He sees the mayor’s education as a solution that can eliminate the demon of non-compliance in the municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal, the Mayor of Richmond Municipality who recently graduated from higher education, Mr. Melikhaya Ngcongo.
Ncongo said that the reduction of mayors who do not see flies will also reduce the number of municipalities that receive malicious reports.
He said this in an interview he had withOf this country. Ngcongo recently graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from the University of Pretoria.
The municipality he manages is doing very well in money management as it is one of the four municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal that received flawless reports last year.
It was the second year that the municipality has received a report that has no corruption, and this is the third year that Ngcongo has been in office.
Ncongo said it is easy for officials to do what they want if the mayor does not know the rules governing the use of money.
“If you are the mayor, you are the chairman of the finance committee in the municipality. If the mayor doesn’t see the flies, things will go wrong. The officials will do what they want. We can’t all study as mayors, but those who have the opportunity should go to study. If you are a leader, you should know the work of municipal officials and the laws that affect the management of the councils. You end up agreeing even if the officials do wrong things if you don’t know the laws.”
Ncongo said that mayors should ensure compliance with laws if they want to receive unbiased reports.
“You will not get a clean report if you are not honest. You must hire people who know the job. Many municipalities receive clean reports because they do not follow the rules when spending money. The big problem is here in the department where tenders are issued.”
Ncongo said he is still aiming to get other higher education qualifications.
“If you are a leader, it is important to improve yourself with knowledge. When I was elected to manage the municipality in 2023, I realized that there is a lot I don’t know about the management of the municipality and the use of public money.”
Ncongo said he is continuing his studies as he is now doing a Masters.
When asked if he wished to obtain a doctor’s degree, he said he would if the Lord allows it.
Ncongo said it was not easy to pursue a higher education degree.
“In Zulu, I can say that it made me happy, and I am still happy because I am still learning. It is not easy to describe your time as I was studying while working. My determination is what made me succeed.”