is one of the options available to her. No, this decision is
not in contravention of the King Report. Nothing in King
III prohibits the board chairperson from appointing a non-
executive director for a short-term period, in line with the
applicable policies,” said Ndamase.
She said there was nothing irregular about the
appointment: “The appointment was done in terms of the
delegation of authority, which gives the chairperson of the
board authority to appoint an acting CEO for a short-term
period.”
The chairperson stated that she did not believe she was
above the law and had not broken any law in appointing
Chonco. She said she was unaware of “any controversy
surrounding the appointment of Mr Chonco to the board”. u
Source: The Citizen
technology
“Nothing in King III
prohibits the board
chairperson from
appointing a non-executive
director for a short-term
period, in line with the
applicable policies.”
Muziwandile Msizi Chonco, TCTA board member and acting CEO.
TCTA - Mlimandela Ndamase
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Water Sewage & Effluent March/April 2018
7
The chairperson at the Trans-Caledonian Tunnel Authority
(TCTA), Zodwa Manase, has appointed board member
Muziwandile Msizi Chonco as the acting chief executive
officer.
This follows the resignation of the former acting CEO,
Leonard Radzuma, after 16 months on the job because of
what whistle-blowers allege was frustration. In addition, he
was a late appointment to the board and his inclusion was
never approved by Cabinet.
In her response, Manase told The Citizen that Radzuma
had simply stepped down and would be returning to
his substantive position as the chief risk officer of the
organisation.
Sources close to the matter, however, have raised
eyebrows at Chonco’s appointment, as they had previously
alleged that this was the same board member whose
appointment to the water entity had never been authorised
by Cabinet.
A Cabinet announcement of August 2015 released by
the government portal www.gov.za makes no mention of
Chonco’s name and instead mentioned the names of eight
members approved by Cabinet to be chaired by the former
Airports Company of South Africa MD, Monhla Hlahla.
Hlahla has since left the TCTA.
The TCTA is responsible for (among other things) the
operation, maintenance, and management of the important
Lesotho Highlands Water Project in South Africa.
Approached for comment, former Water Affairs Minister
Nomvula Mokonyane’s spokesperson Mlimandela Ndamase
said there had been nothing nefarious about the late
addition of Chonco to the board of TCTA.
Ndamase said eight members had been appointed to the
board and one, Chonco, was added to the board post facto.
“Following Cabinet approval of the eight candidates for
appointments to the board of TCTA, one of the candidates
withdraw [sic] from the process and subsequently seven
board members were appointed. Mr M Chonco was
appointed as a board member to fill the vacancy on the
board of the TCTA,” said Ndamase.
Asked why, after interviews were concluded and a
recommendation made by the interview panel in November
2017, TCTA was still without a CEO, Ndamase explained
that “the appointment of the CEO was withdrawn due to
insufficient reasons provided by the selection panel for the
recommended candidate” and added that the TCTA board
was “dealing with this matter”.
Manase is adamant that the decision to appoint Chonco
was primarily because he “has the requisite knowledge and
experience to contribute positively in this role”.
“The chairperson doesn’t have any issues with the
executive management. However, the option to appoint a
non-executive director as an acting CEO in the short term
TCTA appoints acting CEO