The man controlling the municipality's purse strings for the past four years has reacted with surprise to his shock suspension this week, saying he was whisked away from the city hall "like a thief".
Municipal Manager, Ntombi Baart, announced yesterday that Chief Financial Officer Jackson Ngcelwane had been "placed on precautionary suspension because of a preliminary investigation".
Baart told Grocott's Mail that the investigation, and Ngcelwane's suspension, were not related to a glitch in the financial system that held up the payment of salaries to municipal employees last week.
The man controlling the municipality's purse strings for the past four years has reacted with surprise to his shock suspension this week, saying he was whisked away from the city hall "like a thief".
Municipal Manager, Ntombi Baart, announced yesterday that Chief Financial Officer Jackson Ngcelwane had been "placed on precautionary suspension because of a preliminary investigation".
Baart told Grocott's Mail that the investigation, and Ngcelwane's suspension, were not related to a glitch in the financial system that held up the payment of salaries to municipal employees last week.
She said she would be holding the reins while she waited for the provincial treasury to deploy someone to replace Ngcelwane for the duration of the investigation.
Ngcelwane said it was difficult for him to comment on his suspension at this point and that people would just have to believe what his employer was saying. "I was whisked away from the buildings of Makana like I was a thief," Ngcelwane said. "Other than that, I have nothing to comment."
Grocott's Mail has extensively profiled the money man, who has climbed the local government ladder and enjoys a good track record.
Born and matriculated in Peddie, Ngcelwane started working as a meter reader in Port Elizabeth in 1984.
Through part-time study, he completed a National Diploma and BTech in Cost and Management Accounting. In 2008 he completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the Rhodes Business School.
His MBA thesis was titled "A critical assessment of the implementation of performance management systems in a municipal environment" and his main finding was that money wasn't the main motivation for all employees.
The research paper was published in book form. Grocott's Mail will publish more information about the events surrounding Ngcelwane's suspension on Friday.
