The City of Mbombela (CoM) has served its CFO, Delight Sibanyoni, with a letter reversing her appointment of two years.
Lowvelder has been reliably informed that Sibanyoni was served with the letter earlier today, May 1.
The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, could neither confirm nor deny this information.
Despite this, three senior officials, who asked to remain anonymous, have confirmed Sibanyoni’s dismissal. They all said that during the CoM’s council sitting yesterday, the members resolved to reverse Sibanyoni’s appointment.
“She is accused of falsifying her qualifications in her CV when she applied for the CFO position,” one source said. This comment is supported by a letter written by the MEC for co-operative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs, Speed Mashilo, on April 4.
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Mashilo directed the letter, of which the Lowvelder has seen a copy, to the CoM’s executive mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko. “The municipality was advised through the Office of the Executive Mayor that the Office of the MEC was not in support of the CFO’s appointment due to the misrepresentation in her CV,” it reads.
The letter further says the municipality was advised to take the matter to the council so that a decision could be made on the termination of Sibanyoni’s appointment.
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Mashilo gave the municipality 30 days to revert to his office.
Former co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Mandla Msibi wrote to the municipality on July 12, 2023, disapproving of Sibanyoni’s appointment based on alleged misrepresentation in her CV.
Mashilo’s letter to the municipality reiterated Msibi’s stance. “The department maintains the advice that was provided through a letter dated July 12, 2023,” concluded Mashilo’s letter.
Meanwhile, the EFF’s provincial leadership has released a statement calling for Mashilo to recover the millions the CoM paid Sibanyoni since her appointment. “We call on Mashilo to urgently recover all funds that were irregularly paid to Sibanyoni,” reads the EFF’s statement.
Sibanyoni was officially dismissed on April 30 following the discovery that she had falsified her qualifications and gained unfair advantage over other candidates through dishonesty.”
When contacted for comment, Sibanyoni said she was not aware about the reversal of her appointment. “So far no one has sent a written notice to me. Maybe they will officially send something to me tomorrow [Friday, May 2]. For now, I do not have anything to respond to,” said Sibanyoni.
She previously denied having misrepresented herself in her CV. She was already on suspension for unrelated issues.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
