‘Superman’ Dick Naidoo, the director of infrastructure services at the Mossel Bay Municipality, will retire at the end of October, the Mossel Bay Advertiser reported. Naidoo has led the municipality’s electrical, civil and mechanical services for more than two decades and said he plans to spend retirement gardening, hiking and walking on the beach with his dog, Pilot.
Two decades of municipal engineering
Naidoo began his municipal career in his home town of KwaDukuza (Stanger), KwaZulu‑Natal, where he rose through the ranks to become director of electrical services. He joined Mossel Bay Municipality in December 2004 as head of electrical services and was appointed director of electrical services in February 2007. Following an internal restructuring in 2010, when electrical and civil services were amalgamated into a technical services directorate, Naidoo took charge of the broader portfolio. That directorate later became known as infrastructure services, encompassing:
- electrical services;
- civil services — water and sanitation, project management, roads, transport and stormwater;
- mechanical services, including pump stations.
He has been widely known around the municipality and among staff by the nickname ‘Superman’, a sobriquet he said likely originated around the time of the 2010 amalgamation.
“This is what normal people should be doing!”
The comment followed his explanation that retirement will allow him to take up everyday pastimes such as gardening, hiking and walks on the beach with his dog, Pilot. He discussed the origin of his nickname with good humour, naming municipal manager Colin Puren and former director of corporate services Edward Jantjies as the two people he suspects first used it.
What Naidoo’s departure means for Mossel Bay
Naidoo’s portfolio has direct impact on services that residents rely on daily — electricity provision, water and sanitation, roads and stormwater management, and municipal projects requiring engineering oversight. His early retirement creates a leadership gap that the municipality must manage to maintain continuity of service delivery and oversight of capital and maintenance projects.
The Advertiser’s report did not give details on succession planning or an acting appointment. The municipality will need to confirm interim arrangements and the process and timeline for filling the position permanently to reassure residents and contractors engaged on municipal projects.
| Year | Role / Event |
|---|---|
| Before 2004 | Director of electrical services, KwaDukuza (Stanger), KZN |
| December 2004 | Joined Mossel Bay Municipality as head of electrical services |
| February 2007 | Appointed director of electrical services |
| 2010 | Electrical and civil services amalgamated; technical services directorate formed (later renamed infrastructure services) |
| End of October (2026) | Planned early retirement |
Residents accustomed to seeing Naidoo at project sites or in municipal briefings will likely notice his absence. Infrastructure directors play a central role in prioritising maintenance schedules, approving capital expenditure on networks, and coordinating emergency responses to storms or large outages.
The Advertiser’s coverage framed Naidoo as a practical engineer driven by early experiences of inadequate services. He told the paper that growing up without reliable basic services inspired him to pursue electrical engineering so he could ensure others had access to electricity — a thread that runs through his municipal career.
As the municipality prepares for a leadership change, ratepayers and councillors will be watching for statements about succession, progress on current infrastructure projects, and assurances that service delivery will continue without interruption. The Advertiser report did not include comments from municipal officials beyond Naidoo’s own reflections.
For now, Naidoo appears ready to step back from a career in which he helped build and manage critical municipal systems and to trade the intensity of infrastructure work for more time outdoors.
