By Karabo Matalajoe
The Office of the Public Protector (Eastern Cape) has formally declined to intervene in a complaint lodged against the Speaker of the Makana Local Municipality, Mabhuti Matyumza, regarding the lack of information and transparency on the municipality’s ward committees
The complaint was submitted by Advocate Jock McConnachie, a resident of Makhanda, who says the Speaker failed to provide details on the composition and functioning of the ward committees. These committees are a legal requirement under municipal governance legislation and are intended to serve as a communication link between ward councillors and their communities.
In 2024, Advocate McConnachie conducted a survey to assess the composition and performance of Makana’s ward committees by distributing questionnaires to all ward councillors and through the Speaker’s office. Only two councillors, those from Wards 4 (Geoffrey Embling) and 8 (Cary Clark) responded. Despite several follow-ups, including assistance from the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM), no responses were received from the Matymuza or the remaining councillors: Phumelele Peter (Ward 1), Rumsell Mpumzi Xonxa (Ward 2), Andile Hoyi (Ward 3), Gcobisa Mene (Ward 5), Vuyani Jezi (Ward 6), Lunga Masinda (Ward 7), Thozamile Yaka (Ward 9), Zodwa Cetu (Ward 10), Sakhiwo Zono (Ward 11), Mzobanzi Nkwentsha (Ward 12), Wandisile Matina (Ward 13), and Vuyani Nesi (Ward 14).
Following this lack of response, McConnachie reported this to the Office of the Public Protector, which acknowledged receipt of the complaint but, in correspondence dated 15 September 2025, advised that it would not proceed with an investigation. The Public Protector’s office advised McConnachie to first approach the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Zolile Williams, and, if necessary, the Provincial Legislature, before the Public Protector could intervene.
McConnachie has expressed deep dissatisfaction with this outcome, arguing that all reasonable steps with the municipality had already been taken, including referring the matter to the Municipal Manager, who also did not respond.
“It is no wonder that the Speaker thinks he can safely ignore correspondence in relation to the execution of his public duty,” McConnachie said. “It also suggests that the Office of the Public Protector is ineffective in holding public officials to account by requiring citizens to go to extraordinary lengths before being willing to intervene.”
He further criticised the Public Protector’s stance, saying that through its reluctance to act, the office is “contributing to the dysfunctionality of our public administration”.
McConnachie stated that he would not be pursuing the further steps suggested by the Public Protector, calling them “an exercise in futility”. Instead, he believes the only remaining recourse is to publicly expose the lack of accountability among the Speaker and ward councillors who ignored the survey.
According to McConnachie, some councillors dismissed his initiative as politically motivated because only DA councillors responded to the survey, while all non-respondents were ANC councillors or ANC-aligned independents.
“That was nothing but a smokescreen,” McConnachie said. “The truth is they probably prefer not to disclose who is serving on their ward committees because they are token members and possibly friends or family of the ward councillors and that their ward committees are also not functional. Why else would they not be willing to share the information?”
McConnachie said the situation reflects a broader governance concern: “One can only conclude that most of the R140 000 per month which the Makana Municipality is spending on its ward committees is another example of wasted and fruitless expenditure for which it is so well known. If the survey achieved nothing else, it at least exposed yet another deficiency for which the Makana Municipality is notorious.”
