Following the much-anticipated intervention plan of the Minister of COGTA, Honorable Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma after the cabinet approved the recommendation submitted by a select committee led by China Dodovu, Mangaung Metro has a new acting City Manager.
On Wednesday, 20 April 2022 Minister Dlamini Zuma announced the task team that will save the sinking ship and will have to do whatever it takes within six months, the team is as follows:
Acting City Manager: Tebogo Motlashuping – a Deputy Director General at COGTA
Acting HoD: Adv Ntateko Mpangane- Corporate Services COGTA
Acting HoD: Engineering Services – George Joma – MISA
Acting Senior Engineer: Dr. Tseliso Ntili – Water and Sanitation
Other vacant positions will be filled in due course as departments had not provided names at the time of the meeting.
It is not clear why Human Settlement, Forestry Fisheries, and the Environmental, National Treasury, and Department of Transport had not submitted names when they knew as early as last week that the meeting was scheduled.
Also, why did the Minister name a suspended Advocate to be part of the team?
The national intervention shall end when the governance, financial health, and responsive service delivery have improved significantly, and its financial commitments are secured in terms of section 148 of MFPA.
Tebogo Motlashuping, the acting City Manager is not new to this task having been tasked with a similar job in June 2013 at Madibeng Municipality in North West province.
He is the former Municipal Manager at Lekwa Teemane Local Municipality, Acting Municipal Manager for Ventersdorp Municipality and currently, he is the Deputy Director General in the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
While addressing the Media Minister Dlamini-Zuma said the municipality was placed under administration in 2019. Asked if there will be any consequence management as that’s the reason why the municipality is in this mess she said.
“The team will receive the handover report and we will take it from there.”
With regards to the elephant in the room that is the ghost workers David Masondo, Deputy Minister of Finance said.
“The task team will do a full audit and all liabilities will be addressed.”
For the national government to intervene must be the most embarrassing to both Premier and MEC for COGTA.
This is because the financial recovery plan was divided into three phases, which were supervised by the national and provincial departments of cooperative governance.
Step UP SA News has established the vote of no confidence against the embattled Executive Mayor will be on the 28 April 2022 and as previously reported a faction of the African National Congress (ANC) will vote with the Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats (AASD).
Sources within the ANC say by 29 April 2022 Siyonzana will no longer be the Executive Mayor and Mzi Nkungwana might come back.
History has no blank pages, in August 2020, Olly Mlamleli former Executive Mayor was ousted during a council meeting through a vote of no confidence brought by Freedom Front Plus.
At the time Thabo Meeko, the former provincial spokesperson said.
“We want to understand truly what has been the issue and what made people act in the manner that they did.”
We will have to find out what Oupa Khoabane will have to say should Siyonzana be ousted through the assistance of ANC councilors.
Between the two factions one got to Minister Dlamini-Zuma and your guess is as good mine, the conference is around the corner. Connect the dots.
If you have news or tips please email us at news@stepupsanews.co.za
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