Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • In the words of Nelson Mandela, “To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Winner: Sithembele Isaac Xhegwana of Makhanda
  • Flooding at the James Kleynhans Water Treatment Works
  • Avbob 2023 Poetry Competition Second Place: Jeannie Wallace McKeown of Makhanda
  • Residents of Extensions Nine, 10, Transit Camp, Phumlani and Enkanini voice discontent!
  • Makhanda Creatives Speak Out
  • Running towards a drug and alcohol-free Makhanda
  • What’s On 23 – 30 March
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»NEWS»‘I will retire here,’ says embattled infrastructure boss
NEWS

‘I will retire here,’ says embattled infrastructure boss

Sue MaclennanBy Sue MaclennanJuly 10, 2018Updated:July 12, 2018No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Infrastructure Director Dali Mlenzana addresses residents protesting against poor water quality outside the Makana Council Chambers on Thursday 31 May. Photo: Sue Maclennan

Infrastructure and technical services director Dali Mlenzana says he’s here to stay.

“I will be at Makana for the next 30 years. I will retire here,” was his assurance when Grocott’s Mail asked him last week about reports that he might be planning to leave the municipality. “I am at work – I’m speaking to you from my office now.”

Since then, it’s been confirmed that Mlenzana was given a week to respond to allegations of misconduct. Mlenzana’s continued presence at the infrastructure directorate was on Friday confirmed by portfolio committee chair Mabhuti Matyumza, who said, “He’s in the office and you will see him working.”

Five allegations of misconduct are contained in a document seen by Grocott’s Mail. Four relate to alleged supply chain management irregularities, some of which were initially flagged in a special council meeting on 30 May. A fifth concerns an alleged unauthorised salary increase for a senior Makana official. Two of the alleged incidents occurred during periods when Mlenzana was acting municipal manager.

“He has been given seven days to respond to Council regarding the allegations,” Matyumza said. Mlenzana was required to provide reasons why he should not be suspended. He was not certain when the seven-day period started and expired.

“The principle of natural justice applies. There is no automatic suspension,” Matyumza said.

Acting municipal manager Ted Pillay last week would not confirm that a process was under way to initiate an investigation into alleged misconduct by Mlenzana. This week, he again declined to confirm the process.

“This is a confidential matter and I cannot comment on it,” Pillay told Grocott’s Mail on Thursday 12 July.

MISA business plan in progress

Meanwhile, water and sanitation manager Ntombi Tshicilela is confident that Makana’s water supply and infrastructure problems are on the way to being resolved. Her resignation is unconnected with recent events, including the recent water quality crisis, she assured Grocott’s Mail on Friday 6 July. This has been confirmed by both Mlenzana and acting municipal manger Ted Pillay.

Tshicilela said she’d received a good offer in the OR Tambo municipality, in Mthatha, closer to her family home.

She wasn’t happy that she was leaving at a time when Makana still faces considerable hurdles before getting its water supply right and these difficulties were not the reason she is leaving.

“I am used to these challenges,” she said. “And I would have preferred to have left when we’d got things sorted.”

Technical capacity in Makana Municipality is a concern and while she works her notice month, Tshicilela is preparing a business plan for MISA – the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency. The Section 7 agency accounts to the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs . Its mandate is to support municipalities in planning, implementing, operating, maintaining and managing municipal infrastructure.

MISA intervenes through providing technical capacity in municipalities, including engineers, town planners and project managers. Cogta’s website says “Whilst MISA’s core mandate is on building and providing technical capacity to municipalities, the reality is that most municipalities require a holistic intervention, to include issues of governance, infrastructure procurement and financial management.”

Speaking to Grocott’s Mail on Thursday 5 July about how Tshicilela’s resignation would affect operations, Mlenzana said a technician who formerly reported to her would be acting water and sanitation manager until a water engineer was appointed.

“MISA has been approached,” Mlenzana said. He said he would meanwhile take on 40% of Tshicilela’s responsibilities, specifically the administrative side of her work, while the technician would look after operational issues.

Previous Article‘AmaVolontiya e-ANC aza kwenza umahluko’
Next Article EC SAPS ladies’ rugby cuff the competition in Polokwane
Sue Maclennan
  • Twitter

Local journalism

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.