Durban - Ugu District Municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast has been warned that its new municipal manager is the subject of a criminal probe which was allegedly opened by his former employer.
Dr Elliot Sibusiso Ntombela was recently confirmed by the Ugu municipal council as the new municipal manager and started his duties on October 1.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has to confirm the appointment of a municipal manager. However, in this case, the letter from Cogta to Ugu revealed that Ntombela was the subject of a criminal probe by his former employer, the Umzinyathi District Municipality.
He was accused of wrongdoing following a forensic investigation into the municipality.
Speaking to “The Mercury” yesterday, Ntombela denied any wrongdoing.
The councillors, who were briefed on the letter as it was tabled during an executive committee meeting last week, were stunned by the developments.
They expressed concern at whether Ntombela was the right person to bring stability to the municipality, which has battled to deliver basic services to thousands of its residents.
The letter will be tabled before full council at the end of the month.
A source said: “The person is already at work, his appointment letter signed. It seems that the interview panel did not do a proper vetting, like the checking of the reference.
“When he (Dr Ntombela) spoke, he promised to take the municipality in the right direction. Now the council and the staff will be sceptical about that. This could demoralise him and the staff,” said the source.
The letter, seen by The Mercury, stated: “I refer to your incomplete submission dated August 15, received with some documentation on September 23 by the department in respect of the appointment of Dr Ntombela as the municipal manager.
“Based on the information provided, which the department has assessed, it appears that the appointment of the municipal manager generally complies with the academic and experience requirement stipulated in the regulations.
“However, the municipality is advised that Dr Ntombela is implicated in a Section 106 investigation report conducted on behalf of the department at the Umzinyathi District Municipality in terms of the Municipal Systems Act.
“Furthermore, arising from the investigation, criminal charges were laid by the municipality against Dr Ntombela. This letter must be presented to the council,” the letter read.
DA councillor Leonard Ngcobo said it was a confidential matter and therefore he could not speak of it in detail.
“It is a sensitive matter, and we will wait and see the outcomes of the investigation being done by the mayor.”
IFP councillor Sifundo Ngwane said they were aware of the issue but wanted to wait before they commented fully on the matter.
“But we need to state that this matter, which we as the IFP believe is a disgrace, calls into question the competency of the interview panel.”
Ugu mayor Phumlile Mthiyane confirmed that the municipality had received the letter from Cogta but said no evidence had been presented to substantiate the allegations.
“We are running a clean government, and if there is evidence of wrongdoing, we will dismiss the MM (municipal manager).”
Mthiyane said it was important to point out that Ntombela was not new to the council. He was brought in in 2020 and was twice “vetted by Cogta, and they found nothing”.
She said it was only 16 days after the council had made the appointment that they received the letter from Cogta.
Ntombela declined to comment on the letter as it was not addressed to him as an interested party.
“I can only speak to the facts as I know them in relation to the matter of Umzinyathi. I have not been charged criminally or otherwise by the police, and everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“My conscience is clear. I am focused on my job, turning the situation around in Ugu for the benefit of the residents,” he said.