Unqualified people are being appointed to the board of the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), which oversees the city’s properties worth about R8.7bn.
Some city appointees are connected to Joburg’s mayoral committee member for economic development, Nomoya Mnisi.
Mnisi is alleged to have tried to use her influence to make the JPC settle a bill of over R800,000 at a Sandton hotel where the Johannesburg ANC Youth League was holding a conference. Mnisi allegedly threatened to ‘retire’ board members who disagreed with her, following this scandal.
The deployment of unqualified people to key positions in Joburg is rampant.
Enos Sithole, chair of Mnisi’s ANC branch in ward 129, was appointed chair of the board.
Ntombikayise Tini, a former ANC Youth League leader, worked as a receptionist and sales representative.
ANC ward 43 executive committee member Ellen Rakodi was a tollgate cashier and general worker.
Rachel Makwela, who completed a call-centre course and trained as a shop steward, iss on the Audit and Risk Committee.
Former group governance MMC and DA councillor Leah Knott said the phenomenon of unqualified board members began in the previous ANC administration.
When the DA came in 2021, it found that the Johannesburg Social Housing Company SOC board included a hairdresser and a makeup artist. Not a single person was qualified or experienced in housing.
‘The majority of the process is made up of politicians so if it is not done objectively and based on who is fit for purpose, you end up with a problem. This is why we see so many state-owned entities failing’.