The outgoing mayor of the Makhado Municipality, Mr Sariel Rhulani Nkuzana, bade farewell to the senior management of the Makhado Municipality on Monday.

This comes after the ANC decided to deploy Ms Tsakani Glory Mashaba as the new mayor of the Makhado Municipality after the recent local government elections. Nkuzana became Makhado’s mayor in September 2003.

Municipal manager Ms Faith Muthambi said that Nkuzana came to the council and was regarded as a father figure, a man of vision with good leadership skills. In bidding goodbye to the municipal manager, directors and other senior staff members, Nkuzana said he had mixed feelings. He said that it was sad for him to leave Council after 30 quality months with a big family with all its challenges, but given the task to come by God and spending a period of 30 months accelerating service delivery to the masses with a glorious team makes him feel happy.

“Honestly speaking, I am going to miss you. I have enjoyed working with you not only as a team, but as colleagues, bothers and sisters. At certain stages, we could not agree on certain issues, but we were still able to move together. There was also a time when we were frustrating each other and from the bottom of my heart, I might have hurt some of you, but that was not done deliberately.”

He added that, as from Tuesday, he would be on the street, as he was still not certain where the organisation to which he belongs would deploy him. “I think I must tell you that they (ANC) wanted to deploy me to the national parliament in Cape Town, but I refused because I am of the opinion that I am still very young to handle the responsibilities at parliament.” Nkuzana said that even if the ANC came to deploy him in September this year or later than that, he would not be worried. The director corporate services, Mr Vic Viljoen, said that Nkuzana's conduct was exemplary. Mr Peter Magwala, the director community services, said that his belief was that the incoming mayor would just continue from what Nkuzana had left. The director technical services, Mr Masindi Mapholi, described Nkuzana as a politician with both good administrative and political leadership skills. “I wish you good luck in you new career opportunities,” he said.