Durban — EThekwini municipal manager Musa Mbhele could be in trouble with the ANC-led council after his apparent involvement in a plot with the opposition to remove the City’s electricity head, Maxwell Mthembu.
Mbhele is a member of a WhatsApp group called Save Ethekwini Electricity, which was allegedly created by a “fictitious” person or ghost account only known as Zitha.
The person’s name appears as the group administrator, but several attempts to get him on the number were unsuccessful.
According to screenshots of the WhatsApp group which were obtained by the Daily News, the city manager was the first to be added, followed by then deputy mayor Philani Mavundla.
DA caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa, then ActionSA caucus leader Dr Makhosi Khoza, IFP caucus leader Mdu Nkosi and ActionSA caucus leader Zwakele Mncwango were also among the people added to the group.
ANC and EFF members are conspicuously absent from the group, which appeared to have been created in early November last year.
One of the group’s long chats apparently posted by the administrator seen by the paper partly read: “How long is the city prepared to let Max Mthembu run eThekwini Electricity like his ‘spaza shop’, oh no! Let me say like a ‘shebeen’ because some of the spaza shops are managed better than the electricity unit headed by Maxwell Mthembu. Ask anyone who has bothered to monitor the performance of this unit since Sandile Maphumulo’s departure. At some stage, the electricity unit was generating more than two billion surpluses but today it is operating at a loss. I plead with the leadership of eThekwini Municipality (ANC, DA, IFP, EFF, ABC, etc) – Enough is enough!!! Genoeg is genoeg!!! Kwanele madoda.”
A source in the municipality, who agreed to speak to the paper on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said this was clearly a plot to remove Mthembu in order to capture the department since he was seen as a stumbling block.
The source said if the group was created genuinely to save the unit, it begged the question of why the unit’s officials, particularly Mthembu, were left out of the group, adding that the first post which clearly discussed Mthembu was evident of the plot to oust him.
“There are many questions the City manager must answer. He must explain why he sat in a group that was discussing one of his staff as a problem and did not alert him. Secondly, he must explain how the unit was going to be saved and from whom? Thirdly if he was not part of a plot then what did he do, and why did he continue to be on the group if he was against or not part of what was being discussed,” said the source.
The group was believed to be the main source of the leaked information about problems in City units, particularly at the electricity unit, to the media.
Mbhele initially denied being on the group but later contacted the paper asking it to ignore the first response.
In the second response, he said he was not active on it since he had a city to run and therefore would not waste his time responding to a relentless campaign of disinformation that sought to distract him from his “monumental responsibility”.
DA caucus leader Mthethwa confirmed being on the group, but said he did not know what it was formed for and who formed it.
Mthethwa said that based on allegations made on the group, he had raised the issues at the executive council meeting and that Mavundla, in his then capacity as the head of infrastructure, said there were investigations taking place.
The IFP’s Nkosi said he was not aware that his name had been added, which was evident by the fact that he never commented on the group.
Mavundla said he had checked but not found the group. He then said he remembered being added to the group but thought he was removed when he lost power.
“What is it that you want to know about saving electricity, you cannot save anything under the once-glorious movement,” said Mavundla.
Although Mavundla denied being still on the group, the screenshots of the group obtained last week by the paper revealed that he was still there.
The eThekwini ANC also denied knowledge of the group.
The party’s spokesperson, Mlondi Mkhize, said that the party was not aware of the group.
Khoza said she did not even know that she was on the group since she took a break from politics.
Mncwango confirmed that he was added but said he ignored it since he did not know what was it for. He said he had noticed there were also journalists, politicians and officials on the group.
Mthembu said he had been made aware of the group but did not know what was being discussed.
Mbhele was hired last year in August after the city was forced to re-advertise the position after the council’s dramatic blocking of Max Mbili, who had been chosen by the panel and whose name was taken to the council for approval.
It was believed that Mbhele’s appointment was engineered by Mavundla, who led the opposition to block Mbili’s endorsement, thereby paving a way for Mbhele to get the lucrative post. This was believed to have created a bond between Mavundla and Mbhele.
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