Durban - An “acting” appointment is defined as a position filled on a temporary basis to replace a regular unclassified employee on leave.
The expectation is that the regular employee will be returning to his/her regular position in the future, according to the Oregon State University definition.
A country, a city, businesses, and government need good leaders and when acting in a position one cannot fulfil his true potential.
Countries around the world are beset with leadership problems. In West Africa, Mali’s transitional government, which took power in a 2020 military coup, is battling the insurgency of rebels and mercenaries.
France is also having their elections on Sunday to choose a new leader. Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa lost his parliamentary majority following days of protest.
In South Africa, Diepsloot residents took to the street raising concerns on safety, claiming at least seven people had been killed in one week after a certain leader emerged allegedly calling for people from other African countries to leave the country.
Leadership is important. EThekwini Municipality is also besieged with problems as the hunt for the new city manager for KwaZulu-Natal’s largest metro goes on.
Musa Mbhele was appointed the “acting” city manager in July 2021 after the city parted ways by mutual agreement with Sipho Nzuza who had served as a city manager since 2017.
The name of Max Mbili was thrown into the hat. He is the current municipal manager of Ray Nkonyeni (Port Shepstone) Local Municipality.
A leader might have emerged in deputy mayor Philani Mavundla who has rolled up his sleeves and got to work instead of ribbon cutting and attending extravagant events that have nothing to do with city operations.
With the ANC regional conference elections under way this week, it is also a distraction in fast-tracking the appointment of the city manager. While we look for a leader the city’s ratepayers have to bear the brunt of poor service delivery and bloated utility bills that requires firm leadership to resolve.
Unless we get true leaders who have the interests of the electorate at heart, South Africa and its municipalities will continue sinking beyond the point of “salvage”.
Daily News