Msunduzi Municipality city manager Lulamile Mapholoba File Picture: Msunduzi Municipality city manager Lulamile Mapholoba says an acceleration plan has been put in place to fast-track recommendations made in forensic investigation reports. Picture: Supplied.
Durban - Msunduzi Municipality says while the process of implementing some of the recommendations from forensic investigation reports is slow, there are legal processes that had to be followed.
Msunduzi Municipality City Manager Lulamile Mapholoba was responding to remarks made by some members of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) portfolio committee, during their meeting last week.
The members questioned the municipality’s resolve to deal with officials fingered for wrongdoing by the investigation.
Mapholoba however refuted suggestions of reluctance on the city’s part to carry out disciplinary action against errant officials.
“Progress may have been slow; however, one needs to understand that there are legal processes that are involved in these matters, and it takes time to solicit responses,” said the city manager.
He pointed out a range of steps that he had undertaken to restore order and good governance since assuming office last year.
“Together with the general manager: corporate services an acceleration plan to deal with slow-moving cases was developed and presented to council. The council approved the acceleration plan and pledged its support as it also had concerns that the disciplinary processes were moving slow.”
He said as part of the plan, he had written to the appointed internal presiding officers and prosecutors to provide reasons why they had not commenced with the disciplinary matters they were appointed to.
In some of the cases, he said he had replaced the appointees.
He added that the municipality had also sought resources from the eThekwini Municipality and Umgungundlovu District Municipality to fast-track disciplinary matters.
Regarding Section 106 matters, he said extensive work had been performed.
“On matters of recovery of losses, I instructed legal services to provide legal opinions, and from such that has been received, I am preparing a report to council, to indicate the nature of the opinion and the way forward for council.
“I have written to the deputy director-general: local government to provide me an audience in order to seek assistance on the implementation of the S106 reports as the investigators need to be witnesses in disciplinary processes and they will need to be paid for their time at the hearings.”
Mapholoba said the current leadership was intent on dealing with the problems faced by the municipality, which led to it getting placed under administration in 2019.
“I have provided several updates on the consequence management cases and the Section 106 reports to structures of council, including Municipal Public Accounts Committee, the Audit Committee, Exco and council and a further update will be submitted to council by the end of May.”
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