DRAMA AFTER GCINIWE APPOINTED MBABANE CEO

MBABANE – The announcement of Gciniwe Fakudze as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipal Council of Mbabane had some dramatic elements.

Fakudze, who has vast experience in local government, having led the Siteki Town Council and Matsapha Town Council a few years ago, was announced as the new face of the capital city by Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala at a press conference yesterday morning. When making the announcement, Maphalala said Fakudze will be at the helm starting August 19, 2024 for the next five years and that her performance shall determine if her contract will be renewed or not. The minister explained that he expected Fakudze to work well with all stakeholders including ratepayers and councillors.

He said Fakudze’s appointment came at a time when there were challenges faced by municipalities, especially in relation to finances and said he hoped she would come up with creative ideas to assist the municipality generate revenue. Also, the minister said the appointment came at a time when emaSwati had made their voices heard during the Sibaya People’s Parliament, about the need to fight corruption. He said he hoped that the new CEO would live up to the task at hand, by executing her duties with due diligence and dedication.
The main sign of the drama regarding the announcement was the notable absence of the councillors of the municipality, as none of them were in attendance.

Snubbed

It could not be ascertained if the councillors, in particular the Mayor, Thulani Mkhontfo, snubbed the press conference intentionally or they had not been invited. Ideally, it is the council that should take centre stage during an announcement of a clerk. An effort was made to get clarity from the minister on why the council was not in attendance at the press conference and whether an invite had been sent to the members. The minister was called on his mobile cellphone number and he informed this reporter that he was in a meeting. A message was sent to him and he had not reverted at the time of going to print.

As if that was not enough, the Principal Secretary, Dr Simon Zwane, was contacted and his cellphone number rang unanswered. A message was sent to him on WhatApp and he had not responded at the time of compiling this report. Meanwhile, interviewed after the announcement, Fakudze stated that she was still surprised by the appointment, but that she was not taking it for granted.

“It is a huge assignment and a tall order, so I am yet to stomach it. I am yet to go back and regroup, but all I can say is that we are here to work. When you see an advert that there is an opportunity to serve, you first have to ask yourself if you are ready to serve and I can safely say that I am prepared,” she said. The new CEO said she believed that she will not succeed alone but will work with all stakeholders involved for the success of the town. “It will not be a solo task. I will be working for the people of Mbabane and emaSwati in general. People have invested a lot in this town, they call it home and it is our capital city so I will do my best.”

Challenge

She mentioned that she believed in teamwork and believed that the team she will work with will be up to the challenge. Worth noting is that MTN Eswatini, the company where Fakudze is currently employed, issued a statement later yesterday congratulating her. The company, on its social media pages, said it was confident that her exceptional leadership would bring new growth and success to the country’s vibrant city. At the time of going to print, the Municipal Council of Mbabane had not yet posted anything on its social media pages. Having been appointed CEO, it is believed that Fakudze will take home over E100 000 per month as a salary and this is based on the amount that was earned by her predecessor.

Fakudze’s appointment is meant to fill the post that was left vacant after Gideon Mhlongo’s contract elapsed in July last year. The recruitment exercise has been marred by controversy and this started when it was alleged that certain candidates had been rejected despite their qualifications and experience. This led to the councillors taking a resolution to have the recruitment started afresh by a new consultant. After the new consultant had completed its work and submitted its report, it was gathered that some councillors recommended a candidate who scored the lowest mark (49 per cent) in the interview for the position. On the other hand, Fakudze had scored about 87.5 per cent.

Recommendation

During a council meeting, it was claimed that the councillors ignored the recommendation made by the consultant, as they picked the female candidate who scored 49 per cent and was placed in third position and made it known that they did not want Fakudze. Regarding the exercise conducted by the first consultant, it was reported in November last year that there were mixed feelings regarding some of the candidates believed to have applied. Also, concerns were raised that some well-known executives, believed to be capable and more experienced on issues of local government, had allegedly not made the cut as they were not shortlisted. Another issue that came to the fore was that one of the candidates who had applied for the position was Bongani Dlamini, who served as acting CEO at the time. Some of the councillors felt him applying for the position was irregular.

The issue was so serious that the councillors took a decision to move a motion to demand that he stepped down from the position of acting CEO to avoid conflict of interest in the recruitment exercise. Their gripe was that Dlamini held the position of Director of Corporate Services at the municipality, a department which is responsible for the hiring of the consultant that is conducting the recruitment exercise. The councilors did move the motion, but it was not successful after it transpired that Dlamini’s appointment was approved by the then interim council, as reflected in minutes of a particular meeting.Before the motion was moved, the municipality had stated that there was zero conflict of interest, as the terms of reference and the actual selection of the recruitment firm were all decisions taken by councillors who form part of the council.

The municipality also explained that the recruitment firm reported directly to the council and there was no way that the acting CEO, or any candidate, could interfere with the recruitment process since it was entirely overseen by the council. Following the concerns regarding the process, the decision to start afresh was then taken.After the second consultant had completed the exercise, the councillors made their recommendation and stood their ground that they wanted the candidate who had scored less marks.This dragged the whole exercise as the minister demanded a justification.

It should be noted that in terms of the Urban Government Act, 1969, a council is mandated to appoint a fit person to be town clerk or CEO, upon such terms and conditions as it may determine. The Act stipulates that the town clerk is the chief executive and administrative officer of the council and unless otherwise provided, shall have the charge and custody of and be responsible for all books, deeds, records and other documents of the council. “The appointment of a person as town clerk and the terms and conditions of such appointments is in all respects subject to the approval of the minister. The town clerk shall not, except with the consent of the minister, perform the duties or exercise the powers of the town treasurer,” reads part of the Act.

Stipulates

The Act further stipulates that no person holding the office of town clerk, town treasurer, medical officer of health or town engineer, shall be removed from office unless and until such removal shall have been decided upon by a majority of councillors present at a meeting specially convened for the purpose and the number of members voting in the majority is at least one-half the membership of the full council. “The removal from office of a person holding any of the offices is subject to the approval of the minister,” the Act stipulates. In accordance with the provisions of the Urban Government Act, the duties of the CEO or clerk include being responsible to the management committee for the proper carrying out of all directions of the council and the management committee.

The clerk also has a duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the management committee is properly supplied with the information, which it needs to exercise its responsibilities and is also responsible for coordinating the activities of the council and the general supervision, control and efficiency of the administration, organisation and management of the council’s departments, sections and branches.

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