SUSPENDED MUNICIPAL MANAGERS: THREE WORRYING TRENDS
Introduction
When it comes to replying to questions the Department of Provincial and Local Government is one of the worst performing departments. At the close of parliament last year, it had failed to respond to twenty-eight questions out of fifty-four posed. Only the Department of Health had a worse record.
On Monday the department still had to reply to twenty-five questions out of fifty –five posed during 2007 - some of these questions having been posed as far back as February. That is why it came as a pleasant surprise when the department sent two replies back this week, one to a question posed in August and one to a question posed in February. Who knows what has happened to the questions posed during the six months between.
The question posed in February was the following:
With regard to each of the municipal managers currently suspended from office, (a) what are their names, (b) in which municipality do/did they serve, (c) why are they suspended, (d) how long have they been suspended and (e)(i) what is their salary and (ii) what remuneration have they received during their suspension?
The Department of Provincial and Local Government replied that five out of eight provinces currently have municipal managers who are on suspension (the KwaZulu-Natal province failed to provide this information to the department):
•Western Cape: Prince Albert and Outdshoorn local municipalities
•Mpumalanga: Dr JS Moroka local municipality
•Eastern Cape: Gariep local municipality
•Limpopo: Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality
•North West: Rustenberg local municipality
However, the reply also revealed three worrying trends that seem to plague municipalities when it comes taking disciplinary action against municipal managers.
The three trends
Firstly, most of these municipal managers have been on suspension for long periods of time.
The reply revealed that the municipal managers involved have been on suspension for the following periods of time:
•Prince Albert local municipality: 29 January 2007 to date
•Outdtshoorn local municipality: 24 January 2007 to date
•Dr JS Moroka local municipality: 08 June 2006 to date
•Gariep Municipality: July 2006 to date
•Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality: 18 December 2006 to date
•Rustenberg local municipality: 01 September 2006 to date
In other words, the shortest period of suspension is roughly ten months – eight months longer than what is prescribed by the Department.
By way of context, in August 2006, the performance regulations for municipal managers and managers directly accountable to municipal managers were published in the Government Gazette.
This document states that the employer (municipality) can suspend a municipal manager if he or she is alleged to have committed a serious offence. However, a disciplinary hearing must be held within sixty days from the date of the suspension. The chairperson of this hearing can extend such a period, but if he fails to do so, the suspension must be terminated in writing and the employee must return to full duty.
The situation is compounded by the fact that these managers continue being paid while they are on suspension.
According to the reply, the following relevant municipal managers in each case received the following remuneration during their period of suspension:
•Prince Albert local municipality: R34 480.00
•Outdtshoorn local municipality: R143 205.01
•Dr JS Moroka local municipality: R584 938.00
•Gariep Municipality: R395 709.95
•Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality: R162 878.00
•Rustenberg local municipality: R377 222.00
In other words: taxpayers have spent nearly R1.7 million on municipal managers who have not been working in their municipalities.
The third worrying trend was highlighted as a symptom of poor recruitment in municipalities by the Deputy Minister of Provincial and Local Government, at the Institute for Local Government Mana
| Posted on 16/11/2007
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