LOUIS TRICHARDT - The Municipal Manager of the Makhado Municipality is to be requested to investigate the behaviour of one of council's controversial new directors, following an outrageous display of arrogant disrespect towards a chosen representative of the town's taxpayers.

An insulting letter, written in poor English and emanating from the office of the recently appointed Director: Municipal Secretariat, A F Muthambi, also raises serious questions about the competency of a public servant who is paid more than R300 000 per year.

A member of the official opposition in council, Cllr Marie Helm (DA) this week demanded a public apology from the said director, failing which the legal team of the DA will be requested to investigate, what is termed as a vicious uncalled for attack on the integrity of an elected representative of the people.

The furore over Director Muthambi's behaviour erupted after a letter directed to the Director: Finance and LED requesting information about the amount claimed by Directors under the Travel Allowance Scheme, was answered by the Director: Municipal Secretariat. The information was requested to allay serious allegations that certain Directors defraud Council by claiming an allowance for vehicles with a bigger engine capacity than the engine in their vehicle, and that a certain councillor claimed under the Travel Allowance Scheme before assuming duty, thus allegedly defrauding Council.

Information requested regarding director's claims, included the date of appointment, model, make and engine capacity of the motor vehicle in the Travel Allowance Scheme, the amount claimed as from the date of appointment up to 31 March 2003 and the formula used to calculate the allowance.

In an unprecedented display of arrogance the Director: Municipal Secretariat informs Cllr Helm that she is "at liberty to visit the Municipal garage which is at the back of the building, that is next to the Offices of the Community Services Department" to gather the desired information about the motor vehicles. The request for information about the amounts claimed by the highly controversial municipal directors is rejected by the Director: Municipal Secretariat as being "too confidential". Cllr Helm is also advised that such information can only be provided if she makes an appointment with the Director: Finance and Local Economic Development, to whom the enquiry was in fact originally addressed.

The highly paid Director Muthambi's letter to the elected councillor of Ward 1 ends with: "We advice (sic) you to attend Council meetings so that in future you do not seek information that is informed by Council Resolution of which you are also an honuorable (sic) member."

In reply the DA demands that Director Muthambi provides proof that Cllr Helm does not attend Council meetings. If no proof is found, a public apology is demanded from the controversial director.

The DA, in an official media release, says it seems strange that the Director Municipal Secretariat should answer a question regarding finance. In the light of the arrogant manner in which the letter was answered, the DA wonders if the Director is able to distinguish whether a letter is directed to her or to another official and whether she is able to distinguish the administrative borders of her department from that of other departments. Her failure to answer a polite and pertinent question about a director's date of appointment raises the question whether the director has the administrative competency to access such information from the Human Resources Department and whether she understood the question. One of the said directors did not turn up on the date mentioned in the pertinent council agenda. Her failure to provide the required information makes it impossible to verify allegations that a certain director claimed under the Travel Allowance Scheme before assuming duty.

"The DA is also amused that a Director displays so little insight into the legal relationship between officials and councillors and wonder if she at all understands why councillors are legally bound by a code of conduct.

"We also wonder if the Director: Municipal Secretariat knows who is paying her salary or whether this seemingly borderless arrogance is proof that she has little insight into the legal framework within which local government functions as third tier of government."

To the refusal to supply information on the amounts claimed by Directors on the grounds that it is "too confidential" the media release mentions that this is not the first time that arrogant directors refused information to elected representatives of the people. "The information regarding the CV's of Directors is also still outstanding."

The MEC for Local Government and Housing and the National Minister will be informed about what is labelled as outrageous behaviour on the part of a public servant.