READY to get on with municipal matters, the City of uMhlathuze has reiterated that ‘it is not fair for administration to be entangled in political wrangles’.
The comment from Municipal Manager Dr Nhlanhla Sibeko was in response to claims by former mayor Elphas Mbatha last week of political interference in the operational running of the municipality as well as alleged irregularities in the tender process.
The MM told the Zululand Observer on Wednesday that these allegations by the outgoing mayor were ‘not new’ and appealed to all to ‘steer clear of this and not to drag administration into such matters’.
‘The former mayor has made these allegations in various platforms and even instituted a forensic investigation,’ Sibeko said.
‘Although procedurally it was not done correctly, Council still supported it because there is nothing to hide.
‘The report was concluded around November 2014 but up to now, none of us have seen it, unless the former mayor is privy to the content or outcomes of that report. It is therefore very confusing how he concludes on these issues,’ said Sibeko.
Referring to a rural sanitation tender award valued at R120-million, which was set aside by the provincial tender tribunal and had to be re-evaluated as per a High Court ruling, the MM said administration had ‘applied the rules accordingly’.
‘When the City goes out on tender for a project with a Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) requirement, it is bound to disqualify anyone without this requirement.
‘This is what happened in this particular case. The least that one would expect is support from political leadership who are given an oversight responsibility.
‘That the previous Council and administration allowed this does not mean the current administration should continue with the wrong.
‘We are busy installing more VIP units and we will continue to do so because we are committed to service delivery.’
Discriminated
On allegations that ANC regional head Thulani Mashaba intervened in administrative matters relating to his wife, the MM said there was no reason why she should be discriminated against.
‘Mrs Mashaba, whom the former mayor referred to, holds a BSc, an Honours Degree in Science and is currently an MBA student.’
It is hoped the political storm that hovered over the municipality is now over so that service delivery can continue.
‘While I acknowledge that there is a lot of work to be done to make this a great municipality, I am proud to say the administration has done very well under very difficult circumstances,’ said Sibeko.
@RonelleRamsamy
