Two senior officials at premier Oscar Mabuyane’s office have been fired after they were found guilty in internal disciplinary hearings for their alleged roles in the payment of a combined R4.2m to suppliers despite jobs not being completed.
The province’s chief information officer, Ayanda Madyibi, who was taken to task by the office of the premier (OTP) after he had allegedly paid R2.2m to a Gauteng company for installation of telephone lines in 2015 that were not fully functional, was fired on January 9 after a lengthy disciplinary process.
On Wednesday he claimed the hearing took place in his absence.
Also axed recently is information and communication technology (ICT) manager Siyabulela Jindela, whose woes at the OTP started in 2017 after he was charged for allegedly authorising a payment of almost R2m for installation of computer software, allegedly without the work being completed.
The two are not taking their axing lying down as Madyibi told the Daily Dispatch that he was challenging his axing through his lawyers — while Jindela is taking the bargaining council route.
The crackdown in the province’s highest office came in the wake of two forensic investigations, by KPMG and iFirm, which are yet to be made public.
Madyibi, who has been on suspension since October 2018, was charged for a number of other alleged tender irregularities at the OTP’s ICT unit, including the R1.9m DriveLock encryption software contract awarded in 2014, allegedly without proper procurement procedures being followed.
He was placed on suspension in 2015 and returned to work a few months later, but was again suspended for the same charges in October 2018.
Madyibi and Jindela have vehemently denied all allegations against them, describing them as “unfounded” and a “witch hunt”.
Madyibi said: “At this moment I am speaking to my lawyers about challenging this unlawful dismissal, hence I cannot speak more about this matter in public, in case I jeopardise such process.”
Axe falls on two Bhisho officials after lengthy disciplinary hearings
Image: Werner Hills
Two senior officials at premier Oscar Mabuyane’s office have been fired after they were found guilty in internal disciplinary hearings for their alleged roles in the payment of a combined R4.2m to suppliers despite jobs not being completed.
The province’s chief information officer, Ayanda Madyibi, who was taken to task by the office of the premier (OTP) after he had allegedly paid R2.2m to a Gauteng company for installation of telephone lines in 2015 that were not fully functional, was fired on January 9 after a lengthy disciplinary process.
On Wednesday he claimed the hearing took place in his absence.
Also axed recently is information and communication technology (ICT) manager Siyabulela Jindela, whose woes at the OTP started in 2017 after he was charged for allegedly authorising a payment of almost R2m for installation of computer software, allegedly without the work being completed.
The two are not taking their axing lying down as Madyibi told the Daily Dispatch that he was challenging his axing through his lawyers — while Jindela is taking the bargaining council route.
The crackdown in the province’s highest office came in the wake of two forensic investigations, by KPMG and iFirm, which are yet to be made public.
Madyibi, who has been on suspension since October 2018, was charged for a number of other alleged tender irregularities at the OTP’s ICT unit, including the R1.9m DriveLock encryption software contract awarded in 2014, allegedly without proper procurement procedures being followed.
He was placed on suspension in 2015 and returned to work a few months later, but was again suspended for the same charges in October 2018.
Madyibi and Jindela have vehemently denied all allegations against them, describing them as “unfounded” and a “witch hunt”.
Madyibi said: “At this moment I am speaking to my lawyers about challenging this unlawful dismissal, hence I cannot speak more about this matter in public, in case I jeopardise such process.”
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The dismissal sanction was taken in his absence, “without my involvement or my side of the story being heard, and while I was away on sick leave”, he told the Dispatch.
Jindela, who was fired on January 8, said his sacking was unlawful and he will be challenging it through his labour union.
“All I can say is that my dismissal is related to me openly challenging the former director-general after she had interfered with plans for me to be appointed at the provincial health department in 2017.
“We will challenge this on the grounds that such dismissal is not rational and that the former DG did not apply the rule of law when pursuing me,” said Jindela.
In July 2017, the Dispatch reported claims Jindela made against former director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu where he accused her of “interfering with” and “blocking” his alleged appointment at the provincial health department as an ICT director.
At the time, Jindela charged that the former DG apparently blocked his alleged appointment by informing the health department of ongoing investigations against him, while at the time he said he was not aware of such investigations.
On Wednesday Jindela said the matter was still being handled by law enforcement agencies, but he refused to dwell much on it, saying he could only do so “when the right time comes”.
Mbina-Mthembu could not be reached on Wednesday/
At the time, provincial health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo denied that Jindela was about to be appointed by his department, saying he was not appointed because their recruitment process found no suitable candidate from the pool of those who had applied and interviewed.
OTP spokesperson Mandisa Titi promised on Wednesday to respond to questions about the dismissals, but she had not done so by the time of writing.
asandan@dispatch.co.za
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