BHISHO is setting its sights on placing another troubled Eastern Cape municipality under administration.
Embattled Mbhashe municipality is expected to be the second in the province to be placed under administration within two weeks.
The municipality is also rocked by political infighting.
Local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane confirmed the take over and his department was preparing to provide section 154 support to Mbhashe.
He said this would be done by seconding an acting municipal manager “sometime soon” to take over administration duties in that council.
The move comes barely weeks after the ANC provincial general council in East London resolved to deal decisively with provincial municipalities where there was instability and infighting.
The Mbhashe takeover comes exactly a week after an administrator, Vuyo Zitumane, was seconded last week to the trouble- prone Mnquma Municipality.
Both Mbashe and Mnquma councils are regarded as “in the red” by the provincial ANC and “hot spot municipalities” by Qoboshiyane.
Some council politicians distanced themselves from the takeover, saying the decision to bring in an administrator was never discussed in council.
However, Qoboshiyane said the decision was taken after a meeting with Mbhashe’s executive committee (exco) leadership last week.
The Mbhashe delegation at that meeting had included mayor Nonceba Mfecane who was recently reinstated in her position after being removed by her fellow ANC councillors last August.
Mfecane could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Qoboshiyane said the decision to send an administrator from his department’s “operation clean audit” unit, Sibongile Ngqele, was taken after the Mbhashe exco “escalated the matter of their administration and top management vacuum to the MEC last week”.
Councillors from various parties represented in the Mbashe council told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that there were never any discussions or resolutions around the secondment of an acting municipal manager.
Departmental superintendent- general Stanley Khanyile yesterday said his department was under the impression it was a council decision to ask for someone to be seconded. Khanyile said his department was concerned about the escalating numbers of people being seconded by his department to rescue ailing provincial municipalities.
“As part of our support to councils, our approach is that we encourage those councils to do things right by themselves.
“The number of people that we send to assist in these councils is getting too much and that is of concern to us that councils are struggling to operate on their own,” Khanyile said. —
Bhisho to take over running of battling Mbhashe
Embattled Mbhashe municipality is expected to be the second in the province to be placed under administration within two weeks.
The municipality is also rocked by political infighting.
Local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane confirmed the take over and his department was preparing to provide section 154 support to Mbhashe.
He said this would be done by seconding an acting municipal manager “sometime soon” to take over administration duties in that council.
The move comes barely weeks after the ANC provincial general council in East London resolved to deal decisively with provincial municipalities where there was instability and infighting.
The Mbhashe takeover comes exactly a week after an administrator, Vuyo Zitumane, was seconded last week to the trouble- prone Mnquma Municipality.
Both Mbashe and Mnquma councils are regarded as “in the red” by the provincial ANC and “hot spot municipalities” by Qoboshiyane.
Some council politicians distanced themselves from the takeover, saying the decision to bring in an administrator was never discussed in council.
However, Qoboshiyane said the decision was taken after a meeting with Mbhashe’s executive committee (exco) leadership last week.
The Mbhashe delegation at that meeting had included mayor Nonceba Mfecane who was recently reinstated in her position after being removed by her fellow ANC councillors last August.
Mfecane could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Qoboshiyane said the decision to send an administrator from his department’s “operation clean audit” unit, Sibongile Ngqele, was taken after the Mbhashe exco “escalated the matter of their administration and top management vacuum to the MEC last week”.
Councillors from various parties represented in the Mbashe council told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that there were never any discussions or resolutions around the secondment of an acting municipal manager.
Departmental superintendent- general Stanley Khanyile yesterday said his department was under the impression it was a council decision to ask for someone to be seconded. Khanyile said his department was concerned about the escalating numbers of people being seconded by his department to rescue ailing provincial municipalities.
“As part of our support to councils, our approach is that we encourage those councils to do things right by themselves.
“The number of people that we send to assist in these councils is getting too much and that is of concern to us that councils are struggling to operate on their own,” Khanyile said. —
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