Wanted: Lim DG’s head

The threat of industrial action across the city is expectantly hanging in the air as the resignation or alternative removal of Limpopo Director-General (DG) Nape Nchabeleng is apparently about to be demanded.
While intervention from national level has been sought, an intended campaign by members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) branch affiliated to the Office of the Premier, its regional executive and provincial structure is fuelled by allegations of financial misconduct, pertaining to reported irregular expenditure of an estimated R4 million on the department’s wage bill rolling over from the 2015/16 book year, that has thus far apparently been ignored.
According to information the amount of R3 954 000
equals a 2% excess on the total wage bill of the Office of the Premier as per Auditor-General finding and questioned resultant roll-overs from the previous years to date.
In an interview on Tuesday, Nehawu Samson Magomane Branch Chairperson Norman Ma­vhunga said their members were ready to commence with lunch hour pickets from Monday onwards to demand Nchabeleng’s resignation or his removal by Premier Stan Mathabatha.
According to Mavhunga the decision for all members attached to Nehawu branches at government departments as well as regional offices of national departments to participate in the action had recently been communicated by the union’s Mike Tauyatswala regional executive after a resolution of 6 December last year was communicated by the provincial executive on 15 January this year. In the notice Nehawu’s provincial office informed all regional secretaries of the union about the campaign comprising of lunchtime pickets and demonstrations to commence “to fight for the removal of the current DG as he is anti-workers in the province” supposed to have started six days later.
Mavhunga reiterated Nehawu’s commitment to fighting alleged financial misconduct in the public service in the interest of the public. He stressed that the same had to happen to Premier Stan Mathabatha’s DG as with municipal office-bearers who were dealt with for their alleged implication in the VBS Mutual Bank saga and specifically in the context of perceived irregular expenditure. Mavhunga referred to the background to the matter, saying that the Premier couldn’t allow four years to pass without taking any steps against the DG. In the light of the absence of expected action against Nchabeleng the only option was to picket to force the powers that be to take steps against the DG, he emphasised.
Substantiating documentation at hand speaks to the roll-over of an amount of
R3 954 000 perceived as irregular expenditure awaiting condonation and mentioned by the Auditor-General in the department’s annual report for the 2017/18 financial year dated 31 July 2018.
Among documentation made available to Polokwane Observer is a letter by Nehawu’s Samson Magomane Branch Secretary Ndivhuwo Madzusa to the Minister of Finance and the National Treasury dated 12 February this year to seek intervention in the matter. The letter further carries the request for a directive to the executive authority to observe the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Treasury regulations within seven days of receipt of the correspondence. Polo­kwane Observer received proof of receipt of the letter being acknowledged and it being availed to the minister for his consideration.
In the letter Madzusa, referencing the Auditor-General’s report for the audit period 2015/16, raises the failure of exercising of full responsibility by the DG and other officials in terms of two sections of the PFMA stipulating that an accounting officer of a department or institution commits an act of financial misconduct if the person wilfully or negligently fails to comply with a requirement of certain sections of the Act or makes or permits unauthorised expenditure, irregular expenditure or fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and also that an official of a department, a trading entity or a constitutional institution to whom power or duty is assigned in terms of sections of the PFMA, commits financial misconduct if the official wilfully or negligently fails to exercise that power or perform that duty.
As far as could be established court processes pertaining to the issue are underway. Further documentation in Polokwane Observer’s possession was shelved based on the decision not to interfere with the merits of the matter.
In comment obtained Premier’s spokesperson Kenny Mathivha refuted the allegations. He added that the DG couldn’t be seen to have overspent on the wage bill and that the money in question was awarded on performance by officials. With reference to the wage bill of the department he said Nehawu and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) were against the reduction of public service officials. He mentioned that the department had been given a clean bill of health with an unqualified report the past financial year. Whatever the union alleged was what they were guilty of every day, he remarked. Mathivha continued saying the union had gone to court on related and other matters three to four times this year but failed as policy issues that were raised were tested.

Story: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com