OR Tambo district municipality acting municipal manager Fezekile Mphako wants to step down from the hot seat, citing academic reasons.
He submitted a request to step down and go back to his corporate services director job during a council meeting on Thursday night.
He has requested Friday to be his last day, which will pave the way for co-operative governance & traditional affairs MEC Xolile Nqatha to second an official to be the acting municipal manager.
Councillors are expected to discuss Nqatha’s planned intervention at Saturday’s council meeting.
Mphako resigned from the position after council had rejected rescinding his appointment, in what could be seen as a defiant move.
Council also rejected reports from mayor Thokozile Sokanyile, saying they were not submitted timeously.
The items, which will deal with litigation reports, the appointment of an acting municipal manager and Covid-19 expenditure, among others, were deferred to Saturday’s meeting.
While councillors refused to rescind Mphako’s appointment and the suspension of Owen Hlazo, they accepted Mphako’s resignation but instructed him to table a comprehensive report of everything he had done since being appointed as the acting accounting officer on June 30.
In his letter to council, Mphako wrote: “I further request the council to allow me to leave the office of the municipal manager on Friday 18/09/2020 so that I can conclude the programmes I started and compile an exit report for my successor.”
This means the secondment of the official Sokanyile had requested from Nqatha as part of the section 154 intervention will most likely be appointed during the Saturday meeting.
Councillors also agreed to forge ahead with disciplinary processes against Hlazo, who was suspended on June 17 for allegedly authorising more than R168m in payments to companies — some of which had not even lifted a finger.
The municipality also opened a criminal case against him. Hlazo has denied all allegations.
The DA said not only Hlazo should be held accountable for alleged maladministration, fraud and corruption, but all implicated officials, including the CFO.
DA whip councillor Tembalihle Xhangayi said they were happy the municipality was finally holding officials to account.
Xhangayi said instead of only seconding an acting municipal manager, the municipality should be placed under provincial government administration.
Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma should also institute a forensic investigation, particularly on Amatola being paid in advance.
The water utility is on record saying there was nothing untoward in the payment it received.
Amatola spokesperson Nosisa Sogayise said the R12.6m advance payment red-flagged by firm Apac, which probed the financial affairs of the district authority, would still be paid to contractor Ruwacon.
The money was meant for materials for the construction of the Signal Hill reservoir in Mthatha.
UDM whip councillor Mncedisi Bunzana echoed Xhangayi’s sentiments, saying everyone implicated in wrongdoing should be held to account.
Mthatha Ratepayers and Residents’ Association councillor Booi Malghas agreed.
On Cogta’s planned intervention, Malghas said: “We don’t just want anyone, but someone with credibility because we are fighting corruption here.”
Attempts to source a comment from council speaker Xolile Nkompela were unsuccessful at the time of writing and he did not respond to a text message. — DispatchLIVE