A public health committee meeting descended into chaos after the corporate services department denied supporting the creation of a new executive director post to lead the proposed solid waste management business unit for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.
The organigram for the new unit is part of a turnaround strategy for the sub-directorate, which needs to be adopted by the council to align with a National Treasury framework for municipal trading services.
This also encompasses the water and sanitation department, as well as electricity and energy.
The city is under pressure to adopt a road map and business plan to secure National Treasury funding for establishing the new unit.
A total of R1.3bn is required to recapitalise the metro’s fleet and expand waste disposal facilities.
The turnaround strategy presented by acting public health executive director Anelisa Dyakala recommended that the unit be led by an executive director.
This executive director would then have five directors reporting to him or her.
This was rejected by councillors after the corporate services executive director, Nosipho Xhego, disputed their buy-in during engagements.
“Corporate services has participated, but what I can confirm is that we should not be talking about an executive director and deputy directors.
“From where I am sitting, the structure does seem bloated.
“In the service delivery model, there will be an education on how the services will be delivered, and you may find that we do not need an executive director post for solid waste services,” she said.
DA councillor Annette Lovemore questioned the proposed timeline for establishing the unit.
“The guidance notes tell that solid waste comprises about 8% of the municipal revenue stream. Does it warrant a directorate with an executive director?
“Internal audit reports directly to the city manager, but it’s not a directorate, and it does not have an executive director.
“It does concern me that we are going to take this to council and have to approve this document, to say we will have in place a single point of management accountability within one year.
“This is highly ambitious and should be reconsidered.
“It does not have to be a year, as I understand this is a longer-term programme,” she said.
The department is under pressure to establish the new unit by January, with the aim of creating a single point of management accountability and thereby unlock additional grants from the national fiscus.
“Also within that list of shared services [with other directorates] that include fleet management and human resources, it is silent on security.
“While that is not a function per se, it is very necessary to ensure its functioning,” she said.
The councillors also voiced dissatisfaction that alternative models, such as establishing an agency, were not presented to the committee for consideration.
DA councillor Mthokozisi Nkosi raised concerns that the municipality’s inability to fill a 47% vacancy rate in public health highlighted an over-reliance on the National Treasury to prop up the unit’s sustainability.
“Past the point where its grants are depleted, can it be self-sustaining?” he said.
“As it stands now, we are failing to fill vacancies and have many operational inefficiencies, never mind being underfunded.
“It does not inspire confidence that after five years we will not sit with a massive problem.
“It seems we are gambling on a fact that there will be sudden efficiency to sustain it.”
According to projections, which assumed a 6% tariff increase for three years followed by 7% for the next two, alongside the directorate retaining the entire equitable share grant, the public health unit was expected to remain financially viable, Simthembile Mbande, acting head of planning, said.
“As pointed out in the road map in the 2024/2025 financial year, equitable share for solid waste was R301m. However, only R133m of this amount was allocated to us by budget and treasury,” he said.
For 2024/2025 the municipality raised R425m from billing charges and had a collection rate of 52.2%.
ANC councillor Wandisile Jikeka urged that the unit proposal be adopted.
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome is a waste of time.
“The crux of the presentation is reforms which seek to address the issues we have long been talking about,” he said.
The item was adopted at the committee subject to organigram changes being made before being tabled at the mayoral committee and the council.
The Herald
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