The Knysna municipality has been forced to restart the process of finding a new municipal manager following a Western Cape High Court ruling that set aside the appointment of Ombali Sebola. The court ruled that the council decision on 25 January 2023 to appoint Sebola was null and void, and his appointment was set aside. However, the judgment only affected the appointments and did not affect the validity of decisions made or taken by Sebola in his capacity as municipal manager during his tenure.
The Democratic Alliance launched the court case on several grounds, including irrationality to appoint an "incompetent" person, the meeting to appoint Sebola excluded the public, and the council acting with "ulterior" purposes when it excluded chief whips from the selection process. The process to get a municipal manager kicked off on 9 December 2021, with advertisements sent out with a closing date of 5 January. The position was re-advertised on 13 June 2022, with a closing date of 8 July 2022, but because time limits were not adhered to, the post was re-advertised further on 27 September 2022 with 10 October 2022 being the closing date.
Three individuals were shortlisted, including Sebola, and an interview process and assessment were conducted on 6 December. However, this panel excluded the DA chief whip in Knysna (Sharon Sabbagh) and other chief whips. A firm was appointed to attend the screening and shortlisting of the candidates, after which a selection report was compiled. Based on the interviews and written selections, the two other candidates advanced, while Sebola needed 'development/competent'. The selection panel recommended the other two candidates for the municipality, and the mayor Aubrey Tswenga prepared a report for council, which stated that the panel considered factors such as Sebola's performance and suggested a strong executive management team be appointed to support the municipal manager.
On 25 January 2023, the council held a special council meeting, where the municipal manager appointment was an agenda item. The Speaker ruled the report was to be dealt "in committee" — closed to the public. The mayor's proposal was supported by a majority, and the recommendation was that Sebola be appointed as municipal manager for five years.
