MINISTER OVERRULES COUNCILLORS, WANTS CEO’S CONTRACT RENEWED

MBABANE – It seems like the controversy surrounding Mbabane Municipal Council Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mhlongo’s contract has only just begun.

This comes after outgoing Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza overruled the recommendation made by councillors that Mhlongo’s contract should not be renewed.

Fresh from issuing a directive that the councillors should not discuss the matter until he made his consideration, the minister has ordered that the councillors should engage Mhlongo with a view to renew his contract.

Mabuza is said to have written a letter to the councillors informing them of the consideration that he had made.
The letter was presented to the councillors during a special meeting which took place yesterday after lunch.
According to the letter, the minister felt that the reasons the councillors cited, which led to them taking the decision not to renew the CEO’s contract, were not satisfactory.

Mabuza informed the councillors that the reasons did not justify the decision to not renew the contract.
One of the reasons which the councillors had brought to the attention of the minister was that Mhlongo had become ‘expensive’ for the council.

The minister allegedly overruled the issue of Mhlongo’s salary as he felt that the council was the one that hired him in the first place and that it was supposed to engage him in the event that it felt he had become expensive.

Called for comment, Mabuza confirmed that he had sent the letter of his consideration regarding the CEO’s contract.
At first, he advised this reporter to contact the council itself, saying all he had done was inform them of what he had considered and the reasons why.

“Yes it is true but I think they can explain to you better since I gave them the letter containing my consideration. But basically, I have given them my very carefully considered view of the issue and now the ball is in their court,” Mabuza said.

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