EMFULENI LOCAL MUNICIPALITY Council appoints new Municipal Manager

Executive Mayor of Emfuleni Municipality, Cllr Sipho Radebe, welcomed the appointment of Mr April Sotshengani Ntuli at a special council seating on 24 March 2023.

This position had been vacant for the past four months, following the departure of former Municipal Manager Lucky Leseane in November 2022. The Mayor said that the council’s primary focus on this appointment was motivated by the candidate’s leadership skills and experience.

“The appointment of the Municipal Manager was a tedious process that required applicants to be subjected to rigorous screening, vetting, evaluation, and an interview process. The Municipal Council has full confidence in the administrative prowess of the incoming MM for him to perform his mandate with meticulousness and great zeal. I have no doubt that Mr Ntuli is a perfect fit for Emfuleni and that he can enhance the municipality’s culture of serving people,” said Mayor Radebe.

Ntuli is a professional Civil Engineer Technologist by trade, with over 24 years of experience in the Civil Engineering and Municipal Engineering Services field in South Africa.

He holds the following qualifications and achievements:

• BTech (Civil Engineering) from the University of Johannesburg, formally known as Technikon Witwatersrand in 2002.

• National Diploma (Civil Engineering) from Tshwane University in 1998, formally known as Northern Gauteng Technikon.

• Post Graduate Diploma in Development Finance from the University of Cape Town

• Mr Ntuli also achieved a clean audit from 2015 to 2017 in the Nkangala District Municipality and in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality from 2019 to 2020.

Due to his experience of serving in various municipalities and positions across the country, Ntuli has a wealth of experience in governance, public finance, and ethical leadership. Accepting this appointment as the new Municipal Manager, Ntuli said that he is humbled by the designation and further acknowledged the expectation and responsibility that comes with the position. Ntuli also expressed his willingness to serve the people of Emfuleni with honour and further highlighted that he is aware of the challenges Emfuleni is facing since he is no stranger to the municipality.

“My eyes are set to focus on five key areas as part of turnaround strategy which includes enhanced revenue collection, building credible governance structures, ensuring financial viability, building institutional capacity for service delivery, and presenting and implementing service delivery to the people of Emfuleni,” said Ntuli.

Ntuli stepped into the shoes of Municipal Manager at a time when the municipality was already experiencing years of both energy and water crises. Residents had

already endured years of poor service delivery which has severely affected their livelihood. His appointment is seen a beacon of hope and he has committed to contribute in his capacity as Municipal Manager, to the growth, revitalization and transformation of the region.

Ntuli’s appointment could not have come at a better time for the municipality, as the collaboration of political parties represented in the Emfuleni Council approved a report on the resealing and refurbishment of 40 roads in the area. This is certainly going to improve the lives of the community and contribute towards accelerating service delivery. A comprehensive list of roads to benefit from the project will be shared with the people of Emfuleni in due course.