Enoch Mgijima Faces Leadership Vacuum as Acting MM Term Ends

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality is facing a leadership vacuum, with its acting Municipal Manager’s term expiring on 31 August 2026 and no substantive appointment yet finalised after being without a permanent MM since the end of February.

A progress report before Thursday’s ordinary council meeting on 27 August reveals the frantic efforts to fill two critical vacancies: Municipal Manager and Director: Infrastructure Planning and Economic Development (IPED).

According to Item 13/2026 (IC), the posts were advertised in the Sunday Times on 26 April and applications closed on 18 May.

The IPED vacancy arose after the death of Director Mr Khulile Maceba on 20 June 2026.

MM shortlisting aborted, then concluded

The shortlisting for Municipal Manager was supposed to happen on Friday, 21 August at 13h00. But shortly before the panel could start, Executive Mayor – who chairs the panel as required by Regulation 12(3)(a) – was called away to an unforeseen emergency. The session was abandoned because the panel could not lawfully continue in his absence.

The panel reconvened on Wednesday, 26 August, chaired by the Executive Mayor.

Five applications were received. One applicant did not meet the requirements and was excluded. Four were shortlisted and will be interviewed on Thursday, 3 September 2026.

After interviews, shortlisted candidates will undergo screening, competency assessments if they don’t have a valid report, security screening and verification of qualifications, employment history and references. The panel’s recommendation is expected to go to the Executive Mayor and Council on or before 16 September.

The report warns that Regulation 15(2) of the 2014 Regulations requires the panel to remain the same throughout screening and interviewing. If a member cannot attend on 3 September, the sitting must be postponed, otherwise any appointment could be reviewed and declared null and void.

The urgency is acute. The municipality is under a Section 139(7) national intervention with an approved Financial Recovery Plan, currently under review by National Treasury since 3 June 2026 on a 90-day timeframe.

“A further postponement would be difficult to defend to the Honourable MEC, to the relevant treasuries, or to the Auditor-General,” the report states.

IPED interviews done

Progress on the Director: IPED post is further ahead. Shortlisting was concluded on Friday, 21 August and interviews were held and concluded on Wednesday, 26 August.

The two highest scoring candidates are now scheduled for competency assessments on or before 4 September, followed by security screening and verification. A recommendation to council in terms of Section 56 of the Municipal Systems Act is expected on or before 18 September.

No Accounting Officer from 1 September

The most immediate crisis is the expiry of the acting appointment. The Chief Operations Officer was appointed as Acting MM on 6 March, and that term, as extended, expires on 31 August.

The Municipal Manager is the accounting officer in terms of Section 82(1) of the Municipal Structures Act and Section 60 of the MFMA. The report warns bluntly:

“A lapse in the acting appointment therefore leaves the municipality without an accounting officer. Expenditure cannot lawfully be authorised, signing authority on the municipal bank accounts falls away, and the returns the MFMA places on the Accounting Officer cannot be signed, including the annual financial statements for the 2025/26 financial year due to the Auditor-General and the monthly budget statement for August 2026 due in terms of section 71(1).”

Council is therefore required to designate an official to act from 1 September to 30 September 2026. The report notes that Section 54A(2) requires the designated official to hold prescribed skills and competencies, and Section 54A(3) renders null and void any appointment of a person who does not. The Director: Corporate Services must certify in writing that the designated official meets those requirements.

The report describes the one-month designation as “a stopgap and nothing more” and says the substantive remedy is concluding the recruitment.

Council is asked to note that a Special Council meeting may be required in September to confirm the appointments, and that resolutions on this item should be of immediate force and effect due to urgency.