement process which caused more than R40 million in lost revenue, increased power theft and infrastructure damage.
Nkoane has also been linked to irregular contract extension of almost R300million for Mafoko Security services resulting in almost R40 million in unauthorised expenditure, according to the explosive Comperio Forensics report which has not yet been tabled at Council.
A MooiVaal Media investigation has also revealed that although Nkoane’s contract as acting MM expired on 30 September, he and CFO Dyakala continued interference in party politics until last week’s council vote to extend Nkoane’s acting MM contract.
In recent months various actions were launched by Nkoane and Dyakala to discredit organised business and the media, MooiVaal Media has established.
ELM has not yet reacted to requests for comment.