An e-mail circulating among ANC members accuses the municipal manager of failing the party. Nathi Olifant reports
|||Durban - Knives seem to be out for city manager S’bu Sithole, with some ANC members in the eThekwini region claiming he has failed the party.
The main gripe against Sithole is his stinginess with financial resources, with the DA said to be benefiting from the city purse before the elections.
The information is contained in what looks like a regional ANC discussion paper circulated by e-mail.
Sithole said he was aware of the e-mail which listed a number of people who apparently want him sacked.
They include Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube, who is also the ANC provincial deputy secretary.
Dube was instrumental in Sithole’s appointment to manage the city affairs. He took over from Michael Sutcliffe in January last year, making a comeback after a 10-year absence.
“This state of affairs is, on one hand, complicated by the fact that Nomusa Dube feels the city manager has failed her in providing special projects (whatever that means),” the document read.
Provincial Health MEC and regional chairman Sibongiseni Dhlomo apparently also wanted to topple Sithole
The document said Dhlomo wanted to replace Sithole with Musa Gumede, the deputy city manager: community and emergency services cluster.
“The DCM (Gumede) is hard at working (sic) trying to discredit and unsettle the city manager. The DCM’s weakness, though, is his failure to be subtle and suave politically. As a result, he becomes an open book,” states the document.
Former ANC Youth League regional chairman Jomo Sibiya apparently also wanted Sithole sacked.
“It should be noted that Sibiya is among those who believe the serving city manager should be sacked as he is not making financial resources available to his grouping.”
Sibiya on Saturday laughed off the e-mail, saying “there’s no proof because it was penned by faceless people”.
“The ANC is not an employment agency and Sithole is not employed by the party, but by the city, which has a contract with him.
“He (Sithole) has served with distinction,” he said.
Dube and Dhlomo could not be reached for comment.
Sithole said: “I’m very principled. I do my job with respect and I am an honest person.”
Sunday Tribune