DA welcomes the firing of eThekwini Head of Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit

Issued by Councillor Mmabatho Tembe – DA EThekwini Community Services Whip
15 Jun 2021 in Press Statements

The Democratic Alliance in eThekwini welcomes the very long overdue firing of eThekwini Head of Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit (PRC), Thembinkosi Ngcobo.

Ngcobo was allowed, with political impunity by the ANC, to destroy the PRC Unit to the point that service delivery in the metro had all but halted. This includes:

• No weed spraying contracts to service.

• No cherry pickers to prune trees.

• Pools have been closed for over a year.

Finally the City has conceded to what the DA has been raising over a number of years, born out by him being found guilty of misconduct within the unit. He is also alleged to have turned a blind eye to corruption from one of his staff members in paying for a service provider that did not in fact provide any services.

For years, Ngcobo was known to be the “man of events” in the city, blowing millions of Rands on glitzy parties that contributed nothing to the residents of eThekwini. He was more interested in partying it up with the elite than providing services to the poor.

In short, we say good riddance to a man who has been at the forefront of “city capture” in eThekwini.

What eThekwini and residents now urgently need is a turnaround for this department. Trees need to be pruned, grass needs to be cut and the swimming pools need to be fixed.

The DA calls on the Mayor to present an urgent action plan on how we can achieve these goals in the shortest possible time. We hope that the ANC will learn its lesson that cadre deployment does not translate into quality service delivery.

We are certainly willing to work with the political leadership in the city to achieve this in the interest of all citizens.