• Ekurhuleni council placed Dr Mashazi on special leave until her retirement, cutting two years from her contract.

• She says she is being forced out unfairly and blames political interference for her removal.

Ekurhuleni city manager Dr Emogen Mashazi is refusing to go quietly after the council placed her on special leave from 1 June to 1 August, when she retires.

Mashazi says this decision cuts her five-year contract short by two years, which means she will lose out on her salary and benefits. She is demanding that the City pay her until her contract ends in 2027.

On Wednesday, Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza sent her a letter confirming the decision taken during a closed council meeting held on 29 May. The motion was tabled by Democratic Alliance members and was adopted by the council.

In the leaked letter, the mayor said Mashazi would be put on leave under Regulation 41 (1) and retire on 1 August.

Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, Mashazi said she was heartbroken after serving the City for three decades.

“They are trying to push me out unfairly, I didn’t do anything wrong to deserve this treatment.

“The least they can do is to enter into an agreement to reach a mutual separation and give me my money.

“I refuse to sign that special leave and they cannot force me to sign it because I didn’t commit any offense,” she said.

Mashazi said she had no plans to work after her retirement as she was tired from working for 10 years in a toxic environment.

“They are pushing me out because I have been strict to protect the administration from corruption and infiltration of politicians from influencing tender decisions.”

Mashazi became city manager in 2016 under former mayor Mzwandile Masina. When her contract ended in 2022, she was reappointed by then mayor Tania Campbell to serve another five-year term, even though she was already 62.

She said Campbell had applied for a waiver so she could serve until 2027, but they never received a response.

“The minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has since waited for communication from the City.

“It is not my responsibility to follow up on the process, mine was to be accountable for the City.”

Mashazi said her only complaint from the current mayor was that she wasn’t involved in service delivery.

“That is not my duty as an accounting officer as I have a lot of responsibilities, the COO is there to assist the mayor with service delivery issues,” she said.

Mayor Xhakaza told the media on Friday that the City would not pay her until 2027.

“The law says when one turns 65 they must go to retirement or council to take a decision to extend the contract and apply for a waiver which we didn’t.

“Council has taken a decision and the law is in support,” he said.

Pictured above: Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza

Image source: Doreen Mokgolo