A roads and transport committee meeting was called off again on Thursday, with political head Bradley Murray cutting a lonely figure at the podium.
He was meant to be accompanied by an acting executive director, but no-one took a chair beside him.
At the heart of the troubles in the roads and transport department is a dispute after a motion of exigency was adopted by the council behind closed doors earlier in August, which endorsed the call for Givon van Eyck to be removed as acting executive director of roads and transport and replaced by Yusuf Gaffore.
This led to acting city manager Mandla George writing to the Eastern Cape co-operative governance and traditional affairs department for advice as he felt the council decision was irregular.
Gaffore and Van Eyck attended the meeting but sat at the back of the room.
The committee tasked Murray with writing to speaker Eugene Johnson and chief whip Wandisile Jikeka’s offices to request their intervention.
“We have agreed as a committee that we will postpone this meeting for the fourth time now but we’ll be on standby when the acting city manager is available to honour our meetings.
“We resolve that I will write to the offices of the speaker [Johnson], chief whip [Jikeka] and the council to request intervention that the acting city manager must be brought to book, even if they must drag him to our meetings,” he said.
They wanted George to explain his letter to Bhisho and answer councillors’ questions, including who has been signing documents in the department and who has been acting as executive director since the last council meeting, among other things.
Earlier, Murray tried to start the meeting, requesting that minutes from an earlier sitting be adopted.
However, ANC councillor Bongani Mani said he did not think they would start without an administrative head.
“I’m worried about decisions we make as they require more details.
“I’m concerned we will discuss and resolve matters but those decisions won’t be carried forward administratively, and we will have wasted our time.”
Mani said the council had resolved who should head the department and was surprised there was no acting executive director.
Councillors also questioned how a report on Integrated Public Transport System operations and its business plan meant to be discussed at the meeting was signed by Van Eyck as acting executive director on August 16 — a day after the council meeting.
Some other items meant for debate include:
- A progress report on filling of vacancies;
- A progress report on the department’s 2023/2024 budget and financial year; and
- Construction of a stormwater drain and resurfacing tar roads in the metro.
DA councillor Rano Kayser said they were being taken for fools.
“We know before any meeting a preliminary one needs to sit,” Kayser said.
“I want to know who was there and who has been signing off documents for this department since the last council meeting.
“If someone has been signing documents, why are they not here?”
ACDP councillor Marianne Lotter said no councillor or official had the authority to bypass a council decision.
“We can’t keep postponing these meetings, this is a service delivery issue.”
The committee then took a break for Murray to contact George.
After the break, Murray said he could not get hold of George.
“We can’t continue in this manner, but I must say that as this committee we want to hold meetings but can’t do so illegally.”
George could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
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