For seven years, residents of the Umngeni municipality in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands have waited for a full-time municipal manager to lead their council into a brighter future. Their wait isn’t over. Sibusiso Sithole‚ who was to take over the reins on Monday‚ March 13‚ was their beacon of hope. But exactly a week before he was due to take up the post‚ his life was cut short in a hail of bullets. The Richmond municipal manager lay dead outside his vehicle in an apparent hit. While his family‚ friends and political comrades — including police minister Nathi Nhleko and acting national police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane — mourn him‚ his death has left an unfilled vacancy at the Umgeni municipal council‚ and its residents back at square one. The small council hasn’t had a full-time head since 2010‚ when the troubled Dumisani Vilakazi was dismissed following a string of scandals and allegations of maladministration. A former senior municipal office bearer recounted on Tues...
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