Johannesburg – Emfuleni local municipality acting municipal manager Andile Dyakala has allegedly tried to extend the expired contracts of political and administration officials, including those in the offices of the mayor, speaker and chief whip.
Gauteng MEC for corporative governance and traditional affairs Lebogang Maile last month said Dyakala’s appointment as acting municipal manager was unlawful because former Emfuleni mayor Gift Moerane had failed to obtain council approval for the appointment.
Dyakala, who is also the municipality’s chief financial officer, advertised 41 vacancies internally on October 17, less than two weeks before the local government elections of November 1.
He was left with an egg on his face after he had to withdraw the advert on October 20 following an outcry about his motive to issue a job circular in the run-up to the elections.
Insiders at Emfuleni alleged that Dyakala was acting on the instruction of two senior politicians within the municipality to make sure that those who were working under them would still be taken care of.
“The move was to keep those close to the previous administration in jobs, despite their contracts getting expired. That was an act of misconduct and corruption,” said the anonymous source.
Another source said: “If those vacancies were withdrawn on the basis of error, then the municipality was supposed to rectify the erratum and continue with the process, but instead they withdrew the adverts to save face and hide illegal activities.”
Emfuleni spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said the municipality had advertised vacancies in compliance with the municipality’s recruitment and selection policy, which permitted advertising vacant posts that were budgeted for.
“In an effort to deal with understaffing, Andile Dyakala executed his responsibility to advertise the vacancies as the accounting officer. On 20 October, the adverts were withdrawn on account of errors and subsequent negative public backlash,” said Sangweni.
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