More than 15 senior managers at the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), including those implicated in the sex-for-jobs scandal and other irregularities, have resigned.
As a result, the department is unable to take disciplinary action against any officials among those who left, as they are no longer in its employ. This was revealed by Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa yesterday, when he spoke exclusively to the Daily Dispatch about operations in the department.
Xasa, who joined the department after the 2014 general elections, immediately after his appointment commissioned a forensic investigation, led by Advocate Vusumzi Msiwa, to look into various allegations raised by the labour force.
Some of the issues raised by workers included recruitment irregularities and senior administration bosses allegedly using their positions to solicit sexual favours from their subordinates in exchange for promotions and full-time employment.
Xasa yesterday said the Msiwa investigation did uncover instances of some of those administration bosses “abusing their positions”, while others “have been implicated in the sex-for-jobs issue”.
“The investigation was not only to probe the sex-for-jobs allegations, but also the recruitment irregularities and other alleged transgressions. Fortunately for the department, it did point out to us that there were people in the department that were indeed abusing their positions.”
Xasa said although Msiwa admitted the sex-for-jobs allegations were difficult to prove, “there were indications that there are people that we could follow and charge concerning such claims”.
He said when the department was ready to implement the recommendations made in Msiwa’s report, “many of them jumped ship and ran away”.
“We then solicited a legal opinion as to whether any action could be taken against those who had jumped ship.
“However, we were told that in terms of instituting any disciplinary action against them, we could not do anything, except for cases that required to be dealt with criminally,” said Xasa.
He said as a result of the exodus, the department was left unstable as they had about 16 vacant posts at senior management services (SMS) level, vacancies he said they were now busy filling up.
Xasa said one of the senior administrators was found to have fraudulently claimed travel allowances, and that despite him having jumped ship, he was now paying back some of the money he fraudulently claimed.
He said the Msiwa probe also uncovered that there were “serious irregularities” in the appointment of those in the Operation Clean Audits unit, which helped provincial municipalities in improving their audit outcomes.
“Some of those were found not to be qualified for such appointments,” said Xasa.
Another probe by the national Treasury uncovered that supply chain management processes were being flouted and that people were benefiting irregularly.
Xasa expressed his desire to “remodel” his department to be one of the best-performing, while also inculcating a service orientated culture. He said stability was returning to his department, and that of the 16 vacant SMS posts advertised recently, six were finalised, with three people already having assumed their duties, while three more will start in May. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Top brass in sex scandal ‘jump ship’
As a result, the department is unable to take disciplinary action against any officials among those who left, as they are no longer in its employ. This was revealed by Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa yesterday, when he spoke exclusively to the Daily Dispatch about operations in the department.
Xasa, who joined the department after the 2014 general elections, immediately after his appointment commissioned a forensic investigation, led by Advocate Vusumzi Msiwa, to look into various allegations raised by the labour force.
Some of the issues raised by workers included recruitment irregularities and senior administration bosses allegedly using their positions to solicit sexual favours from their subordinates in exchange for promotions and full-time employment.
Xasa yesterday said the Msiwa investigation did uncover instances of some of those administration bosses “abusing their positions”, while others “have been implicated in the sex-for-jobs issue”.
“The investigation was not only to probe the sex-for-jobs allegations, but also the recruitment irregularities and other alleged transgressions. Fortunately for the department, it did point out to us that there were people in the department that were indeed abusing their positions.”
Xasa said although Msiwa admitted the sex-for-jobs allegations were difficult to prove, “there were indications that there are people that we could follow and charge concerning such claims”.
He said when the department was ready to implement the recommendations made in Msiwa’s report, “many of them jumped ship and ran away”.
“We then solicited a legal opinion as to whether any action could be taken against those who had jumped ship.
“However, we were told that in terms of instituting any disciplinary action against them, we could not do anything, except for cases that required to be dealt with criminally,” said Xasa.
He said as a result of the exodus, the department was left unstable as they had about 16 vacant posts at senior management services (SMS) level, vacancies he said they were now busy filling up.
Xasa said one of the senior administrators was found to have fraudulently claimed travel allowances, and that despite him having jumped ship, he was now paying back some of the money he fraudulently claimed.
He said the Msiwa probe also uncovered that there were “serious irregularities” in the appointment of those in the Operation Clean Audits unit, which helped provincial municipalities in improving their audit outcomes.
“Some of those were found not to be qualified for such appointments,” said Xasa.
Another probe by the national Treasury uncovered that supply chain management processes were being flouted and that people were benefiting irregularly.
Xasa expressed his desire to “remodel” his department to be one of the best-performing, while also inculcating a service orientated culture. He said stability was returning to his department, and that of the 16 vacant SMS posts advertised recently, six were finalised, with three people already having assumed their duties, while three more will start in May. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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