The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has filed a court application against Gauteng MEC for Local Government and Human Settlements Lebogang Maile to force his hand in scrapping the appointment of Joburg Metro Police Department chief David Tembe.
Sunday World can reveal that the union filed court papers at the Labour Court arguing that Maile has ignored several letters written to him asking for his intervention on an irregular appointment made by the City of Joburg.
In an affidavit filed in support of the court application, Samwu shop steward Jack Mokalapa said instead of answering their pleas, MEC Maile used the information shared with him through two letters, which he read but did not acknowledge nor respond to, to play politics with former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba on Twitter.
The union said the MEC was busy discussing the matter on Twitter with Mashaba but had not said a word to them as the complainants who brought the matter to his attention.
Mokalapa accused Maile of perpetually failing to guard and implement the provisions of the Municipal Systems Act, saying that the MEC did not act on their complaints about irregular appointments and noncompliance at the Joburg metro.
The papers show that the union argued that Tembe’s appointment as metro police chief did not comply with the Municipal Systems Act, as he did not meet the requirements of the advertised position.
The union revealed that the advertised position had required that the successful candidate must possess a bachelor’s degree, but said that Tembe was appointed to the post despite having only a national diploma.
The papers show that, not only did Tembe not meet the requirements, but he was also found to have obtained position five from the interviews.
They claim that Sipho Dlepu, who performed better than Tembe, was deliberately overlooked.
In its responding affidavit, the City of Joburg said all processes were followed in the appointment of Tembe. Maile is yet to file a responding affidavit.
By Aubrey Mothombeni
mothombenia@156.38.205.90
