Hammer to 'kill' an ant
2010-01-17 14:00
COMMUNICATIONS director-general Mamodupi Mohlala has allegedly
spent nearly half-a-million rands of taxpayers’ money in an investigation which
may recover just over R3 000 for the department, City Press has
established.
This is interest the department could have earned from a R152 000
advance payment to its suspended chief director for human resources, Basani
Baloyi, in 2008. And Mohlala wants the whole R3 616.39 recovered from Baloyi
because she failed to reconcile spending on return from official overseas trips
within the stipulated seven days. Baloyi and other officials travelled to China
and Cuba for work purposes.
Twice suspended last year by Mohlala, Baloyi is to be hauled before
a disciplinary hearing tomorrow to answer to 27 charges ranging from fraud,
nepotism and mismanagement to favouritism.
In November, a labour court judge blasted Mohlala for her decision
to suspend Baloyi on “widely spread and vague” allegations of the claims. Baloyi
did not contest her second suspension when the charges were streamlined.
As part of the charges, Mohlala wants Balolyi to explain how 39
officials – including positions of deputy directors general, which are decided
by cabinet – were appointed in the last five years.
Former director general Lyndall Shope-Mafole, who resigned from her
position in 2008 when she joined the Congress of the People, approved most of
the appointments which Baloyi is now expected to answer to.
City Press has also found that at least two appointments that
Baloyi is charged with were recommended and approved by Phumelele
Ntombela-Nzimande, the wife of Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, when
she was a deputy director general in 2004.
The allegations against Baloyi are contained in an 135-page
forensic investigation report compiled by Ntumba Chartered Accountants
Incorporated.
At least two sources close to the department told City Press that
Ntumba has been paid over R400 000 to conduct the Baloyi forensic investigation
and compile a report.
It is also understood that Ntumba has been paid close to R1?million
in fees to conduct other investigations in the department.
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“The scope of Ntumba keeps being extended at all times. They have
so far been paid to conduct all these investigations at the insistence of the
DG,” a source said.
Communications spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso refused to say how much
was paid for the investigation into Baloyi.
In detailed questions about the charges, Rikhotso provided a
standard answer: “In the interests of both the employer, DOC (the department of
communications), and the employee in question, we are not in a position to
discuss issues that have relevance to the pending hearing”.
In July last year, labour unions claimed in a dossier to
Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda that Baloyi spearheaded a campaign of
discrimination, favouritism, inconsistency in applying policies, unfair
demotions and suspensions, union bashing, victimisation of shop stewards,
corruption and fraud.
The claims were investigated and found to be baseless by late
Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Cassaburi, the Public Service Commission and
the police’s serious economic offences unit, City Press has learnt.
Shope-Mafole told City Press that she left one of the cleanest
departments “which could not be accused of anything wrong” in the public sector.
“I personally took part in the appointment of all senior officials from director
level upward. You cannot go and charge an HR (human resources) person for
appointments made by the DG,” she said.
Baloyi’s lawyer Graham Moshoana said they would defend all the
charges laid against his client.
- City Press