An Amathole district municipality special council meeting held to elect a new troika on Thursday descended into chaos after councillors of opposition parties questioned its legality. The bone of contention was the late issuing of the notice for the meeting without an agenda, which, according to council rules, must be done 48 hours before the meeting.
Former administration head Thandekile Mnyimba is no longer an employee of Amathole district municipality, and will therefore not be paid a salary at the end of this month. However, he is not taking it lying down, and his rescission application is set for a court hearing in August. His leave days will be calculated, but not paid out, until a ruling is made on his bid to scotch the declaration that his appointment is illegal.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape is gunning for the head of the Amathole district municipality’s CFO Lucky Mosala, who is acting as the council’s new municipal manager in the absence of Thandekile Mnyimba, whose recent reappointment was declared illegal and set aside by a court. ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi this week said the party wanted ADM council’s decision to appoint Mosala as acting MM reversed, “and a competent person be seconded by Cogta to act in that crucial position”.
In less than 48 hours after the high court in East London declared Amathole district municipal manager Thandekile Mnyimba’s five-year employment contract as invalid, the municipality was quick to replace their under-fire administration boss. On Thursday, municipal spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso confirmed that, in the wake of the court order, Mnyimba had vacated his office, at least until his legal woes had been discussed by council.
A group of more than 130 Amathole district municipality employees have won the first round in their bid to have their municipal manager Thandekile Mnyimba kicked out of his office. This as the high court sitting in East London on Tuesday declared his five-year employment contract invalid. The controversial council decision to hire him last month was declared invalid and set aside.