Council appoints new municipal manager for Overstrand

Overstrand Municipality has appointed Mr Dean O’Neill as the new Municipal Manager for Overstrand.

O’Neill is the current Municipal Manager of Cape Agulhas Municipality and has many years’ of experience in local government.

His appointment will be effective from 1 November 2020 when current Overstrand Municipal Manager, Coenie Groenewald, reaches retirement age in October and his fixed term contract of employment terminates on 31 October 2020.

A total of 28 applications (one was late) were received for the position and three candidates were, after proper screening, invited to attend the evaluation and interview sessions for the post. One candidate withdrew from the interview session.

The selection panel consisted of Mayor Dudley Coetzee (Chairman), Adv G Mettler (Specialist - Municipal Manager of Stellenbosch Municipality), Cllr Elnora Gillion (OM Deputy Mayor), Mr G Paulse (HoD Provincial Department of Local Government), Cllr Valerie Pungupunge (Observer), Mr R Steele (Facilitator) and Ms Desireé Arrison (Director: Management Services and Secretariat).

The Executive Mayor, Dudley Coetzee, has welcomed the appointment and said Council approved the appointment unanimously during a virtual Council meeting on 24 June 2020.

“The Council has every confidence in Mr O’Neill’s capabilities and is looking forward to working with him. He is a competent and experienced municipal manager and we are hopeful that he will exercise his duties as the accounting officer with the utmost care and diligence,” the Mayor said.

Photo credit: Gerswin Prins, Cape Agulhas Municipality