Matibe defuses Maluleke and Limpopo Road Agency dispute 

Limpopo MEC for Economic Development and Tourism Tshitereke Matibe’s strategic behind-the-scenes intervention in brokering peace talks between the Road Agency Limpopo (RAL) chief executive Gabriel Maluleke and the entity has resulted in an out of court settlement.  

Sunday World can exclusively reveal that Matibe, the ANC’s Vhembe regional chairperson, played a pivotal role when he convinced the two parties to extinguish the fires of war for stability’s sake in the agency.  

“Cde Matibe’s capabilities and erudition in resolving disputes came into play here. I hold no brief for him, but the man is a true leader and an advocate for stability and service delivery.  

“When he saw an opportunity to intervene, he intervened, hence the out-of-court settlement,” said an agency official who did not want to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media. 

Another official echoed the sentiment, singing praises for Matibe for defusing the embarrassing crisis.  

“He identified the opportunity, seized it, and applied his skills to resolve the matter, and we applaud him for that. It is because of his leadership skills that the Vhembe region, which he leads as the ANC regional chairperson, is so stable. The structures of the ANC there are very lucky to have a leader of his calibre,” said the official, who also did not want to be named. 

On Friday, the Department of Public Works released a statement stating that the two parties had smoked a peace pipe following the negotiations, which saw Maluleke withdrawing his urgent application in the High Court challenging his suspension, and RAL undertaking to contribute to his legal costs.  

In terms of the settlement, said the statement, Maluleke’s employment contract termination on December 31 last year was reversed and he left RAL with a clean record as the entity agreed to set aside his dismissal. 

This constructive settlement, said the statement, paves the way for the appointment of the new board of directors and a new CEO.  

The MEC for the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure Ernest Rachoene, who is the main shareholder at RAL and who was also cited in court papers, welcomed these developments, indicating the agency will now focus on service delivery. 

“We would like to thank Maluleke for the constructive way he approached the negotiations between himself and RAL, leading to the final resolution of the matter, and we wish him well in his future endeavours.  

“It also comes as a relief that this withdrawal of the application by Maluleke also settles the leave to appeal of the SCA and the Constitutional Court. The senior councils of both parties are engaging to finalise the details of the settlement.” 

The MEC further said this would allow RAL to fully focus on its core mandate.  

“This is a victory for all parties involved, as the department and its entity will now focus on making our roads drivable. 

“Reality is that people are in dire need of services, in this space of roads infrastructure. We really appreciate both parties involved for prioritising our people,” he added. 

 

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Sunday World