ZIWAPHI • VOL 3 NO 25 • 18 DEC 2009 - 14 JAN 2010

NELSPRUIT

An Mpumalanga municipal manager was fired on Thursday after having been on suspension with full pay for almost two years.

The decision to finally dismiss Mbombela local municipality manager Jacob Dladla was taken during a lengthy council meeting in Nelspruit on Thursday.

Mbombela executive mayor Lassy Chiwayo said the decision should have been taken long ago.

“Recommendations to dismiss Mr Dladla were taken as far back as March and I agree that we should have disposed of the matter just after that, but because of political interference we couldn’t,” said Chiwayo.

He said Dladla’s dismissal letter was on its way to his place of residence.

Dladla was suspended on February 11 last year with full pay following allegations of tender irregularities in various contracts linked to the building of the province’s Mbombela World Cup Stadium in Nelspruit.

He was also accused of appointing Differ Mogale without council consent in 2006 as 2010 provincial coordinator, at a cost of R480 000 a year. He was further accused of failing to implement about 361 council decisions, resulting in the municipality being placed under curatorship last year.

Dladla was suspended on February 11 2008. He appealed to the Labour Court on February 20 but his application was turned down. He was ordered to pay the costs of the application.

He made further legal attempts to force the reversal of his suspension, but it resulted in a bitter defeat that left him with a legal bill of more than R100 000.

A subsequent independent disciplinary inquiry found Dladla guilty on charges of insubordination and tender irregularities and recommended in March this year that he be dismissed. The inquiry report also accused Dladla of erasing important municipal information from his municipal-issue laptop and failing to return council property after his suspension.

Dladla, however, challenged the dismissal and disciplinary findings, effectively crippling management of the city during the run-up to the 2010 World Cup.

DA councillor in Mbombela Joe Koster said he was happy that the matter has finally been settled.

“Since Dladla was suspended, about 280 resolutions have not been taken in this municipality, messing up our chances of hosting a spectacular World Cup. I am happy it is over and look forward to 2010,” said Koster.

Chiwayo said he would meet with his mayoral committee to decide whether to lay criminal charges against Dladla.

Dladla could not be reached for comment because his phone was switched off.

Dladla fired after 22 months’ suspension