Top city official suspended for ‘failure to repair infrastructure’

The Thekwini Municipality has suspended its head of supply chain management for allegedly “failing to execute his duties diligently”. Andrew Petersen’s supposed tardiness has compromised service delivery, particularly in repairing infrastructure damage caused by the April floods.

The city’s supply chain unit was the nerve centre from which the procurement of goods and services was authorised. The failure to approve tenders for goods and services on time has resulted in backlogs and delays. Several sources told the Sunday Tribune that Petersen, one of the longest-serving officials in the unit, was placed on suspension, allegedly for the delay in authorising tenders to provide services.

He was apparently responsible for sewer pipes not being speedily repaired, causing rivers and beaches to be contaminated as contracts to have them repaired were not issued. They alleged he was charged with insubordination, among the cases, by municipal manager Musa Mbhele and was placed on suspension pending a hearing this week. Petersen declined to comment when approached about the allegations.

Msawakhe Mayisela, the spokesperson for the municipality, confirmed that Petersen had been suspended. “We ask the media to allow this internal process to run its course. We will communicate at an appropriate time the outcome of an investigation that is underway in this regard.

“This process is not going to compromise service delivery as our supply chain is handled by well-oiled machinery that does not depend on an individual,” said Mayisela. According to one of the sources, among the major issues that resulted in Peterson's suspension was the city’s inability to carry out repairs and replace water and sanitation infrastructure damaged by the floods.

A source revealed that even emergency tenders issued under Section 36 – a process that allows for deviation from normal tender processes in the awarding of contracts during emergencies – were not authorised on time. As the municipality had sub-contracted repair work on water and electricity infrastructure, the supply chain unit’s failure to approve tenders has put the municipality on the back foot, including dealing with the sewer discharge that resulted in the on-and-off beach closures.

A source said: “In the senior management meetings, the supply chain unit was criticised for delaying the processes. As you know, the city uses many contractors for drain repairs and roads but tenders were not processed by the supply chain unit. Many departments within the city have complained and they were frustrated by the delays.” Another source revealed that the situation was dire, with many departments lacking basic tools of the trade. He said workers from Durban Solid Waste embarked on strike action because their personal protective equipment like gloves had not been procured.

“At some point the city ran out of printing paper. All units have been complaining about the same thing which pushed the management to take action against the head. It made things worse after the floods because there was so much to be fixed. The Water and Sanitation Department does not have tools to fix pipes in case of a pipe burst. The vehicles are not maintained … it takes up to a year just to service a car,” another source alleged.

Addressing delegates at the opening of the Oceans Mall in Umhlanga last week, Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city was working around the clock to ensure that all Durban beaches were ready by December 1. Kaunda said the city manager was exercising his power against lazy employees and was hard at work to ensure the city delivered on its mandate.

“We have a team led by the city manager that will ensure our beaches are ready by December. We will not tolerate lazy officials in this city,” he said. Mayoral spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said the mayor was committed to service delivery and had called for action against officials who failed to execute their duties.