Uproar over appointment of KSD boss
The appointment of Ngamela Pakade as the new municipal manager of King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality has caused an outcry among opposition parties in the council.
They are now threatening to take legal action, claiming Pakade left Mnquma and recently Port St Johns municipalities under a “dark cloud”.
During a special council meeting last Wednesday, Pakade was voted into the position in the wake of stern resistance from the opposition parties.
The ANC rammed Pakade’s appointment through, using its majority in council. He had the second best score from interviews.
KSD mayor Dumani Zozo abstained from voting.
ANC chief whip in KSD, Sihlwele Nyengane, argued that there was nothing untoward about Zozo’s stance as everyone had a right to abstain from voting.
He also downplayed Pakade’s appointment over the head of a candidate who’d scored the most points during interviews.
“The decision to appoint the municipal manager rests with the council,” he said on Tuesday. “The [interviewing] panel presented a report and based on that report, council considered some things, including the final scores of each candidate.”
The Daily Dispatch reported recently that the ANC provincial executive committee wanted Pakade to take over as the municipal manager of KSD.
The local authority has been without an accounting officer for over a year since Mlamli Zenzile’s contract was not renewed late last year.
As a stop-gap measure, cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa seconded former operation clean audit head Mbulelo Sigaba as an acting municipal manager.
But UDM councillor Mabandla Gogo this week said they would take the municipality to court should Pakade be allowed into the hot seat.
“He left under a dark cloud with suspicions of corrupt activities in Mnquma.
“We told council if they employ him, we will go to court to fight it,” he said.
He also accused ANC councillors of bowing to pressure from the party’s provincial leaders.
DA councillor Raymond Knock said they were against Pakade’s appointment as he had not done well in Mnquma and PSJ municipalities.
Attempts to get a comment from Pakade were unsuccessful.
Nyengane denied that ANC councillors had been pressurised to appoint Pakade...
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