Nelson Mandela Bay senior appointments under the spotlight

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Mystery surrounds the appointment of a new chief financial officer for the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.

An item recommending the Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board CFO Trevor Harper should be appointed by Council, was withdrawn by Mayor Ben Fihla on Friday.

Metrominute reports that no reason was given for the withdrawal of the item.

It had been placed on green paper and would therefore have been discussed behind closed doors.

Harper, who is believed to have enjoyed the support of all parties in Council, was placed second in terms of the preferred appointment by the selection panel.

That's after Kumaran Nair's appointment was vetoed by Local Government and Traditional Affairs MEC, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, on the grounds that he lacked the qualifications required to fill the post.

Nair’s appointment was approved by Council at its last meeting on December 6 last year.

Meanwhile, Deputy-Mayor, Chippa Ngcolomba told Council this morning that interviews for the vacant executive directors’ positions would take place “very shortly”.

He made the remark during a debate on the metro’s Annual Report.

To date, the only posts filled have been those of city manager and Executive Director: Corporate Services, with all the other senior positions filled by people serving in an acting capacity.

Ngcolomba acknowledged that the metro was still facing many challenges, adding that City Manager Mpilo Mbambisa was dealing with matters raised by the Auditor-General.

(Source: Metro Minute to subscribe mail metminutes@iafrica.com)