Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe has placed her chief of staff, Mlungisi Lumka, on precautionary suspension.
Lumka was suspended on March 31 while Lobishe was attending a council meeting.
Lobishe accused Lumka of gross dereliction of duty after facing tough questions about not responding to several correspondence written to her following parliament’s cooperative governance and traditional affairs committee meeting on March 25.
She blamed Lumka and her assistants for not responding, telling parliament she had instructed him to take responsibility for missing parliament’s correspondence.
In her letter of intention to suspend him, Lobishe accused Lumka of bringing the municipality into disrepute.
Lobishe appeared before the committee to answer allegations over her role in leasing a R25m municipally owned transformer to Coega Steels without council approval.
Insiders say it was not even an hour after he had left the meeting when he was served with the suspension letter
At the meeting she conceded the decision was irregular.
Responding to Lobishe’s letter of intention to suspend him on March 26, a day after the mayor’s letter, Lumka accused Lobishe of having deliberately misled the parliamentary committee.
Speaking to The Herald on Thursday, Lumka confirmed he had been placed on precautionary suspension. Lumka was present when the council meeting started, but disappeared soon after.
Insiders say it was not even an hour after he had left the meeting when he was served with the suspension letter.
Lobishe declined to comment when asked to confirm if Lumka was on suspension.
“I won’t comment on an internal matter,” he said.
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.