GEORGE NEWS - George Council approved the appointment of Dr Michele Gratz as municipal manager on a five-year contract during a special council meeting on Thursday 14 April. 

Gratz's appointment was one of the items on the agenda of the meeting, which was closed to the public and the media. 

According to the municipal announcement, Mayor Leon van Wyk referred to the critical role Gratz played as acting municipal manager in the turnaround process since the beginning of January 2021, of stabilising the administration, making key appointments, ensuring that capital projects were executed on time and that grants were spent in terms of their conditions. "Following an engagement with National Treasury in April 2021, the application for the successful Budget Facility for Infrastructure Grant of almost R1,2-billion was launched. Service delivery standards have improved and continue to receive ongoing attention," he said.

Van Wyk emphasised the increase in total spending by the municipality from almost R2,2-billion in the year ended 30 June 2020 to a budget of over R3,6-billion for the year commencing on 1 July 2022.

Congratulating Gratz, Van Wyk said the common objectives for the five-year term include the next phases of the turnaround to effect internal operational efficiency, improving services, tackling the refurbishment of infrastructure, mitigating the risks of unreliable electricity supply through renewable energy and ensuring an enabling environment for increased economic activity.

'Unanimously'
With the online announcement of the news on Friday, a supporter of the Good Party objected against the use of the word "unanimously" in the municipal statement. 

According to Enrico Stalmeester, Gratz was not unanimously approved by Council, but by the DA coalition (DA, FF Plus and ACDP). 

DA Councillor Brendon Adams commented that the appointment was indeed supported by the ANC as well, while some of the opposition parties (Good, PBI, EFF and PA) had issues with the matter. 

ANC Chief Whip Jarques Esau confirmed their support, saying Gratz was the best candidate: "In her role as acting municipal manager she proved herself, taking the municipality to new heights. All the changes she brought about, in terms of the macro structure, speak for themselves. She filled key positions in the municipality, has years of experience in local government and keeps officials on their toes."

Asked for clarity on whether the appointment was "unanimously approved", Mayor Leon van Wyk said the only issue in the instance of the appointment of the MM was a request for clarity on the remuneration package. 

"As the proposer, I agreed to amend the proposal to include the amount of the remuneration package (which is determined by Government Gazette and was included in the item) when the conclusion of the employment agreement is reported back to Council. This amendment was acceptable to everyone, which meant that voting was not required. The entire council therefore approved the appointment unanimously."

Remuneration
Councillor Marchell Kleynhans of the PBI said the recommendation in the item for the appointment of Gratz as municipal manager did not include particulars of the remuneration package.

"If the recommendation does not distinctly include the package, Council is at risk that any amount may be included afterwards. There is specific legislation governing the threshold and upper limits for senior managers," he said.

"This specific legislation includes processes to apply for a waiver on the threshold to the MEC for local government in the event it is exceeded. The fact that it was not included in the recommendation, leaves room for interpretation.

"This is why the PBI demanded the inclusion of the specific remuneration package into the recommendation.

"This was done with great trouble, as there was a reluctance from the mayor to include said recommendation."

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