Fate of city's audit boss Chan to be decided in the new year

THE fate of Nelson Mandela Bay municipal auditing boss Bonnie Chan is to be decided in the new year as calls for her suspension mount amid allegations that she hired unskilled staff, including an unqualified personal friend as the city's lead corruption buster.

A report from corporate services boss Mod Ndoyana to city manager Mpilo Mbambisa recommends that Chan be suspended for negligence and misleading council.

The report is based on Ndoyana's findings on the state of the municipality's auditing department following claims by a group of staff at the internal audit subdirectorate of racial discrimination, favouritism, nepotism, corruption, mistrust, irregular recruitment and lack of staff progression.

What Mbambisa does with the report will be highly anticipated by both politicians and officials who have been gunning for Chan for months, accusing her of only investigating black officials.

Leading the charge has been UDM councillor Mongameli Bobani, who in early October called for Chan's suspension and requested that Mbambisa investigate the "many unqualified officials" appointed by her.

Bobani and Chan are already embroiled in a legal dispute, with Chan suing Bobani and ANC councillors Marion Harning and Joy Seale for R1-million after they accused her of tampering with the recruitment process to hire a white male friend – Werner Wiehart – in an affirmative action post in her department. - Rochelle de Kock