City manager in appointment controversy

By Staff Reporter

BLOEMFONTEIN – Embattled Mangaung Metropolitan City Manager Sello More finds himself at the centre of controversy over his appointment.
It has emerged that the appointment of More and heads of departments at the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality had not received the approval of the MEC of Corporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).

At the time the MEC for Finance and Economic Development Ketso Makume was the Cogta MEC.
The appointment of More and other senior officials raised concerns for the MEC which later prompted him to request a meeting with Mayor Gregory Nthatisi to discuss some of the queries against to the appointment of the senior managers including the appointment of the city manager.

Makume confirmed that the meeting between with Nthatisi was scheduled to deal with issues his department had raised, which include requesting the documents and council resolutions that were not included in the report that he was going to consider for the concurrence.
“Unfortunately, that meeting couldn’t get to take place due to our commitments and unfortunately the elections campaign happened as well.”

He said the council report failed to include council minutes where it stipulated that the council resolved that the panel that was appointed was the one that remained throughout the process, along with documents such as CVs or certified copies of qualifications.

“Like I have said, the executive mayor requested the meeting to discuss that, together with other issues, but the municipal manager did send some documents and they are with the HOD of Cogta.
“These are some of the matters that we couldn’t finished or complete.”
When asked if he eventually gave concurrence, Makume said he was advised that once 14 days had passed without him sending any information or commenting on concurrence, the municipality would conclude that it had been granted.

 
“Here is the advice I got from the department: Ambits of the Regulations 17 of the Municipal Systems Act – their appointment is valid as the HoD and MEC are expected to object if needs be, within 14 days; otherwise, the appointments are assumed to have been given consent,” Makume said.

Mangaung Metro City Manager, Sello More.

Mangaung spokesperson Qondile Khedama said: “All positions filled were done in compliance with the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 2000 and Local Government: Regulations on Appointment and Conditions of Employment of Senior Managers Regulation 17, which is ‘misinterpreted by the journalists’. It was complied with and the reports as per Regulations 17(4) a-o, were submitted to the MEC Cogta as per the attached schedule.

More is no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year he was accused of facilitating a “jobs for friends” syndicate in Mangaung. This followed an expose by community activist Zwelakhe Msabe who took to social media to lambaste both the city manager and the mayor over “irregular appointments and bloating of staff as favours for political associates”.

These allegations have now prompted an investigation into ghost workers and the alleged jobs-for-friends syndicate. The Hawks are particularly investigating More.
In a judgment handed down on December 15, 2021, Judge AJ van Rhyn found that More’s appointment as the man in charge of the metro had been null and void since October 30, 2021, because the municipality had failed to act in accordance with legal prescripts when appointing him.