Four directors of the Makhado Municipality could find themselves without jobs before the end of this year.

"This will not take the municipality anywhere," remarked Ms Faith Muthambi, municipal manager of the Makhado Municipality, during a meeting last week where the fact that the contracts of the directors would not to be renewed was anticipated. Ms Muthambi said that a new person in the job may struggle for many months to become operational in the post.

The four directors affected are Messrs Peter Magwala (Director: Community Services), Masindi Mapholi (Director: Technical Services), Vic Viljoen (Director: Corporate Services) and Dan Masengana (Director: Special Projects).

After a special council meeting on Monday, March 5, it seemed unavoidable that the directors’ contracts would not be renewed and that their posts be readvertised. This is on account of the policy that no contracts of Section 57 Managers (Directors) be renewed. The directors can, however, reapply for the posts.

The precise wording of the resolutions that Council adopted was not available in time for the press, contrary to the request of many role players that the community needs a free flow of information from Council’s side.

Two contracts expire in August this year, those of Messrs Magwala and Mapholi and two in November, those of Messrs Viljoen and Masengana. The contract of the municipal manager will expire in about a year’s time. The post of the Makhado regional manager, Mr Lampie Schoeman, is not affected.

The meeting on February 28 was scheduled between the municipal manager, the directors, the Makhado regional manager, the chairperson and members of the Chairpersons Association (CA), the Soutpansberg Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the new taxpayers’ association.

The concern was raised that services would be affected by a changeover of directors and Mr André Naudé of the CA said that a basic succession plan is a principle of good governance. Under another item, he suggested that directors should investigate the possibility of obtaining membership of the Institute of Directors and that they attend courses pertaining to good governance in terms of the Kings Report II.

Following Monday’s special Council meeting, Mr Mapholi said that, over the past five years, he has gained experience in the development of policy, developed relationships with the business sector and community and he knows the problems and the backlogs.

"It might be a problem for a new person to know where to start," Mapholi said. He will reapply for the post and accept the outcome.

Mr Viljoen has been in service of municipalities for the past 41 years, with altogether 15 years’ service at the Louis Trichardt and Makhado Municipality. He said that he was definitely not considering retirement.

The accountability of councillors also came under scrutiny. Mr Naudé said that councillors should come up with a plan and time frame for the goals they want to achieve. They should attend all their meetings and the public should know which councillors are not attending meetings.

"We don’t want joyriders anymore. If they cannot do their job, get rid of them. We want value for our money!" was the viewpoint of the CA.

Mr Alec Smail, representing the CA and Buysdorp, said that the councillors might not have been elected on the grounds of their academic qualifications and Ms Inga Gilfillan of the CA said that councillors were voted in without regard for their skills. Mr Ian Purdon of the Chamber of Commerce said that a councillor’s competency should be measured.

"That is our challenge," Ms Muthambi said. "We made a blunder in the past. We did not check the person’s competence. It is a grey area which is not clearly stipulated. We need to develop this as a council."