Frank Maponya

Newly appointed municipal manager of Polokwane, Letsepe Thubakgale, has vowed to introduce fresh ideas to improve service delivery in the city.

Thubakgale, 40, was appointed last week after he was Polokwane's acting municipal manager for almost two years.

Mayor Thabo Makunyane is said to have been reluctant to appoint Thubakgale to the position though he was recommended by the interview panel.

The two apparently do not see eye to eye.

Makunyane had also argued that Thubakgale was not qualified for the position.

The impasse between the two resulted in the intervention of Premier Sello Moloto after realising that the vacant post of municipal manager was derailing service delivery in the city.

"It is my view that trivial things should not be allowed to derail service delivery," said Thubakgale.

"We have a responsibility to deliver services to our people."

He said the municipality had a budget to ensure development took place in the rural areas of Polokwane.

Thubakgale has a postgraduate degree in law from the University of Pretoria.

In 1999 he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Labour Law from the Rand Afrikaans University.

In 2003 he was awarded a certificate for Infrastructure and Partnerships for Local Economic Development from Harvard University.

The following year he attended an executive development programme at the University of the Witwatersrand's Business School.

He has worked for various government departments where he gained valuable experience in public management.

He was also chairman of the Northern Transvaal Council of Churches' Kairos committee.