Nehawu and the PSA have given the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture in the Northern Cape, Desery Finies, and Premier Zamani Saul a week in which to deal with the “gross maladministration and corruption” at the department.
THE NATIONAL Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) gave the MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture in the Northern Cape, Desery Finies, and Premier Zamani Saul a week in which to deal with the “gross maladministration and corruption” at the department.
Nehawu and the PSA called for the intervention from the two offices during a march earlier this week during which they handed over a memorandum.
They called for the suspension of the chief financial officer (CFO), the chief director of corporate services and the chief director of service delivery programmes at the department.
According to the unions, the CFO should be suspended pending an investigation into the alleged transgression in his fiduciary responsibilities in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 1 of 1999 (PFMA).
The CFO is accused of being involved in the irregular appointment of a senior manager at the department.
They accused the CFO of recommending a payment for traffic events, while he was allegedly fully aware that no tender process was followed in terms of the Public Protector Report No 29 of 2018/2019.
They further accused the CFO of failing in his fiduciary responsibilities to advise the former HOD, Ruth Palm, against payment for the traffic events as due tender processes were not followed.
They highlighted that the CFO purposefully failed to report fraudulent financial transactions to the auditor-general, internal audit and provincial and national Treasury, accusing him of being implicated in the matter.
The chief director of service delivery programmes is accused of paying an amount of R135 000 to artists during the opening of the Northern Cape Theatre without adhering to the PFMA and the supply chain process.
They further demanded that a forensic investigation be conducted on the conduct of all officials implicated.
They demanded that the ‘audi alteram partem’ rule be speedily completed and for the MEC to implement the public protector’s report for remedial action.
The members demanded that the premier ensures that the MEC executes her executive authority to suspend the officials in question and that a forensic investigation be conducted.
The branch secretary of Nehawu, Moses Vorster, said the leadership of the two unions will approach the Office of the Public Protector, Public Service Commission, auditor-general, the Hawks and Treasury to raise their grievances regarding unlawful payments and gross mismanagement of public funds.
He explained that the only action that has been taken thus far was the suspension of the then HOD, Ruth Palm, by Saul when they started raising the alarm.
“The maladministration has been going on for a period of five years, subsequent to that the HOD was not the only one who was allegedly responsible for the mismanagement of public funds.
“That is why we also want those who were part of instituting a wrong payment on December 24 to be suspended as per the public protector’s report,” Vorster said.
During the march, union members refused to hand over the memorandum to a delegate at the MEC’s office as they were told that the MEC was in Olifantshoek and they then proceeded to the Premier’s Office.
Acting Premier Bentley Vass, who accepted both the memorandums, said that they will start engagements as soon as possible in order to try and respond before the set deadline.
