By: ANG Reporter
City of Joburg MMC for economic development Nkululeko Mbundu has once again courted controversy with comments against city officials in a planning meeting.
The MMC is a councillor for ActionSA in the multiparty coalition with the DA’s Mpho Phalatse as the executive mayor.
He was recorded saying in the meeting that if he had his “way” he would fire all the city’s officials because he viewed them as politicians putting up a front as administrators.
He accused the administration of not executing their “political mandate” and “mayoral priorities”.
Phalatse’s government was replaced during most of October by an ANC-led coalition with Dada Morero as the mayor, but Phalatse’s ousting in a motion of no confidence was reversed by the High Court on 25 October on a technicality.
Mbundu said people would be “surprised” by how many officials had cozied up to Morero during his brief stint as mayor. Mbundu accused officials of no longer believing in the DA-led coalition’s prospects of being able to continue to govern. Mbundu said his emails were simply being ignored, up to the “highest levels” in the city.
“Until we address this issue in the administration, we are going to have a hard time turning this thing around. We need to hold officials accountable. They are quick to hide behind administrative rules, and this and that, as to why they don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
“From my perspective, the enemy is right in front of us. It’s people who are in the administration that we trust to execute on it but they are nothing but politicians masquerading as officials.”
He said the “politics of patronage is really crippling the city”, with officials trying to serve the “agenda of the ANC”.
“If I had my way I would fire the whole lot, to be honest … and really rebuild the organisation.”
He complained that the constant motions of no confidence “back and forth” meant officials didn’t think the administration would be around for long.
One of the officials in the meeting objected to Mbundu’s comments, pointing out that his views would harm morale significantly, especially for officials who had built up experience working both “locally and internationally”.
She said: “I chose to work in the public sector because I care about communities and I wanted to make a difference from the perspective of town planning.”
She added that if MMC Mbundu had specific targets in mind, with evidence, then “by all means go after those people, but please don’t make a blanket accusation against the bulk of us”.
