Durban - Caught in the ongoing tug of war between the ANC and opposition parties in the eThekwini Municipality, Max Mbili, the man whose recommendation to take over as the next city manager was turned down at the eleventh hour, says he is nobody’s puppet.
Opening up for the first time since the DA-led opposition voted 5-4 against the ANC late on Monday to halt his appointment, Mbili said he applied to serve the people of eThekwini, not the ANC, as claimed by his detractors.
The defeat of the ANC was made possible by one of its coalition partners, the Abantu Batho Congress (ABC). That was when its president, Philani Mavundla, who is also the deputy mayor of the city and a member of the executive committee (exco) voted with the opposition.
In opposing and eventually rejecting Mbili’s approval after the interviewing panel recommended him from the 23 shortlisted candidates, the DA claimed that the process was riddled with mistrust. The party said Mbili’s appointment was a predetermined outcome, alleging that the ANC’s deployment committee was behind it.
It was alleged that Mavundla was opposed to Mbili’s appointment because he wanted someone who was not aligned with the ANC, a candidate who would serve ratepayers without being manipulated by the governing party.
The allegation stems from the fact that early last month the ANC’s deployment committee, which includes two members of the provincial top five, and alliance partners met and recommended him.
According to two ANC members who took part in the meeting, a member of the ANC’s top five pushed for Mbili and this placed Musa Mbhele in third position. The leader of the ANC who pushed Mbhele out allegedly did so because he had a personal grudge against him.
The ANC has denied this, calling it baseless gossip.
Now Mbili, who is the municipal manager of Ray Nkonyeni (Port Shepstone) local municipality, has spoken out regarding the debacle that has seen his name dragged through the mud.
“I am professional and as ILGM (Institute for Local Government Management) president I advocate for the professionalisation of the local government sector. I have been MM (municipal manager) for more than 9 years and I have never been used by anyone. I had applied to serve the people of eThekwini, not to rubber-stamp any illegal decisions,” Mbili said.
During an impromptu press conference called by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda on Wednesday to address issues of service and later the issue of the position of city manager, he said they would now go back to the exco to seek advice on the way forward.
Kaunda denied that the ANC’s deployment committee had a hand, saying he and Nkosenhle Madlala, a senior ANC councillor chairing the governance committee in the municipality, sat because of their position, not as members of the governing party.
“They accused us that the ANC deployment committee sat and decided on three names and all of that … There is no deployment committee that sat and decided on the candidates for the city manager’s position,” Kaunda said.
Daily News