Opinion | Was Sonwabile Mngenela really the best Mayor Matatiele ever had?
A few days ago, I came across a Facebook post from a Matatiele resident saluting former Matatiele Local Municipality Mayor, Sonwabile Mngenela, as “the best Mayor Matatiele has ever had.” The post was accompanied by photos of Mr. Mngenela in a suit, but unfortunately, no reasons were provided to justify such a bold statement.
Today, I want to present a different perspective: in my view, Councillor Mngenela was one of the most disastrous leaders this municipality has ever had.
To provide context, Cllr Mngenela took over leadership from the late Cllr Momelezi Mbedla, who succeeded Cllr Ntombovuyo Nkopane, following the leadership of Cllr Sello Ntai. When we reflect on these past mayors, one thing stands out: they respected the institution of local government. Under their leadership, Matatiele Local Municipality consistently achieved positive audit outcomes — including multiple Clean Audits and Unqualified Audit Opinions.
For municipalities, audit outcomes are a key indicator of sound governance and leadership. It is no surprise that municipal workers celebrated whenever the Auditor-General awarded a Clean Audit Opinion. During that era, Matatiele became a benchmark for good financial management, with other municipalities in the Eastern Cape visiting to learn from its practices. Importantly, these leaders refrained from interfering in the administration of the municipality. Recruitment of staff and procurement of services were conducted lawfully, without political meddling. Even basic service delivery, such as grass cutting in Ward 19, was consistently carried out without residents needing to step in.
Regrettably, the same cannot be said of Cllr Mngenela’s tenure. Under his leadership, the municipality regressed financially, slipping from an Unqualified to a Qualified Audit Opinion. The municipality forfeited R38 million to Treasury due to underspending, and it now faces more than 20 litigation cases costing millions of rands. Some municipal workers even downed tools, citing the lack of protective clothing and non-payment of overtime.
Political interference also worsened significantly during this period. Service providers and job seekers were allegedly directed to engage directly with the mayor, to get what they wanted. A widely circulated voice note from Mr. Mngenela himself reinforcing this practice to a service provider was heard by many. Service delivery also collapsed, with something as basic as grass cutting left undone — forcing residents to cut grass on their own.
For these few reasons, I strongly disagree with the notion that Sonwabile Mngenela was the best mayor Matatiele has ever had. On the contrary, many residents, myself included, regard his leadership as one of the most damaging chapters in our municipality’s history.
The only people who could confidently call Cllr Mngenela “the best mayor” are those who personally benefited from his time in office. For the rest of us, his tenure was marked by regression, mismanagement, and disappointment.
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