The executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM), Dowelani Nenguda, said they were hopeful that the appointment of the acting municipal manager (MM), Mr Cedrick Tshikovha, would unite the workers in the institution, so that everybody worked in harmony. Tshikovha, the general manager of corporate services in the VDM, started in his new position on 9 November and will be acting as MM for a three-month period.
Tshikovha was welcomed by Nenguda during a short function held at the Speaker's office on Thursday, 17 November. His appointment comes after the five-year contract of the district's former MM, Tshimangadzo Sylvia Ndou, had expired on 8 November. A special council meeting was held at the VDM's council chamber, where a resolution was taken to appoint Tshikovha in the position until a new MM is appointed. Nenguda said that the process of appointing a new MM was currently underway and that they were already interviewing suitable candidates.
Nenguda said he hoped that Tshikovha would work with all of his ability to improve the services of the VDM as water services authority as he had extensive experience on how things were done in the district. "We don't want [a] vacuum here in the Vhembe District Municipality. We want to speed up service delivery, especially regarding water and sanitation," Nenguda said.
Tshikovha said he was humbled to be appointed for this position. "It requires great accountability, but I promise to work hard. During the first two weeks, I will establish a rapid-response unit, who will be at the ready to assist when water challenges arise. I want to urge communities to pay for services, so that we can continue to start new water projects to fight water scarcity," said Tshikovha.