“Tampering with Scores”: Msunduzi Forced to Restart Top Job Hiring After Alleged Rigging

A year-long attempt to fill a critical leadership position at the Msunduzi Municipality has collapsed, with the entire recruitment process for a Deputy Municipal Manager being scrapped amid explosive allegations of score-sheet tampering and procedural violations.

The decision to start from scratch follows a damning report from the municipality’s own Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac), which uncovered serious irregularities in the hiring process for the Deputy Municipal Manager for Community Services post.

According to a well-placed source, the core of the scandal involves direct interference with the candidates’ interview scores. “The interviewers did their job and scored the candidates… but then there was interference with the scoring,” the source revealed. “Candidate number 3 was moved to the second spot.”

This alleged manipulation of results prompted an internal audit investigation, the findings of which were handed to Mpac. The committee concluded that the integrity of the entire process was compromised beyond repair.

A Litany of Violations and a Call for Consequences

The Mpac report did not hold back, accusing the officials involved of acting directly against the municipality’s interests. It found they violated multiple sections of the Municipal Systems Act, including failing to perform their functions in good faith, diligently, and transparently.

In a move that hits taxpayers directly, the committee has recommended that all costs associated with the failed recruitmentfrom advertising to administrative expensesbe declared fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

Furthermore, Mpac has called for decisive disciplinary action against the officials responsible for the breach. The committee has given the council a one-month deadline to initiate the recovery of these wasted funds.

Political Fallout and a Vacant Seat

The scandal has ignited political friction. A recent attempt to fill the position on an acting basis was met with outrage and threats of legal action from the Democratic Alliance (DA), highlighting the tense environment surrounding the appointment.

Zweli Magubane, the chairperson of Mpac, confirmed that a report detailing the irregularities was set to be tabled. “We have directed that this process be stood down,” Magubane stated, indicating that a special council meeting would address the matter.

For the residents of Msunduzi, the episode represents more than just a bureaucratic failure. It signifies a prolonged vacancy in a key role responsible for community services and raises familiar questions about governance, accountability, and the cost of malpractice at the heart of local government. The search for a qualified candidate must now begin again, but the shadow of this scandal will loom large over the new process.

{Source: IOL}

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