Acting municipal manager seconded to struggling NC municipality

AN ACTING municipal manager has been seconded to Phokwane Local Municipality to provide administrative support until the end of the year.

The municipality was placed under administration in May 2020.

A new council is expected to be elected after the local government elections are held later this year.

The costs of the secondment, including salary and transport and accommodation expenses, will be funded by the district municipality.

The acting municipal manager, Kealeboga Gaborone, is a director of corporate services at Frances Baard District Municipality.

According to an advertisement for the post of municipality manager the remuneration package is R1 million.

There is also a vacancy for the chief financial officer, the director of technical services and the director of community services, while the corporate services director was suspended.

The manager of communication at the Northern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta), Lerato Khunou, explained that the contract of the administrator at Phokwane Municipality comes to an end on March 31. “This will leave the municipality without an accounting officer. Gaborone’s secondment as municipal manager is part of the department’s responsibility to provide administrative support to municipalities.”

Khunou said that a critical factor of Gaborone’s secondment is to oversee the appointment of a municipal manager and all other senior management vacancies that are deemed to be critical posts.

Khunou added that the matter involving the corporate services director at Phokwane Municipality had been resolved.

“This is an internal matter that does not warrant further comment from the department.”