Buffalo City Metro ward 8 councillor Ayanda Mapisa is facing a complaint of unfair dismissal at the CCMA brought by her personal assistant.
Mapisa could also be facing a reprimand from the regional ANC after she allegedly fired her assistant without warning.
Xoliswa Hongana, who is also a branch member in the ward, said she was fired without notice.
Hongana said she worked for Mapisa from August 2017, but in October last year her office keys were taken away without warning. “I don’t have a suspension letter or a letter of termination. All I know is that I don’t receive my salary. Mapisa took away my office keys on October 3 and I was locked out of the office from then.”
Mapisa denies firing Hongana and says it was the municipality that fired her.
She said Hongana stopped working for three weeks, forcing the metro to take action.
“There is no councillor who hires staff. That is done by the municipality. I have no decision making powers in the hiring of anyone.
“Hongana does not work for me anymore. She just stopped working for three weeks. The matter is being handled by the metro.”
Hongana alleges she was unfairly dismissed by Mapisa because of political differences.
Shortly after she was locked out and replaced, she complained to council.
“The council speaker [Skuta Mtsi] told me the matter would be handled by the province.
“As of November I have been unemployed without a salary,” she said.
After countless efforts to have the matter resolved within the structures of the party, Hongana said she had no option but to make a formal complaint to the CCMA.
“It’s because our politics are not aligned. That is the reason she fired me. I say this because when the branch nominated me to replace her as branch secretary on September 21, she asked for the office keys.”
Hongana, who was hired by the municipality, says that her contract only expires when Mapisa’s term of office ends in 2021.
Dr WB Rubusana regional secretary Antonio Carels said he was aware of the complaint by Hongana and was sympathetic.
“It is unfair to dismiss somebody without warning and you just find someone else in your place. She has written a complaint to me about the unfair dismissal by the ward councillor. She did raise the matter, even with the office of the speaker, and seemingly nothing has happened.
“All the avenues of the metro have been followed to complain about this matter.
“She complained when we were about to close the office for the year so I was going to deal with the matter but there was not enough time to deal with the issue,” Carels said...