DURBAN - EMBATTLED eThekwini municipal manager Sipho Nzuza is yet to meet mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to discuss his future in the municipality.
In a council meeting last month, councillors directed Kaunda to meet Nzuza.
While the council meeting was confidential, The Mercury understands that councillors across the party divide felt Nzuza had reached the end of the line in the municipality.
This was after Nzuza, who is facing a raft of charges including corruption in connection with a DSW tender scandal, suffered a serious setback at the Durban Commercial Crimes Court where he had brought an application to have some of his bail conditions relaxed as he believed they prevented him from being able to return to his job.
His bail conditions were not relaxed and instead a more restrictive condition was added, which ordered that “the accused may not perform the functions of the accounting officer of the municipality until the criminal trial is concluded”.
Nzuza said yesterday that he was yet to meet the mayor.
Nzua said he was focused on appealing the judgment related to the bail conditions and he preferred not to respond to questions about his future in the municipality.
“The matter of the appeal is being handled by my lawyers and I will be meeting them today. They were the ones studying the judgment and preparing for an appeal,” he said.
Due to the judgment handed down in the bail conditions matter, the councillors felt that Nzuza was no longer capable of continuing in the position of municipal manager and directed Kaunda to hold a meeting with him and present the available options.
They also directed that Nzuza, who is on special leave, be placed on unpaid leave if he had exhausted his days.
The mayor's office could not been reached for comment at the time of publication.
THE MERCURY