Msukalingwa municipal manager Thami Dlamini is in contravention of the Commission of Gender Equality (CGE) Act and liable for criminal charges, the CGE said on Wednesday.
This was after he failed to attend a CGE hearing on Wednesday despite being subpoenaed to do so.
Dlamini also failed to attend the initial hearings in October to account for the slow pace of gender transformation in the workplace.
This prompted the CGE to obtain a subpoena.
While Dlamini was liable for criminal charges, CGE chairman Mfanozelwe Shozi said it would not pursue the matter, provided Dlamini co-operated with the commission in future.
Dlamini or the Msukalingwa municipality would have to pay the costs of the hearing, he said.
The CGE also expected a letter of apology from Dlamini within seven days.
The municipal manager of Mbombela local municipality Xolani Mzobe also arrived late for the hearings, due to an electricity crisis in his jurisdiction.
He said he did not mean any disrespect to the commission, but had left for Johannesburg immediately after an urgent 5am meeting.
“I apologise sincerely,” Mzobe said.
He said he had failed to attend the October hearings due to public protests in Mbombela. He had appointed another municipal official to attend in his place, but the official Ä unbeknown to Mzobe Ä had been arrested the day before.
He said he would not go into detail as to what the official was arrested for, but apologised again for non-attendance.
The CGE was holding the hearings to demand accountability, identify challenges, and develop recommendations to ensure the realisation of gender equality in both private and public institutions. - Sapa