The race to fill the top position in KwaZulu-Natal’s only metro, eThekwini, looks set to be fought in the court of law with opposition parties not happy with the process to select candidates for the post of the city manager, claiming the ANC has hijacked the process.
At the heart of the problem is the recommendation by the ANC provincial deployment committee which allegedly pushed for Maxwell Mbili, the current municipal manager of Ray Nkonyeni municipality on the KZN south coast, to be deployed to the strategic position.
Opposition parties in the metro say the allegations are serious and have brought the entire selection process into disrepute. The interviewing process kicked off last Friday.
“The process could have been more open and transparent by making the entire executive committee part of the interviewing panel. This used to happen, but the ANC narrowly defeated it in council with the support of their coalition partners. We are currently considering steps to obtain minutes of the ANC deployment committee,” said Nicole Graham, the DA caucus leader.
Mbili is believed to be the ANC’s provincial chair, and premier Sihle Zikalala’s key ally, who is said to be instrumental in wanting him to receive the nod for the vacant post.
Since the departure of the long-serving Michael Sutcliffe, there hasn’t been any stability in the office of city manager in the metro, with incumbents often vacating the position under a cloud of controversy.
The last man in the job was Sipho Nzuza who faced corruption and fraud allegations relating to a multimillion-rand Durban Solid Waste tender alongside former mayor Zandile Gumede. Last year, Nzuza reached a settlement with the city and was paid more than R3.29-million as a severance package. He had 10 months remaining of his five-year contract.
The IFP said it would nullify the process, saying it was illegitimate and flawed. “The process has been marred by political interference and as the IFP we would not support any illegal appointment. This is state capture at play. The eThekwini metro needs a professional who is well qualified, experienced and has impeccable financial skills to manage a big budget that runs into billions,” said Mduduzi Nkosi, IFP caucus leader.
The metro is the crown jewel of the governing party and its stronghold. The party recorded a crushing electoral defeat in the metro and had to rely on last-minute pacts with several small parties to remain in power.
Nhlakanipho Ntombela, KZN ANC spokesperson said the party would wait for the process to conclude before commenting.
“As far as I know there were 25 candidates being interviewed for the position, but I’m not privy to which names were put forward. I believe the provincial executive committee will give a briefing once the process has been completed.”
The Zondo state capture commission put the ANC deployment committee at the centre of the state capture project.
The eThekwini metro has an annual budget of more than R50-billion. As an influential region within ANC politics, it is expected to be a battleground leading up to the ANC provincial elective conference where Zikalala will seek re-election as chairperson.
On the other hand, the radical economic transformation forces are pushing for Nomusa Dube, the current finance MEC to oust Zikalala.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
