Heads roll following ‘wasteful’ R134 million North West security tender
A “wasteful” R134 million North West security tender which led to squabbles between the head of the department of social development and its political overseer has led to both officials being suspended.
Moreover, department head and accounting officer Relebohile Mafokane, who already faces a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) inquiry over allegations that he submitted fake tertiary qualifications, on Tuesday allegedly sent an “invalid” suspension letter to another official, Msebenzi Mphela, on the same day he was himself suspended by Premier Bushy Maape.
Maape’s office said in a statement that the premier had put Mafokane — who was appointed head of department in May 2021 on a fixed five-year term — and North West MEC for social development Boitumelo Moiloa on “special leave” for a month over a “near administrative paralysis” in the department.
Last week the Mail & Guardian reported that the North West government would forge ahead with an 18-month R133.9 million security expenditure signed off by Mafokane, despite the provincial treasury’s internal audit report finding that it had been awarded to 10 companies without the consideration of “key essential factors”.
These included the department’s failure to determine the number of sites it needed security for and the rates per security officer to be employed, which led to a potentially incorrect calculation of the projected expenditure.
The audit report stated that the questionable calculation “may translate into fruitless and wasteful expenditure”.
Even after he was suspended, Mafokane still sent Mphela a suspension letter, accusing the department official of “dereliction of your duties, gross insubordination, misrepresentation and/or gross negligence”.
In the letter dated 30 May, Mafokane said Mphela had failed to attend to matters related to the submission of the department’s annual performance report, which was meant to be processed by the provincial audit committee.
A senior social development official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mphela did not directly report to Mafokane and “is known as the best performing employee in the department”.
“The official in question reports to acting chief director for corporate services Lorato Gasealahlwe, who Mafokane does not recognise. Mafokane once dismissed this chief director without following proper procedures,” said the source.
“The provincial treasury had to be called to reinstate the chief director with immediate effect. From a layman’s point of view, [Mphela’s] suspension is an invalid suspension.”
Another high-ranking provincial source, who also did not want to be named, said the failure to complete the social development department’s annual performance plans and reports were caused by what they called maladministration by Mafokane.
“Mafokane has consistently undermined the MEC since his appointment in 2021, and he has been protected by the premier who has not supported his own MEC to the detriment of the department,” the insider said.
The sources’ assertions were echoed by the provincial legislature’s health and social development committee, which turned both Mafokane and Moiloa away on 12 May before they could present the department’s annual performance plan and budget for the 2023-24 financial year.
Committee chairperson Gavin Edwards said the presentation was rejected because of “persistent squabbles” between Moiloa and Mafokane. The department head told the legislature that he had been “stripped [of] his powers as the accounting officer, and that he had not been part of developing the annual performance plan”.
“This after the head of department had signed off tenders for security contracts to the value of R130 million two weeks ago. When were the powers stripped?” Edwards asked. “We are asking ourselves what is happening with service delivery because it is clear that the head of department and the MEC cannot work together.”
In a statement, Anele Xhati, the social development secretary of the North West chapter of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), accused Maape of giving Mafokane “full protection” and allowing the accounting officer to undermine the MEC and to do “as he pleases”.
“Nehawu has on numerous occasions called on [the premier] to intervene in the maladministration of the department and irregular procurement of goods and services,” Xhati said.
In announcing Moiloa and Mafokane’s suspension, Maape’s office said over the past few months it had conducted the implementation of directives on “professionalisation of the public service, which includes, among other things, a system of delegations between executive authorities (MECs) and accounting officers”.
“Unfortunately, this has not been successful in the department of social development leading to a near administrative paralysis which risked finalisation of the annual performance plan, departmental budget for [the] 2023-24 financial year, and potentially the submission of the annual financial statement as well as the annual performance information for 2022-23 financial year,” it said.
“This discord has the potential, if not managed, to paralyse service delivery and harm the poor and vulnerable persons who are serviced by the department.”
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago confirmed that the unit was investigating claims that Mafokane misrepresented his qualifications and submitted allegedly fraudulent documents ahead of his appointment as departmental head.
The request for the SIU’s investigation was made by Aaron Motswana, the chairperson of the North West legislature’s portfolio committee on the premier, finance, cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs.
Motswana confirmed that he had requested the SIU’s involvement.
The M&G sent detailed questions to the Maape’s office about the claims that the premier had protected Mafokane, the alleged undermining of the MEC, the SIU’s investigation into the accounting officer and whether Maape would consider extending the suspensions once the month is up.
In a curt response over the phone, Maape’s spokesperson Sello Tatai said the premier’s office had nothing further to add, outside of Tuesday’s statement.
“We are not going to respond to any other matter [raised in your questions] because we have stated categorically that this is the last communication on the matter,” Tatai said.