Durban – The provincial secretary of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Mtolo, says the current eThekwini city manager, Musa Mbhele, was never their first choice for the position.
Mtolo says Mbhele was appointed by a panel that excluded their deployee in the city, Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
He made this comment on Wednesday while he was briefing the media in Durban following a provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting.
NEWS: Provincial secretary of the ANC in KZN, Bheki Mtolo, says it is public knowledge that the current eThekwini city manager Musa Mbhele was never their first choice. He says Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda was removed from the panel that appointed Mbhele & PG Mavundla chaired it. @
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 3, 2023
This was in response after the Daily News, quoting a report from the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) of eThekwini municipality, revealed he scooped the position while tainted by corruption allegations.
UPDATE: Former eThekwini deputy mayor and ABC President, Philani PG Mavundla has rubbished claims by ANC KZN provincial secretary, Bheki Mtolo, that they illegally elbowed out eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda out of the panel that eventually appointed City Manager Musa Mbhele.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 3, 2023
The report flagged Mbhele, saying before taking the city manager position, he illegally extended the contract of a service provider.
Later, he allegedly received a monthly kickback of R50 000, which he then used to extend his mansion in Pinetown.
NEWS: The ANC in KZN says COGTA MEC, Bongi Sithole Moloi, will continue to hold the forth as the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture following the resignation of Amanda Bani-Mapena. It says Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube will announce Bani-Mapena's replacement in the near future. @
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 3, 2023
In his response, when he was asked about the issue of Mbhele, Mtolo said they were worried about the many negative reports about the city of eThekwini.
He then reminded the media that, by the way, Mbhele was not their first choice but did not say whom they preferred for the position.
“But what you forget, because you guys (the media) forget things, you are elevating the issue of the City Manager as that the ANC must act on the City Manager.
“You forget how when the city manager of eThekwini (was appointed), the outrage that was made.
“You know that the first choice of the ANC was not the current city manager. It is a public knowledge.
“The first choice of the ANC was not the current city manager, but all parties in eThekwini stood against the ANC, stood against the ANC,” Mtolo said, adding that the issue of Mbhele is now being made an “ANC baby”’.
He said ‘’something strange happened” that led to the appointment of the now embattled Mbhele.
He said Kaunda, who is the current mayor of eThekwini, was removed from the panel, and it ended up being chaired by former deputy mayor Philani PG Mavundla.
Mavundla was from Abantu Batho Congress (ABC), and he entered into a coalition pact with the ANC and secured the position of deputy mayor.
“Kaunda did not sit in the panel that selected the city manager. The panel was chaired by the former deputy mayor Mavundla, against the regulations. The regulations are clear in the appointment of senior managers and managers that are accountable to the accounting officer.
“The regulations are saying if it’s a post of an MM (municipal manager), the chairperson of the panel for the post of a city manager is the mayor of the municipality,” Mtolo claimed.
Mavundla immediately rushed Mtolo’s claims on Wednesday when he told that Kaunda had to withdraw because he was conflicted.
He said that was when media reports emerged that Kaunda was part of a meeting organised by the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, where they recommended that Max Mbili, who was the MM at Ray Nkonyeni (Port Shepstone) at the time, should get the position.
“It is very true that Kaunda had to be moved, and Kaunda knows the reasons why he had to be moved.
“He had to be moved because he and Sihle Zikalala (former KZN Premier and ANC KZN provincial chairperson), they had an agenda to hire Mbili.
“So we were being asked as a council to rubber stamp a decision that has already been taken politically.
“So, those were the reasons. He was not forced. He stepped voluntarily, saying it is better he step aside, and I took over because, legally, I was the second in charge. I never forced myself in,” Mavundla said.
During media questions and answers, Mtolo also begrudgingly admitted that it was bad for eThekwini to keep ANC councillor Muzimuni Ngiba, who is in custody awaiting trial, on its payroll.
NEWS: Pressure is mounting on the ANC-run eThekwini municipality to swiftly stop the salary of Councillor Muzimuni Ngiba (also from the ANC) who has been in custody for 10 months awaiting trial for allegedly killing his predecessor.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 2, 2023
“But what we are saying is that it doesn’t look good that somebody in jail gets paid, but the law is law, unfortunately,” Mtolo said after a long argument on why Ngiba is still on the payroll.
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