The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has been ordererd to pay former Municipal Manager Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela more than R3 million for damages including the costs of her civil suit.
This followed her abrupt resignation as Municipal Manager in July 2013, five months into a five year contract.
In her suit for damages, Msengana-Ndlela, cited intense political interference in her role by former Mayor, Benson Fihla and Deputy Mayor, Chippa Ngcolomba.
In his 10-page judgement on Tuesday, Judge Dyalin Chetty, ordered the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to pay Msengana-Ndlela more than R3.1 million.
He also ordered the Metro to pay interest on that amount.
Judge Chetty said in her evidence, Msengana-Ndlela, elaborated on her grievances, which included her reticence to appoint members of the MK Veterans Association as protection officers to certain individuals in the Municipality.
He said her cries went unheeded and the intervention she had sought from the relevant MEC was not forthcoming.
Chetty said Msengana-Ndlela's testimony also stands unchallenged by both Fihla and Chippa Ngcolomba and that Counsel for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality chose not to cross-examine her.
He said as a result of the municipality's persistent opposition to the application, rate payers will ultimately have to bear the costs of the suit.
Meanwhile, NMMU political expert, Professor Jolene Steyn-Kotze, said Monday's appointment of Danny Jordaan as the new executive mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay was a strategic political move prior to the 2016 local government election.
However, she said his appointment is even more telling given the civil suit brought by Msengana-Ndlela.
"I think it's a very strategic political move prior to the 2016 local government elections but I also think more telling, it's a very strategic move in light of the upcoming case of the former city manager, citing amongst others, intimidation, allegations of corruption against former Mayor Fihla."
Speaking to Algoa FM News on Tuesday, Steyn-Kotze, suggested that Jordaan's appointment could also be a kind of stop-gap measure by the ANC, given some of the issues facing the former mayor.
"It could very well be that the ANC had thought strategically, he does command a lot of respect, he does have a strong leadership personality, he is seen as the man who brought Fifa 2010 to South Africa. Whether he will be able to pull it together in such a short space of time, remains to be seen." said Steyn-Kotze.
