Fixing metro tenders mess

[caption id="attachment_40118" align="alignright" width="140"] TASK AHEAD: New municipal tenders boss Ndimphiwe Mantyontya faces challenges turning the metro's problem unit around[/caption]

FACED with the dire need to shake up the department overseeing tenders, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has appointed its former legal advisor Ndimphiwe Mantyontya to head the city's beleaguered supply chain management (SCM) unit.

Although a decision about his appointment has already been taken by the interview panel, city manager Mpilo Mbambisa still has to sign it off to make it official.

Mantyontya has the tough task of turning around the embattled department, which has been a thorn in the metro's side and the cause of the past two qualified audits.

The unit has repeatedly been rapped over the knuckles by the auditor-general for not properly managing internal controls.

It has also been blamed for slowing down infrastructure contracts in the Bay because tender committees do not meet as regularly as they should. - Rochelle de Kock