Sun. Feb 9th, 2025

Maxwell Mthembu, the head of electricity at eThekwini Municipality, has been served with a notice of intention to suspend and instructed to vacate his office pending investigations into alleged misconduct.

The investigation revolves around accusations that Mthembu failed to comply with instructions to issue dismissal letters to staff members in his unit who participated in a recent prolonged strike led by workers affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu).

According to a letter obtained by IOL, Mthembu is accused of providing misleading and conflicting information to a city councillor regarding the status of the strike, contradicting the City Manager’s announcement that the strike had concluded.

The letter states, “(You) also contradicted the information you presented at one of the teleconference meetings with other unit heads that your employees are back at work, which is tantamount to sabotage.”

eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana declined to comment on the matter when approached by IOL, citing the City’s policy of not discussing employer-employee issues with third parties.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor, Sakhile Mngadi, expressed concern over the allegations and called for strict action if found true. Mngadi emphasized the impact of the alleged chaos on residents, advocating for decisive measures to address the situation.

Last year, there were reports of a purported plot to remove Mthembu from his position, allegedly involving discussions among various political figures, including members of the DA, ActionSA, and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

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