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The eThekwini Executive Committee and Full Council have rejected the screening panel’s report to appoint a new Municipal Manager. The panel was chaired by Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda. This means that the report cannot be adopted and that the process must start afresh. 

The DA maintained from the start that the panel should include members of the opposition. A proposal to include the full Executive Committee as the screening panel was narrowly defeated by the Council in December. The panel consisted of two ANC councillors – the Mayor and Councillor Nkosenhle Madlala – and a member from civil society. 

Before the interviews concluded, reports leaked that the ANC’s deployment committee had met and that a candidate had been named. This is the same candidate whose name was submitted as the highest ranked candidate by the panel on Monday. 

The DA believes that this goes beyond conspiracy and conjecture. The Regulations for the Appointment of Senior Managers, which are part of the Municipal Systems Act, specifically require that no members of the panel may have a conflict of interest in this matter. They further require that candidates may not be prejudiced in the process. 

The law is very clear that Council must satisfy itself that the process is lawful, fair and not compromised by politics. It is also clear to us that the ridiculous process of cadre deployment, as blown open at the State Capture Commission, means that a process that has predetermined outcomes cannot be deemed to be fair to applicants. 

The majority of the Executive Committee and the Council stood together and voted the ANC into a minority, meaning that this report cannot be adopted. 

The process must start again and must be as open, fair and transparent as possible. Members of the opposition must be included on this panel. 

The DA will continue to work with all colleagues in eThekwini who wish to sort the state of this city out. The upcoming budget is critically important in ensuring that the municipality’s priorities are addressed. 

 eThekwini is no longer the ANC's political playground. 

Issued by DA eThekwini Caucus Leader, Councillor Nicole Graham