He's the Mayor's landlord, he's worked for the national government and now he's Makana Municipality's director of corporate services. The newest addition to Makana's directorate, appointed in a confidential special council meeting on Monday, is Mzukisi Madlavu.
He's the Mayor's landlord, he's worked for the national government and now he's Makana Municipality's director of corporate services. The newest addition to Makana's directorate, appointed in a confidential special council meeting on Monday, is Mzukisi Madlavu.
He started working within 24 hours of the meeting and Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter confirmed his appointment and said, the person who got the job should have started on 1 July but the process was delayed so the Council decided that he should start within 24 hours.
Peter said Madlavu has been appointed a five-year contract with a three-month probation period. Madlavu is a born and bred Makana man and lives in Grahamstown, although he was born in Salem. He has worked for various government departments, his most recent post being chief director of co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation at the national Department of Arts and Culture.
"I worked there in the office of the director general from 2003-2009," Madlavu told Grocott's Mail. He was dismissed from the department in July 2010, but the reason for this remains a mystery. When asked why he left this position he said that it wasn't up for discussion. "I don't want to talk about that. It is not a nice story but a lot of people left – I was not the only one."
The Mayor said they were aware that Madlavu was dismissed by his previous employer. "We have looked into that," he said.
"The report which was given by the previous employer stated that he was dismissed but not for corruption or poor performance. They said he was a diligent hard worker and we felt those were the things we looked for in a candidate," Peter said.
"A conscious decision was made by the Council and the acting municipal manager to speak to Madlavu in confidence, so if there is [anything]that we are not happy about or his performance, we will submit the probation report to the Council and they will decide on that report," the Mayor said.
Speaking to Grocott's Mail on his second day in office, Madlavu said he was still getting to know the local government and understanding the directorate. But he isn't a new face in the municipality as he was the member of the audit committee in the last financial year.
"I'm familiar with the challenges confronted by the institution that need to be addressed," he said. "I have served on the audit committee. I have been in interaction with senior managers of this institution so I'm not really new in this environment."
He also happens to rent his townhouse in Grahamstown out to the Mayor. "The truth is that I know him because I rent his premises," Peter said. "I rented his premises when I was just an ordinary councillor; even before I was the Mayor. Of course since I was the chairperson of the interviewing panel I did declare that I knew him and that I rent his premises," Peter said.
When asked if that was not a conflict of interest, Peter said it was the Council who approves or disapproves of a candidate and not the interviewing panel.
"There are six people who are on the panel so a candidate who applied would not necessarily be appointed by me, and as the panel we make a recommendation to Council on which candidate we think is best for the job. So the council (with 28 members) decides who is appointed for a position," the Mayor said.
"It will be a relief to have a permanently appointed director in the municipality," Peter said, and he hoped this would bring stability to the workplace. "I'm glad that the institution will be able to have some people who are accountable, because to me the issue of having people who are acting [employees]is not right for the institution. We need people who are there on a permanent basis so that there will be stability."
Madlavu was very confident about the position, he said, and although he admitted that the municipality has its challenges, it does not mean it is about to collapse. "I'm happy that the institution has turn-around strategies. It's a matter of implementing what already exists and I'm glad to be able to contribute to the development of Makana," he said.
Makana's DA spokesperson Brian Jackson said as a party they voted against Madlavu's appointment. "We voted against him simply because the runner-up was better qualified and had a smoother track record. Of course the other caucus were keen to have him appointed as soon as possible and we were outvoted and couldn't persuade them otherwise. However, having said that we wish him all the best in his new position and trust that he will do a good job," Jackson said.
