Security was beefed up around the Kumkani Mhlontlo Local Municipality premises on Tuesday after the return to work of “suspended” municipal manager Lungile Ndabeni.
Following the suspension, the municipality appointed Xola Jikela, a senior manager in one of the municipal departments, as acting municipal manager.
Ndabeni was placed on precautionary suspension by the council in August 2025 amid a stringof allegations against him.
On Friday, the Mthatha high court granted a judgment in his favour and he turned up for work the same day.
Ndabeni took the municipality to court after he was informed in December that his precautionary suspension had been extended.
A source said Ndabeni had appeared at the municipality’s offices in Tsolo on Friday.
He had also reported for work in Qumbu, where the main Mhlontlo municipal offices are located.
But at both places he was allegedly forced to leave.
“On both occasions, he was [allegedly] manhandled by security guards who forced him to leave the premises,” the source said.
“Today [Tuesday, March 3] security has been beefed up to ensure that he does not go inside.”
The source said many people believed Ndabeni was responsible for the “collapse that is happening in the municipality, and this includes residents and the municipality itself”.
Friday’s high court order declared the extension of Ndabeni’s precautionary suspension in December unlawful and set it aside.
The municipality was listed as the first respondent and others included the mayor, Mbulelo Jara, council speaker Eddie Pula and Jikela.
In the court order, acting judge Vuyani Kunju said: “The applicant is entitled to return to his position as a municipal manager and resume his duties forthwith.
“The respondents shall pay costs of this application.”
On Tuesday, Ndabeni dismissed claims that he had been thrown out of municipal premises on Friday and Monday.
Instead, he said he had received a letter from the mayor informing him of the municipality’s intention to appeal against Friday’s ruling.
He said he was consulting his legal team.
“I was never thrown out. I asked if they had anything; they did not have a court order [stating I should not be in the premises] or an appeal. They said they would appeal.
“I was inside on Friday and Monday and left only after they gave me the mayor’s letter on Tuesday.”
He said the municipality had violated the law as he had not been summoned to appear in any disciplinary hearing, as was required.
He said Jikela was not qualified to occupy the municipal manager’s seat as he had been a senior manager for only a year.
Now we have two municipal managers who both showed up for work and we don’t even have a CFO here
— Zakheni Nondaka, UDM councillor
UDM councillor Zakheni Nondaka said the municipality was in crisis and blamed co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Zolile Williams for contributing to the situation.
This was because Williams had repeatedly ignored UDM calls to have the municipality placed under administration.
“We respect courts of law and their decision but we want to stress that the MEC must at least shoulder some of the blame,” Nondaka said.
“We have been saying he must invoke Section 139 because there is no leadership in this ANC-led municipality.
“What is even worse is the municipality is using money meant to improve the lives of poor people in Mhlontlo, who do not have roads and water, to fight court battles.
“Now we have two municipal managers who both showed up for work and we don’t even have a CFO here.”
Questions were sent to municipal spokesperson Mamela Mangcotywa but she was off sick.
She referred questions to Jara, but he could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
Last year, it was reported that Williams’ office had launched an investigation after councillors made several allegations against Ndabeni, including that he was abusing municipal resources.
It was also reported that Williams had advised the council to suspend him after he allegedly failed to respond to Cogta investigators.
This followed a visit by the MEC to the local authority, where he tabled an investigation report relating to tender irregularities and poor workmanship at three sports fields worth a combined R80m, despite millions of rand already having been spent.
Subsequently, an independent investigation commissioned by the municipality recommended the possibility of criminal charges being brought against Ndabeni.
Daily Dispatch
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