Battle lines are being drawn in the City of Johannesburg’s governing coalition over the appointment of the city manager - the most senior bureaucrat in the city’s administration. | amaBhungane
City Manager Floyd Brink at the official handover of Johannesburg International Transport Interchange on 12 October 2021 in Johannesburg.The appointment of a permanent city manager for Johannesburg is causing rifts within the city's DA-led governing coalition.
Brink is a controversial figure in the metro because of his alleged historical links to Julius Malema and the EFF. In April 2013, while a manager at the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport, Brink was arrested as part of a sweeping corruption investigation that implicated a number of officials and business people. The same investigation netted Malema, in addition to several associates of the then ANC Youth League leader, including his cousin Tshepo Malema.
Several senior city and DA insiders say that the EFF and ActionSA are attempting to derail the appointment of Mettler, the preferred candidate, by challenging the appointment process on the grounds that Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse met with Mettler before the interviews. Complicating matters is a forensic investigation commissioned by the city's Group Forensics and Investigation Services into the Department of Public Safety's procurement of handheld devices and CCTV equipment.
"Secondly is a reputational risk of a process to appoint the most senior official in the city being tainted and bringing into question the legitimacy of the appointed person." They say the hype over the meeting is a pretext to torpedo Mettler's candidacy, portray the process as"tainted", and ensure that Brink remains in the top job.Mettler has a long track record in municipal administration. He took over the running of the Msunduzi municipality in 2010 after it had descended into"turmoil" and was placed under administration.
Council will have to vote on whether or not to accept the interview panel's recommendation to appoint Mettler. If the motion is rejected, then the recruitment process will likely have to start over. "Then it became their priority to stop Mettler's name going forward, and the strategy unfolded of trying to imply that the process had been 'tainted' by the fact that the mayor met Mettler in January, well before the process even began."
The MTC is a municipal entity providing ICT services to the city, communities and the private sector. ENS found that this breach was reported to Brink, who took no remedial action. Instead, he ratified the transaction, only to later withdraw ratification in light of the investigation. This, according to the report, appears to have constituted gross misconduct, and the report recommended that the matter be reported to council for further investigation. ENS found that there was a similar breach regarding another set of transactions with MTC for handheld devices.
"All this raises serious questions about Mr Brink's suitability for the position that he holds. As the accounting officer he is expected to steadfastly stand for and protect the best interests of the city."The report also suggests that Brink was uncooperative with the investigators, deliberately withholding documentation and failing to address questions.
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