Picture: for illustration purposes
Dr Noxolo Nqwazi, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal Manager, has been placed under a ‘precautionary’ suspension with full remuneration following a majority council vote favouring disciplinary action. This development came after she got implicated in a high-profile multi-million rand toilet tender fraud case that has her, and several others facing criminal charges.
Intense council sessions took place in private on Friday, with the matter inscribed into the 'green paper', implying that the discussions excluded the public and media. Nqwazi's trial is concurrently ongoing.
Sidim Dyani, the Chief Operations Officer, has assumed the role of Acting Municipal Manager in Nqwazi's absence. The decision to table the suspension was initiated by the ruling coalition and won the backing of 62 councillors.
Notably, the suspension met disapproval from opposition parties including the ACDP, DA, Good Party, and DOP, while UDM members abstained from voting. The spokesperson for Freedom Front Plus shared they were not represented during the meeting.
Council Speaker, Eugene Johnson, affirmed Dr Nqwazi’s ‘precautionary’ suspension based on an SIU report, expressing that the action answered calls from the Finance Minister for the council to address the issue decisively. Johnson, however, declined to delve further into the matter.