Fired KwaZulu-Natal department of public works supply chain director will not go down without a fight.
Musa Zondi was fired on charges relating to his oversight functions.
The former General Gizenga Mpanza region ANC secretary-general claims there is a witch-hunt against him.
Fired director claims statement was defamatory
Zondi wrote a scathing letter demanding that both department acting head Vish Naidoo and MEC Martin Meyer retract the “defamatory statement” they issued.
Sunday World has seen the letter.
The statement claimed that Zondi had been dismissed for gross misconduct involving approximately R1.1 billion. But through his lawyers, Zuma & Partners Incorporated, Zondi charges that the statement was factually incorrect and misleading. He also said it has caused untold harm to his public reputation and image.
“We are instructed that the information contained in the said statement is not only incorrect, but is also defamatory to our client’s good name and reputation, in that it alleges that our Client was dismissed following actions of gross negligence which caused the Department to lose R 1.1 billion,” reads the letter.
Instead Zondi contends that he had not been charged, disciplined or found guilty on such allegations
Claims are unsubstantiated
“The information contained in the statement is unsubstantiated and grossly misrepresents both the facts and circumstances surrounding his dismissal. It is further our instructions that the information contained in the statement… is harmful, and our Client has suffered and continues to suffer an unfair public scrutiny through various media platforms due to the misinformation willingly and/or negligently published by the Department. Our client’s instructions are that he did not participate in the process of awarding contracts totalling R1.1 billion, further he does not have powers to award contracts on behalf of the department as such powers vest in the Accounting Officer,” the lawyers further stated.
The department claims Zondi, employed as director in the supply chain department since August 2022, failed to exercise due diligence and oversight. This led to a single consulting company scoring just over R1 billion in state contracts.
“This resulted in the firm holding an unfair and unchecked monopoly over contracts issued by the KZN public works and infrastructure,” the internal probe revealed.
The department claims there was a clear directorship conflict
The department also said Zondi had failed to disclose conflicts of directorship in the bidding companies. Other accusations are that he failed to ensure thorough oversight and compliance verification so had to fall on his sword.
Meyer has however stuck to his guns on the allegations against Zondi.
But in a letter the department sent to his lawyers, it acceded to some of his demands.
This letter too has been seen by the Sunday World.
“The statement merely contained a reasonable numerical error relating to the expenditure amount associated with the charges against your client in view of the foregoing, the department intends issuing an amended media statement to correct the error and a draft copy has been attached for your noting. We trust that this resolves the issue herein,” Govender wrote.
Meyer told Sunday World that law enforcement agencies will now determine if there was a corruption case Zondi had to answer to. He said while a departmental investigation had not uncovered corruption against Zondi, the Hawks had been asked to probe further.
