Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Velani Ludidi
Published on 2024-03-07 21:48:03
The City of Cape Town has enlisted the services of top lawyers for the disciplinary hearing of Luzuko Mdunyelwa, the suspended executive director in charge of waste management. The legal team includes two senior counsel and a senior attorney, whose daily rates have been reported to be R40,000 each for the senior counsels and almost R30,000 for the attorney. The hearing, which began last week and is being conducted behind closed doors, is expected to span 10 days, potentially costing the city more than R1 million in legal fees alone.
Mdunyelwa was suspended following the breakdown of waste management in several areas of Cape Town, such as Khayelitsha, Philippi, and Nyanga. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis revealed in a confidential meeting that the city had hired contractors at a cost of approximately R500 million to assist in waste collection from townships across Cape Town. Despite these efforts, waste continued to accumulate in various parts of the city, leading to the municipality deploying its own staff to address the issue.
Allegations of financial benefits for administrators involved in the contractor hiring process surfaced, prompting the mayor to acknowledge the rumors but emphasize the need for specific complaints or evidence to initiate an investigation. The municipality received nearly 19,000 complaints regarding waste collection, with 38% attributed to areas serviced by contractors.
Reports of extortion rackets in certain communities resulted in companies terminating their contracts due to concerns for their workers’ safety. Mdunyelwa, a veteran in local government with over 25 years of experience, has been portrayed as a scapegoat by some within the municipality, claiming that he was unfairly targeted despite the lack of incriminating evidence against him in forensic reports presented to the council.
While the specific charges against Mdunyelwa have not been disclosed, Mayor Hill-Lewis blamed him for the waste management crisis and criticized the municipality for not receiving adequate value for the payments made to contractors. The city manager, Lungelo Mbandazayo, was among the first witnesses to testify at Mdunyelwa’s disciplinary hearing, which has remained confidential.
In response to the waste management challenges, the municipality is exploring the possibility of transitioning cleaning services from external providers to in-house operations. This initiative includes piloting the insourcing of waste removal from informal settlements, implementing a community-based project to empower residents in these areas, creating job opportunities, and enhancing cleanliness and hygiene in informal settlements.
Overall, the City of Cape Town’s efforts to address the waste management crisis have been met with legal and operational challenges, prompting a reevaluation of the existing strategies and a shift towards a more sustainable and community-focused approach to waste management.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
