A SENIOR ANC councillor implicated in the R6-million Mandela memorial funds scandal has been rewarded with a lucrative promotion, which will see her salary jump by more than 100%.
Sindiswa Gomba, one of Buffalo City Metro’s (BCM) longest serving councillors, has been offered a mayoral committee head post making her one of the highest paid councillors in the metro.
Yesterday morning she was in court alongside those implicated in the embezzlement of funds meant for memorial services held around the city for former president Nelson Mandela last December. These include the executive mayor Zukiswa Ncitha, her deputy Temba Tinta and council speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele and BCM ANC regional boss Phumlani Mkolo.
She refused to comment on her promotion yesterday referring the Dispatch to the ANC regional office. But sources, both within the council and others in the ANC, confirmed the appointment.
The Saturday Dispatch can also today reveal that the promotion, which will see her salary increase from around R392000 a year to R841000, was endorsed by the ANC this week and officially communicated to senior metro politicians on Wednesday.
Her promotion comes after the ANC’s provincial leadership, on the recommendation of the party’s BCM regional executive, resolved to remove metro health and public safety portfolio chair Rufus Rwexu and his counterpart at the housing portfolio, Nomiki Mgezi, as members of the metro’s executive council.
The decision to boot the two councillors was officially communicated to Ncitha and council chief whip Sangweni Matwele during a brief meeting held at the party’s regional offices in East London on Wednesday.
Both Mgezi and Rwexu attended the meeting, which was chaired by ANC regional boss Pumlani Mkolo.
Rwexu and Mgezi refused to comment afterwards, also referring queries to the ANC.
Ncitha refused to comment saying this was an ANC decision.
Mkolo said the reshuffle was none of the Dispatch’s business. “What does their removal have to do with you? There are a million people here in BCM and none have asked me about that move. Why you?” he asked.
Earlier this week Dispatch reporters watched Ncitha walk into the meeting on the ANC regional office in Oxford Street.
She emerged 20 minutes later and headed for City Hall where she officially informed Gomba of her promotion.
The Dispatch has further learnt that Rwexu’s position as mayoral head of health and public safety will be temporarily filled by Tinta, who doubles as the party’s regional treasurer.
He will act in the position until the REC identifies a suitable candidate from council.
The pending appointment of the metro’s executive directors is said to be the reason for the reshuffle. Council is solely responsible for the appointment of these senior administrators, but the Mkolo-led REC intervened and made recommendations of new candidates to mayoral committee members, including those led by Rwexu and Mgezi.
The ANC has accused Rwexu and Mgezi of defying the party’s regional leadership’s orders to appoint ANC deployees into the vacant director positions.
In the housing directorate, the Dispatch understands that the ANC regional executive wants Dr Sijaku Mbanga, the provincial human settlement department chief operations officer, to take over as directorate head. Mgezi and his selection panel are said to prefer former COPE leader and acting directorate head Thabo Matiwane. The SACP has described the reshuffle as being motivated by people wanting to enrich themselves with council money. Both Mgezi and Rwexu are active SACP members.
“We are of view that it is time for us as leaders to stop using our organisations and state institutions as organs for individual upward mobility,” the party’s district secretary Boyce Melitafa said a few months ago.
SACP provincial secretary Xolile Nqatha yesterday said the reshuffling had nothing to do with the interests of the ANC and people of BCM.
“(It) represent a typical capturing of the municipality by greedy tenderpreneurs presenting their selfish interests of crass materialism and conspicuous consumption of public resources as those of the people and the organisation.”
Nqatha said the BCM community should “see this reshuffle for what it is and not be fooled by the greedy people hiding behind the good name of our ANC”. “We are calling on the people to unite and reject this reshuffle. We commit ourselves to expose this utter greed that knows no organisational processes and laws in pursuit of tenders.” — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Promoted
Sindiswa Gomba, one of Buffalo City Metro’s (BCM) longest serving councillors, has been offered a mayoral committee head post making her one of the highest paid councillors in the metro.
Yesterday morning she was in court alongside those implicated in the embezzlement of funds meant for memorial services held around the city for former president Nelson Mandela last December. These include the executive mayor Zukiswa Ncitha, her deputy Temba Tinta and council speaker Luleka Simon-Ndzele and BCM ANC regional boss Phumlani Mkolo.
She refused to comment on her promotion yesterday referring the Dispatch to the ANC regional office. But sources, both within the council and others in the ANC, confirmed the appointment.
The Saturday Dispatch can also today reveal that the promotion, which will see her salary increase from around R392000 a year to R841000, was endorsed by the ANC this week and officially communicated to senior metro politicians on Wednesday.
Her promotion comes after the ANC’s provincial leadership, on the recommendation of the party’s BCM regional executive, resolved to remove metro health and public safety portfolio chair Rufus Rwexu and his counterpart at the housing portfolio, Nomiki Mgezi, as members of the metro’s executive council.
The decision to boot the two councillors was officially communicated to Ncitha and council chief whip Sangweni Matwele during a brief meeting held at the party’s regional offices in East London on Wednesday.
Both Mgezi and Rwexu attended the meeting, which was chaired by ANC regional boss Pumlani Mkolo.
Rwexu and Mgezi refused to comment afterwards, also referring queries to the ANC.
Ncitha refused to comment saying this was an ANC decision.
Mkolo said the reshuffle was none of the Dispatch’s business. “What does their removal have to do with you? There are a million people here in BCM and none have asked me about that move. Why you?” he asked.
Earlier this week Dispatch reporters watched Ncitha walk into the meeting on the ANC regional office in Oxford Street.
She emerged 20 minutes later and headed for City Hall where she officially informed Gomba of her promotion.
The Dispatch has further learnt that Rwexu’s position as mayoral head of health and public safety will be temporarily filled by Tinta, who doubles as the party’s regional treasurer.
He will act in the position until the REC identifies a suitable candidate from council.
The pending appointment of the metro’s executive directors is said to be the reason for the reshuffle. Council is solely responsible for the appointment of these senior administrators, but the Mkolo-led REC intervened and made recommendations of new candidates to mayoral committee members, including those led by Rwexu and Mgezi.
The ANC has accused Rwexu and Mgezi of defying the party’s regional leadership’s orders to appoint ANC deployees into the vacant director positions.
In the housing directorate, the Dispatch understands that the ANC regional executive wants Dr Sijaku Mbanga, the provincial human settlement department chief operations officer, to take over as directorate head. Mgezi and his selection panel are said to prefer former COPE leader and acting directorate head Thabo Matiwane. The SACP has described the reshuffle as being motivated by people wanting to enrich themselves with council money. Both Mgezi and Rwexu are active SACP members.
“We are of view that it is time for us as leaders to stop using our organisations and state institutions as organs for individual upward mobility,” the party’s district secretary Boyce Melitafa said a few months ago.
SACP provincial secretary Xolile Nqatha yesterday said the reshuffling had nothing to do with the interests of the ANC and people of BCM.
“(It) represent a typical capturing of the municipality by greedy tenderpreneurs presenting their selfish interests of crass materialism and conspicuous consumption of public resources as those of the people and the organisation.”
Nqatha said the BCM community should “see this reshuffle for what it is and not be fooled by the greedy people hiding behind the good name of our ANC”. “We are calling on the people to unite and reject this reshuffle. We commit ourselves to expose this utter greed that knows no organisational processes and laws in pursuit of tenders.” — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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