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The Herald reports that Nelson Mandela Bay’s acting executive director of electricity and energy, Tholi Biyela, was forcibly removed from his office at the Munelek building on Tuesday by disgruntled officials, who accused him of undermining them and ruling with an iron fist.
A large group of employees, accompanied by leaders of the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), stormed Biyela’s office and demanded his resignation from the position. During a preceding union meeting, officials voiced their dissatisfaction with Biyela, and a resolution was passed to remove him from office. Samwu shop steward Ayanda Solani said Biyela allegedly undermined engineers who had worked in the city for years by starting a process to appoint Eskom as an independent contractor.
Electricity and energy political head Ziyanda Mnqokoyi said, based on information they had received, the only concern raised with Biyela was that staff did not want him in the post. He added: “The Eskom issue is new to me. However, if this concern was raised by the workers regarding the involvement of Eskom in certain technical operations, it has been noted.” Regarding allegations about Biyela’s management style, Mnqokoyi said they would be investigated through the proper channels.
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya condemned Biyela’s removal and said such conduct undermined the law, workplace discipline and institutional processes to resolve disputes. He added that the unlawful incident was being investigated and dealt with through the appropriate legal and disciplinary channels. “Security and legal measures are being put in place to ensure Biyela’s safety and to prevent any recurrence of such incidents,” Soyaya noted.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Andisa Bonani at The Herald
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