The Enoch Mgijima local municipality council has called on the administrator Vuyo Mlokoti to check the contracts of all senior managers.
The decision was taken on Wednesday in a closed session of the special council meeting which appointed the municipality’s strategic manager Donavan van Wyk as the acting municipal manager.
The local authority’s municipal manager Chris Magwangqana was suspended last month pending an investigation into allegations that he misled council and allowed municipal assets to be auctioned off.
The municipality has been without a manager since Magwangqana’s suspension.
He has vowed to challenge his suspension in court.
UDM councillor Mthuthuzeli Hokolo said Van Wyk was appointed for a period of three months with conditions.
“One of the conditions is that the administrator will check the contract of employment of all senior managers. There is an audit taking place at the municipality checking the contracts of the senior managers and Mlokoto has been given until our next council meeting to bring all senior managers contracts before council,” he said.
Hokolo said they wanted to avoid appointing someone without a contract to serve as acting municipal managery.
“The law does not allow us to have people who do not have contracts with us to act. When the contracts are brought before council we will be able to determine who is appointed at the municipality and has no contract with us,” he said.
Hokolo praised Mlokoti for the work he had done since taking over the municipality.
“We are happy to have someone like him in the municipality and he is going to help us in changing the situation of the municipality around,” he said.
DA councillor Malibongwe Xhelisilo said they were fully behind the appointment of Van Wyk.
“If it happens that Van Wyk does not have a contract with us, council will then deal with that. For now he has been appointed for a period of three months and that can change if council finds out that he does not have a contract with them,” said Xhelisilo.
He said: “His expertise and experience are going to help us in dealing with the challenges faced by the municipality. All opposition parties including the ANC were pleased with the appointment.”
Xhelisilo said it was critical that Van Wyk had the institutional memory needed to run a municipality like Enoch Mgijima local municipality with all its problems...