Imatu racist, claims rival union Samwu

Rochelle de Kock

THE SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) in Nelson Mandela Bay has accused rival union Imatu of being narrow-minded and racist for challenging Lindile Petuna's appointment as the city's acting director of housing.

Samwu said the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union was trying to stifle the growth of black junior staff by pushing for a white senior staff member – land planning and management director Dawn McCarthy – to get the lucrative post.

This comes after Imatu issued a request to the SA Local Government Bargaining Council for a compliance order against the municipality, saying the metro did not adhere to the agreement on acting senior managers.

The agreement states: "Unless operational requirements dictate otherwise, acting appointments should be confined to employees reporting directly to the applicable acting position."

Petuna was appointed by council in December above McCarthy and three other directors in the human settlements department. Petuna, who used to report directly to McCarthy, is now her boss until a permanent director is appointed.

Samwu regional chairman Xolani Tom blasted Imatu yesterday, saying they believed there was nothing untoward about Petuna's appointment.

"The ability to act in a senior position is a tool to build the capacity of assistant directors, otherwise when will they be developed?

"Imatu challenging this appointment is irrelevant, narrow-minded, racist and it undermines the transformation agenda of the ruling party.

"Dawn is angry because she must now report to her junior," Tom said.

Imatu's Bay chairman, Chris Hay, said: "This has got nothing to do with race, it's about how people are misusing the acting process in the municipality. I have no problem with empowering black people, but when you take junior people to act above their superiors, you undermine that process. It's not a healthy situation."