‘GOLDEN HANDSHAKE’ FOR GIDEON MHLONGO

MBABANE – Is Municipal Council of Mbabane Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mhlongo one of the luckiest men in the country?
Information has emerged that before he was given a lucrative five-year contract that made him one of the highest paid CEOs in the country, the municipality also paid Mhlongo money for a contract he had terminated with the country’s capital in November 2003.

Confidential information seen by the Times SUNDAY shows that even though the Industrial Court of Appeal dismissed any claim Mhlongo had with the municipality, the latter, however, decided to pay him – exactly 10 years later.
Documents reflect that under the topic ‘Closure of outstanding issues on previous contract of Chief Executive Officer’, four resolutions were made and executed by Council.

One of the resolutions reads: “To bring closure to the Chief Executive Officer’s previous contract, all outstanding balances due to the Chief Executive Officer arising as a result of his employment under the previous contract such as leave days, provident fund contribution, and tax refund will be determined and paid out administratively within one week.”
It is shown that this resolution was indeed implemented by the Mayor and Director Human Resources. At that time, the mayor was the late William Mbhamali.

SETTLED AGAINST MONIES

The resolution went alongside another one which stated: “The Chief Executive Officer’s debt to Council be settled against monies legitimately owed to the Chief Executive Officer by Council. This concludes the issue of the debt to Council by the Chief Executive Officer.”
This particular resolution was carried out by the Mayor and the Director Finance.
Thirdly, it was resolved that ‘an appropriate agreement will be entered into, to bring closure to these issues and the Mayor be authorised to sign on behalf of Council’.
The Mayor and the Director Human Resources were again mandated to implement this resolution, which they did, as stated in the documents.
The fourth and final resolution was that ‘the Mayor will not sign the agreement until the legal opinion from council lawyers is attached that gives advice to resolving the dispute between Council and the Chief Executive Officer’.
On the last resolution, the Mayor and the CEO were mandated with the resolution’s implementation, which they also did.
  

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