Mabuyane suspends Cogta head of department

Eastern Cape co-operative governance & traditional affairs HoD Gabisile Gumbi-Masilela has been suspended.

Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha wrote to premier Oscar Mabuyane raising his unhappiness with what he said was the department’s poor performance and Gabisile Gumbi-Masilela's alleged defiance in not implementing his instructions.

Nqatha confirmed on Thursday he had written to Mabuyane, asking that he takes action against Gumbi-Masilela for her alleged poor “performance and conduct”.

Only a premier can discipline an accounting officer.

Nqatha, however, refused to go into detail as to which instructions she had defied.

“All I can confirm now is that I have not been happy about the performance of the department, particularly the performance of the accounting officer, for some time,” Nqatha said.

“I then informed the premier, who, after he considered all the things I referred to him, took a decision to place the HoD on precautionary suspension, a decision I fully support.

“Her employer is the premier. He is the one who placed her on suspension. I only reported things I was unhappy about to the premier, who then took steps that led to her suspension.”

Mabuyane’s spokesperson, Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha, declined to comment, saying: “This is an internal matter. The premier will not comment on this at the moment. He will comment at the right time.”

Gumbi-Masilela also confirmed her suspension.

“All I can say now is that this was as a result of a breakdown between myself and the MEC. I just don’t know how to describe such a breakdown,” she said, but would not be drawn to comment further.

In February, Mabuyane told HoDs and CEOs of state-owned entities that he had no time to entertain a breakdown in relations between an MEC and accounting officer, saying if HoDs implemented decisions there would be no breakdown in relations.

A letter Nqatha wrote recently to the department’s executive management informing them of Gumbi-Masilela’s suspension was leaked to the Daily Dispatch this week.

Nqatha confirmed writing it.

“Yes, I wrote to other executive managers telling them about the suspension after they had been aware that I have not been happy about the accounting officer’s conduct,” he said.

“I just can’t dwell much now on such a conduct because those are disciplinary committee issues. I would like to keep it that way. It’s a matter between an employer and employee and due process has to follow its course.

“I would not like to see such issues taking place in the media. From whatever information I provided the premier, the premier has to lead a process that will see charges being formulated and it would not be good to place this in the media at the moment.”

In the leaked letter to Cogta administration bosses, Nqatha says: “You will recall that I have been for several times raised my unhappiness about the performance of the department, inclusive of non-implementation of my instructions. I have since followed a due process to deal with that, which resulted in the HoD’s precautionary suspension.”

Nqatha informed the administrators that while he was waiting for Mabuyane to second someone to act in Gumbi-Masilela’s position, one of the department’s two deputy director-generals, Nomphelo “Phashy” Roboji, would act as the HoD.

Roboji acted as HoD in 2016, when former head Nombulelo “Bea” Hackula was placed on suspension by then MEC Fikile Xasa.

Her appointment by Xasa, however, raised eyebrows at the time, with Xasa accused of overstepping his authority by appointing an acting HoD as the premier is the only person who has that power.

Nehawu chair at the department Lennox Maho yesterday refused to comment about Gumbi-Masilela’s suspension, saying the union had not been briefed about it and they were unaware of the circumstances that led to her suspension.

Meanwhile, the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture welcomed Sibongile Mpofu as the new HoD at the beginning of the month.

She replaces Mzolisi Matutu, who retired in January.