THE director of corporate services in the Nkomazi municipality, Bhambatha Isaac Qwabe, has been fired following a disciplinary hearing that found him guilty of, among other things, spelling the names of councillors wrongly.

Qwabe was also accused of trying to influence a political intervention for the reversal of the suspension of municipal manager Sabelo Shabangu, whose suspension last November met with a lot of resistance from various quarters.

According to the charge sheet, a copy of which is in Sowetan's possession, Qwabe is accused of taking part in a demonstration at the ANC provincial head office at KaMkholo building in Nelspruit.

Qwabe allegedly demonstrated against a council resolution suspending Shabangu.

Shabangu was suspended for what the municipality termed "poor performance". His case is still continuing despite calls from political structures for the suspension to be lifted because "he was suspended unconstitutionally".

Qwabe could not be reached for comment but the municipality's spokesperson, Cyril Ripinga, confirmed his dismissal.