After a heated debate in council on Thursday, Nelson Mandela Bay chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane was appointed to act as city manager for 14 days.
Ngcelwane was tasked with requesting a Section 154 intervention before his term expires.
This means he must ask the provincial government to step in and find a replacement.
Ngcelwane’s appointment follows an extensive behind-the-scenes debate at the special council meeting at the Feather Market Centre, where the ANC put his name forward.
This debate was then carried through to the meeting behind closed doors.
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe proposed extending COO Lonwabo Ngoqo’s term as acting city manager by a further six months, according to her report.
However, it appeared Lobishe’s report was shot down by some within her ANC caucus, with Ngcelwane’s name being thrown in during the meeting.
Leaked recordings of the meeting reveal that infrastructure and engineering political head Buyelwa Mafaya proposed that Ngcelwane be appointed instead.
Mafaya is an ANC councillor.
The municipality is short on executive directors, with only three in the metro.
However, human settlements executive director Tabiso Mfeya’s contract came to an end on April 30.
This only leaves Ngcelwane and Ngoqo.
Ngoqo has been acting for six months and is no longer eligible, with co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Zolile Williams agreeing to his second three-month stint as acting city manager in February.
This leaves Ngcelwane as the only Section 56 manager on the table.
Lobishe’s item tabled in council by deputy mayor Gary van Niekerk, sought to extend Ngoqo’s acting tenure by a further six months to October.
Van Niekerk served as acting mayor on Thursday while Lobishe was in Ekurhuleni.
In her report, Lobishe said the city manager position had been filled through a series of acting appointments and secondments following Noxolo Nqwazi’s precautionary suspension in February 2024.
Since then, the city has had five acting city managers, two of whom were seconded to the city by Williams.
“There is only one permanent position, that of the chief operating officer, wherein he has been an acting city manager effective from his commencement.
“The institution is in dire need of a head of administration to ensure good governance and implementation of the turnaround strategy and substantive changes required.”
In a letter to Lobishe on April 29, Williams approved Ngoqo’s extension.
However, he instructed Lobishe to urgently table the item before the council for approval and provide him with the council resolution.
During Thursday’s debate, Mafaya said that, in her understanding of the law, Ngcelwane was the only remaining option to serve as acting city manager.
“In this instance, we’re requesting council to appoint Ngcelwane for a period of one month and not exceeding three months.
“The CFO is needed in his position, and the council has requested a Section 154 [process].
“We can’t have a vacuum, and we need someone to act until we get someone from the MEC.
“It can’t be that the MEC responds and gives us a secondment before the end of one month,” Mafaya said.
Before the decision, UDM councillor and Mpac chair Luxolo Namette said the National Treasury had warned against frequently changing the person occupying the city manager’s office.
“The National Treasury will withhold money. Let’s move in the right direction, legally.
“If we need to consult, let’s do it. I don’t support taking the CFO in this crucial time.
“We need someone from the Section 154 team to come to this municipality. I’m glad to see you people attaching some value to legislation.
“The mayor went and asked the MEC to extend Ngoqo’s contract without this council. This is not a shebeen.”
DA councillor Marshall van Buchenroder did not support the recommendation, saying the item did not have three names provided to the council.
“In this council, there are rules, and there’s a regulation that says with any new appointed acting city manager or senior manager, executive directors, there must be an item in this council with three names so that we can apply our minds.
“We are saying you are incorrect.”
EFF councillor Ndumiso Qwazi supported the item to extend Ngoqo’s appointment.
“We want stability in this city. We can’t have what we face now.”
ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom said the same issue came about a month ago.
“This was the same debate, and the only difference then was that there was still a month left in his contract, but the problem is that no-one did their work to ensure we appointed an acting city manager on time.
“There’s no CV of the CFO before us. We now have to decide without an item.
“Nqogo is beyond six months, and the law doesn’t allow the MEC to extend this.
“We won’t support the appointment of the CFO. He’s one of the worst CFOs we’ve ever had.
“We need three CVs to come.”
ANC councillor Bongani Mani said the city was not spoilt for choice.
“The fact that Ngcelwane is a CFO, he’s not my favourite by the way, but the fact that he occupies that position, it tells us that he qualifies for 14 days.”
It was then decided that Ngcelwane would act for 14 days.
The Herald
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