Five Free State treasury officials have been summoned by the Public Service Commission (PSC) to appear before its commissioner.
During the hearing, the officials will be expected to answer questions related to the head of their department.
The commission decided to summon the officials after they defied requests to present themselves for questioning regarding the matter.
The matter involves the officials’ boss Masechaba Sesing, who is accused of meddling on recruitment processes in the department.
PSC commissioner Henk Boshoff wrote to members of the selection committee which includes departmental chief financial officer Andri Botes, chief director Tshepo Mabilo, acting director of sustainable resources management Steven Mngoma, and MC Tadi, a director in public finance and financial assets management.
Also included is N Mokotso, the department’s representative of human resources.
In letters that we have seen, Boshoff said the officials failed to adhere to his instruction that they should have attended interviews at the PSC on alleged recruitment irregularities involving Sesing.
“You are hereby directed to appear before the Public Service Commission personally for the purpose of providing reasons for failure to attend the interview as requested by the PSC in respect of a complaint that is being investigation by the Free State provincial treasury during the process to fill the post of director: fiscal policy at the department.
“For the purpose of providing clarity for non-attendance, in spite of the numerous correspondences sent to the department, including providing information, documents in your possession relating to the complaint,” reads Boshoff’s letter.
Boshoff instructed the officials to present themselves in person on Friday to face the music.
In May, Sunday World reported that Sesing was in hot water after the PSC initiated investigations against her for alleged corrupt practices regarding the recruitment of a senior employee in her department.
Investigations against Sesing came after the PSC wrote to Free State premier Mxolisi Dukwana in April to notify him of allegations levelled against the head of department.
Instead of the officials to appear before the commission, they played hide and seek with the PSC.
The department’s lawyers Rampai Attorneys even wrote a letter to the commission claiming they only received a letter of instructions from the department to deal with the matter a day before the interviews of the administrators.
On June 12, the lawyers wrote to the PSC stating that it was not going to be possible for the officials to attend the investigative interviews set down for June 13.
When the officials continued to defy instructions from the PSC to appear before the commission, Boshoff became furious and issued summonses.
In the mix of the drama, Sesing also caught fire and wrote a scathing letter to the PSC chairperson, Somadoda Fikeni, asking him to intervene.
Sesing lodged a complaint to Fikeni about the PSC provincial office, claiming she should not be subjected to investigations by the commission.
She stated that the PSC is not an organ of state and that it has no jurisdiction to investigate her.
Tshidiso Mokokoane, spokesperson for treasury in Free State, said: “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to discuss this matter. Investigations are ongoing.
“Please note that as soon as all the matters relating to treasury officials and PSC are concluded, we will be able to provide or issue a full media statement.
“We are not in any position to hamper this ongoing internal matter of the department.”
Humphrey Ramafoko, spokesperson for PSC, said: “Kindly note that the Public Service Commission is currently busy with the investigation and will not comment until after the conclusion of the process.”
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