Durban - After years in the commanding heights of the beleaguered eThekwini municipality, Philip Sithole, a former ally of Zandile Gumede, is leaving the metro in KwaZulu-Natal.
At the time of his departure, Sithole was the Deputy City Manager: Economic Development and Planning and part of his work was to come up with economic development initiatives.
At some point, Sithole was the head of Durban Tourism, the city’s funded entity responsible for all tourism activities.
During his tenure as the head of Durban Tourism, Sithole was able to bring global events like Top Gear to the city and placed it in the global spotlight.
He came up with the concept of taking Durban to the world while still fighting to keep its status as the top destination for South African and southern African tourists.
However, his last tenure in the economic cluster was deemed not that successful by some of his detractors in the municipality.
Sithole announced his departure via a WhatsApp message to selected staff in the Durban city hall, the administrative capital of the municipality.
“Good Morning colleagues,
“I would like to inform you that the 31st December 2022 is my last day with eThekwini Municipality.
“It has been great working with all of you. A lot has been achieved. I wish you all the best in Your fields.
“Regards, Phillip Sithole,” reads the message from Sithole to staff.
Sithole shot to notoriety in 2019 when it emerged that the Hawks listed him as a key witness in the corruption trial of former eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede who was charged over the 2017 Durban Solid Waste Tender worth R320 million.
The case is still pending before the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The spokesperson of eThekwini municipality, Msawakhe Mayisela, said Sithole’s contract expired and they have triggered processes to fill the soon-to-be vacant position.
“Please note that Mr Sithole signed a five-year contract with the city.
“As a result, his contract has come to an end.
“The city has already commenced with a process of filling this position as dictated by protocols governing human capital matters,” Mayisela said.
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