The Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and Development (DID) has again been plunged into the spotlight after it emerged that its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has been suspended for eight months without being charged and receiving a full salary.
It has also surfaced that the embattled department is bleeding after four senior officials resigned recently while other senior officials are disgruntled from allegedly being moved around from one unit to another without consultation.
Allegations against the CFO, whose name is known to The Star, include insubordination, dereliction of duties, and absenteeism, however, she has since not been charged.
Sources close to the department blamed the Head of Department (HOD), Masabata Mutlaneng, saying she was using the CFO’s suspension as a scapegoat for alleged maladministration in her office.
The Star previously reported that the department was under scrutiny by opposition parties over allegations of maladministration and favouritism after a senior official in the department had expressed concerns over recent staff movements, citing lack of consultation and transparency.
The source who works for the department had alleged that Mutlaneng made significant changes without prior discussion or explanation to the employees.
In a leaked suspension letter dated March 4, 2024, states: “Please be informed that the department is suspending you from work, with full salary, in terms of Clause 7.2 of the disciplinary code and procedures read with Clause 2.7 (2) of the SMS handbook Chapter 7 - misconduct and incapacity, pending an investigation instituted by the department into various allegations of misconduct against you.”
By law, the CFO should have been charged a maximum 60 days after suspension, but has since been lingering at home for the last eight months.
“The HOD is acting against the law. She must be forced to reinstate the CFO because it looks like they are preparing trumped up charges. It's wrong. Why are they not charging her,” said the source.
The prolonged suspension has raised eyebrows about transparency and efficiency within the department.
DA’s lawmaker Nico De Jager said the party would be submitting urgent questions to the MEC for Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, on Friday to address these concerns and seek clarity on the situation.
Speaking to The Star on Thursday, De Jager said the situation raises serious questions about transparency and efficiency within a department already under scrutiny for its project management and performance issues.
He said: “The oversight committee’s apparent unawareness of this suspension is deeply troubling and indicative of a significant lack of communication within the department… While the allegations against the CFO — including insubordination, dereliction of duties, and absenteeism — are serious, an eight-month delay in reaching a decision is inexcusable.”
He added that the principle that “justice delayed is justice denied” applied to all parties involved.
“This protracted process serves neither the interests of the department nor those of the suspended individual,” he said.
De Jager further called for a free, fair, and transparent investigation process and full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the suspension to the oversight committee
We will continue to monitor this situation closely and push for a timely and just resolution…Of course, it is a huge and unnecessary expense to have an official sitting at home while earning a salary with absolutely no benefit to the residents of Gauteng while infrastructure is not completed because of a lack of funding,” he said.
Mamabolo’s spokesperson, Theo Nkonki, had not responded to questions sent by The Star.
However, department spokesperson, Victor Moreriane, said a disciplinary case against the CFO was under way and declined to comment further.
“In line with the public service regulations, matters related to disciplinary cases are classified as confidential and restricted between the employer and the employee. As the case is pending, both parties are also restricted from disclosing facts and details concerning the case to external parties including the media - as such an action will constitute misconduct.
“The department will, therefore, refrain from commenting on the merits of the case based on the above explanation,” he said.
“Similarly, the department is also cautioning that no one should use this case to mobilise external support or to attempt to influence the outcome as such an action will also constitute misconduct,” he added.
Asked about the numerous resignations, Moreriane said employees have always resigned in jobs across the country for personal and professional reasons. We, therefore, find it extremely strange that, once again, the HOD is being accused of being responsible for staff resignations,” he said.
The Star