ADVERTISEMENT:

 
 

Mr Reuben Rambado.

Vhembe municipal manager must be suspended- SAMWU

 

The Vhembe District Municipality is again in the news, and it is still for the wrong reasons.

The municipality has been in the news following its investment with the Venda Building Society where they invested millions. The bank is currently under the curatorship of the Reserve Bank following allegations of mismanagement at the bank.

As if that was not enough, just last week the municipal manager, Mr Mugivhela Rambado is alleged to have assaulted a general manager in the technical division in full view of other staff members. SAMWU is saying that the municipal manager should be suspended with immediate effect.

When asked for comment, Rambado denied that any assault took place.
"I know nothing about the allegations," he said.

Details surrounding the alleged assault are at this stage very sketchy with only rumours doing the rounds that it was money related. SAMWU’s provincial secretary, Mr Patrick Aphane said that the union is fed up and has learnt with apprehension about the incident that happened at the offices.

He indicated that the executive mayor, Ms Florence Radzilani, had during a hastily convened staff meeting on Monday acknowledged that she had heard of the incident. She assured staff members that the incident is being investigated and that appropriate steps would be taken. Aphane added that it was not contested that the municipal manager manhandled the general manager of technical services and that the general manager opened a case against him and that Rambado has appeared in court on the 11 May 2018. This could, however, not be confirmed.

“The municipal manager has conducted an act of misconduct, by engaging in a criminal activity of assaulting his general manager during working hours. It is SAMWU’s contention that the conduct of the municipal manager was so gross it warrants immediate suspension from work.”

He added that the municipal manager is the first employee of the municipality and all officials of the municipality account to him. “How does the executive mayor expect subordinates to operate with the manager who is prone to consistent verbal abuse to workers after the recent incident?”

He further indicated that SAMWU has obtained several confirmations from other officials of the constant verbal abuse and humiliations in the hands of the municipal manager. SAMWU intends to mobilize its members and other affiliates of COSATU to render the municipality ungovernable if immediate steps are not taken against Mr Rambado, he warned.

Just before going to press, reports were received from a reliable sources that officials from COGHSTA were at the municipality and that indications were that the municipality could be placed under administration at any given time.

 

Date:19 May 2018

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Read: 3282

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

ADVERTISEMENT:

ADVERTISEMENT:

 

Recent Articles

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Popular Articles