South Africa delays decision on city manager Nqwazi — Daily Maverick
In South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, the last council meeting scheduled before the local elections did not take place due to a lack of a quorum. A significant number of African National Congress council members did not attend the meeting, delaying discussion of the future of suspended city manager Noxolo Nqwazi, Daily Maverick reports.
Council Speaker Eugene Johnson said apologies for absences had been received from representatives of various political forces, including executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe. According to her, without a quorum, the council could not consider letters from Nqwazi’s lawyers and other agenda items.
Disciplinary committee decision
The disciplinary committee previously found that the municipality had failed to meet key procedural requirements when bringing Nqwazi to a disciplinary hearing. In particular, this concerned regulation 5 of the disciplinary proceedings rules for senior local government managers.
At the same time, the municipal administration did not acknowledge that the committee’s decision reinstated Nqwazi or lifted her suspension. Acting city manager Lonwabo Ngogo instructed employees in internal correspondence not to discuss the matter with Nqwazi, not to engage with her, and not to follow her instructions if she appeared at work.
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A few days before the meeting, armed security guards were stationed at City Hall to prevent Nqwazi from entering the building.
Parties’ positions
Democratic Alliance caucus leader Rano Kayser said the meeting was deliberately derailed after the African National Congress regional working committee decided not to send its council members to it. Two unnamed Daily Maverick sources in the ANC said there were disagreements at the committee meeting: some members supported Nqwazi’s return, while others, including Lobishe, opposed it.
Kayser also said that the Democratic Alliance would support Nqwazi’s return because, in his assessment, no disciplinary charges remained against her following the committee’s decision. Good party councillor Lawrence Troon believes Nqwazi should return to work because the disciplinary proceedings were discontinued after municipal officials and lawyers failed to appear.
According to the publication, Nqwazi received R6.7 million in salary while suspended from February 2024 to April 2026. The council is now going into recess until a new administration is formed after the local elections on 4 November.
