A top Bhisho official has defended his personal assistant’s “honest mistake” of writing a proposal to pay R1.6-million to a private investigating firm despite not having the power to do so.
Head of department for social development Stanley Khanyile admitted that his PA Vuyokazi Ngudle had crafted a memo forwarded to departmental bosses to authorise the payment.
In the document Ngudle signed the memo as a “deputy director” although she is not.
She also claimed that her role as PA extended to “monitoring” expenditure of all budget votes under Khanyile’s office.
Ngudle admitted writing the memorandum which proposed that the money which was budgeted to fund the department’s legal services, be transferred to pay a Durban-based forensic accounting services company, Integrated FAS.
The payment had to do with the probe that Khanyile wanted of his predecessor Nombulelo Hackula, as to why the latter had opted to hire PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the department’s auditors.
Hackula is now under suspension for what she refers to as trumped up charges.
The investigation came after the two swapped roles, with Khanyile moving to social development while Hackula joined corporative governance and traditional affairs as HOD following their fall-outs with their previous political heads – MECs Fikile Xasa and Nancy Sihlwayi respectively.
One of Khanyile’s first assignments, from his new boss Sihlwayi, when he joined social development, was to probe the PwC contract.
Hackula was suspended from her new role two weeks ago in relation to the investigation.
In her memo to Khanyile, Ngudle said: “The purpose of this memo is to seek approval from for shifting of funds.
“It is in this regard that the office requests approval for a special shifting of funds, to ensure that the payment of the above mentioned is processed before the end of 2015-16 financial year,” she wrote.
The memo was approved by Khanyile and the relevant subordinates within the department.
Ngudle told the Daily Dispatch that she had “erred” but the only “mistake” she had made was to refer to herself as a deputy director.
“I don’t know what happened. Perhaps I edited a memo my seniors within the SG’s office wrote and made a mistake of not changing my title to PA in SG’s office. It is an error.”
Ngudle said she usually assisted her bosses in preparing similar memos.
“What I usually do is put my correct signature so that the assistant director can check the figures and refer the memo to the senior manager to submit the memo as a recommendation. I don’t know how this slipped my mind,” said Ngudle.
Crafting such important memos, according to government policy, is the sole responsibility of either a programme manager, an internal auditor, a risk manager or the chief director in the accounting officer’s office.
Khanyile also defended his PA, saying “this was just an honest mistake.
“She is not a deputy director, but I’m sure there is an explanation for this,” Khanyile added.
He confirmed that the R1.6-million deviation was for payments to Integrated FAS, “the company we appointed to do forensic investigation. I approved it myself. Ngudle is the author.
“She generated the memorandum because it is from my office. It went through the processes... and was sent to me for approval.”
“Whether she is a DD (deputy director) or admin assistant, that would not have made this document irregular. PAs do start crafting memos.
“What is important is who made the recommendation and who authorised the recommendation,” said Khanyile.
Bhisho’s R1.6m ‘honest mistake’
Head of department for social development Stanley Khanyile admitted that his PA Vuyokazi Ngudle had crafted a memo forwarded to departmental bosses to authorise the payment.
In the document Ngudle signed the memo as a “deputy director” although she is not.
She also claimed that her role as PA extended to “monitoring” expenditure of all budget votes under Khanyile’s office.
Ngudle admitted writing the memorandum which proposed that the money which was budgeted to fund the department’s legal services, be transferred to pay a Durban-based forensic accounting services company, Integrated FAS.
The payment had to do with the probe that Khanyile wanted of his predecessor Nombulelo Hackula, as to why the latter had opted to hire PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as the department’s auditors.
Hackula is now under suspension for what she refers to as trumped up charges.
The investigation came after the two swapped roles, with Khanyile moving to social development while Hackula joined corporative governance and traditional affairs as HOD following their fall-outs with their previous political heads – MECs Fikile Xasa and Nancy Sihlwayi respectively.
One of Khanyile’s first assignments, from his new boss Sihlwayi, when he joined social development, was to probe the PwC contract.
Hackula was suspended from her new role two weeks ago in relation to the investigation.
In her memo to Khanyile, Ngudle said: “The purpose of this memo is to seek approval from for shifting of funds.
“It is in this regard that the office requests approval for a special shifting of funds, to ensure that the payment of the above mentioned is processed before the end of 2015-16 financial year,” she wrote.
The memo was approved by Khanyile and the relevant subordinates within the department.
Ngudle told the Daily Dispatch that she had “erred” but the only “mistake” she had made was to refer to herself as a deputy director.
“I don’t know what happened. Perhaps I edited a memo my seniors within the SG’s office wrote and made a mistake of not changing my title to PA in SG’s office. It is an error.”
Ngudle said she usually assisted her bosses in preparing similar memos.
“What I usually do is put my correct signature so that the assistant director can check the figures and refer the memo to the senior manager to submit the memo as a recommendation. I don’t know how this slipped my mind,” said Ngudle.
Crafting such important memos, according to government policy, is the sole responsibility of either a programme manager, an internal auditor, a risk manager or the chief director in the accounting officer’s office.
Khanyile also defended his PA, saying “this was just an honest mistake.
“She is not a deputy director, but I’m sure there is an explanation for this,” Khanyile added.
He confirmed that the R1.6-million deviation was for payments to Integrated FAS, “the company we appointed to do forensic investigation. I approved it myself. Ngudle is the author.
“She generated the memorandum because it is from my office. It went through the processes... and was sent to me for approval.”
“Whether she is a DD (deputy director) or admin assistant, that would not have made this document irregular. PAs do start crafting memos.
“What is important is who made the recommendation and who authorised the recommendation,” said Khanyile.
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