Noxolo Nqwazi paid R6.7m during suspension as city manager

R6.7m — that is how much Nelson Mandela Bay city manager Noxolo Nqwazi has earned since being placed on precautionary suspension in February 2024.

The figure was disclosed by acting corporate services executive director Yolanda Dakuse.

She was speaking at the city’s third appearance before parliament’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs (CoGTA) portfolio committee meeting on Wednesday.

EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi questioned the Bay delegation on who is acting as municipal manager and how much Nqwazi had been paid while on suspension.

Dakuse said between February 2024 and April 2026, Nqwazi had been paid R6.7m.

Earlier, Bay acting COO Lulamile Moolman revealed that the metro had paid R882,000 in legal fees in the Nqwazi matter.

CoGTA portfolio committee chair Zweli Mkhize asked Dakuse whether the R6.7m included acting allowances paid to both the previous and current acting city managers.

Dakuse said the R6.7m was strictly for Nqwazi.

“We had two Section 154 support staff who were acting as city managers for six months.

“Outside of that, we also had acting city managers appointed by the council.

“They have not yet been remunerated, as their amounts had not yet been concluded.”

Mkhize then asked if the figure of the Section 154 support had been quantified yet.

Turning to Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe, Mkhize asked who the current acting city manager was.

Lobishe said it was COO Lonwabo Ngoqo.

Mkhize asked when he was appointed and who made the decision.

Lobishe said she decided on Wednesday morning.

“I made the decision this morning after receiving the letter from the CFO declining the acting appointment.

“In the absence of council, I can take a decision and go to council for rectification,” Lobishe said.

However, she later withdrew her statement that she could appoint an acting city manager outside the council.

Mkhaliphi accused speaker Eugene Johnson of compromising the city’s council.

He was referring to a council meeting last week after a heated debate saw CFO Jackson Ngcelwane appointed to act as city manager for 14 days.

Ngcelwane was tasked with requesting a Section 154 intervention before his term expires.

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 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.

Since the expiry of Ngoqo’s appointment as acting city manager on April 29, the metro has been without a city manager

Mkhaliphi said Johnson allowed Ngcelwane to be appointed without being named in the report.

“Service delivery is standing still. There’s no service delivery because no one can sign for service delivery.

“The speaker is doing as she pleases. She must also be taken to task here.”

Meanwhile, parliament also raised Eastern Cape Cogta MEC Zolile Williams’ instruction that the municipality accept that Nqwazi’s precautionary suspension has lapsed.

On Tuesday, Williams wrote to Lobishe advising that Nqwazi be allowed to resume her duties.

“In the circumstances, the municipality is advised to accept that the precautionary suspension of Nqwazi has lapsed and she must be permitted to resume her duties,” he said.

“The municipality may continue with the disciplinary hearing, but there are no legal grounds to continue with the precautionary suspension.”

DA MP Marina van Zyl questioned whether Nqwazi was back in her office.

To this, Lobishe said no and that she had replied to Williams on Tuesday.

Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.