Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth approved the creation of an additional director-general-level post and simultaneously appointed senior official Jacqueline Molisane without following a public recruitment process.
This amid allegations that Molisane did not qualify for the permanent position and that the extra post was created solely to enable her selection.
The allegations are contained in an anonymous complaint submitted to the Office of the Public Protector. The office confirmed receipt of the complaint in a letter dated May 18 and said it would assess whether the matter fell within its mandate.
Interviews conducted
The complainant says Molisane was seconded from the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in the Presidency around April 2025 to act as director-general while the Department of Employment and Labour searched for a permanent head.
It is unclear whether “the necessary competencies and experience required for the position were fully assessed” when she was seconded.
The interviews for the permanent post were conducted around November and December 2025 and Molisane was among the candidates interviewed.
However, the complainant alleges that the process was not finalised and her secondment and acting appointment effectively ended on March 31 after the DPME allegedly informed the department that her contract would not be extended.
New position created
The complaint alleges that shortly before her contract expired, Meth instructed that an additional executive-level post be created inside the department to accommodate Molisane after her contract expired.
“It is understood that documentation relating to the creation of this post may have specifically identified her,” the complainant states.
They further allege that Molisane was appointed to the post on a six-month contract during the first week of April, without an open recruitment process being followed.
It raises concern over what the complainant describes as the absence of “a competitive recruitment and selection process ordinarily required for appointments of this nature”.
Fixed-term contract
In response to questions from the media, departmental spokesperson Teboho Thejane confirmed that Molisane was appointed on a six-month fixed-term contract as interim director-general from April and that approval for the creation of the post and Molisane’s appointment were processed at the same time. He denied that the post was created specifically to accommodate Molisane.
Instead, Thejane said, the additional position was justified by operational requirements, instability at the leadership level and the need to oversee reforms linked to the unbundling of the Compensation Fund and the Unemployment Insurance Fund. He also rejected suggestions that the appointment process was irregular.
Thejane said Regulation 57(2)(b) of the Public Service Regulations permitted temporary appointments additional to the approved structure and did not require either advertisements or a competitive recruitment process.
He said Meth had approved Molisane’s appointment for six months while the permanent director-general recruitment process continued.
Executive powers
Molisane is understood to have been among the candidates interviewed for the permanent director-general position, although the department declined to disclose how many candidates were interviewed or whether any recommendation has been submitted to Cabinet.
Thejane also rejected suggestions that concurrence from the minister for public service and administration was required before the appointment was made.
He cited Section 3(7)(b) of the Public Service Act, which grants executive authorities powers relating to recruitment and appointments in their departments.
He said Molisane previously served as acting director-general at the former Department of Public Enterprises, held deputy director-general positions and occupied senior private-sector roles.
- Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth approved creating an extra director-general post and appointed Jacqueline Molisane without a public recruitment process, amid allegations she was unqualified and the post was created solely for her.
- An anonymous complaint to the Public Protector alleges Molisane's secondment as acting director-general ended in March 2025, but an additional post was then created for her with a six-month contract, bypassing competitive recruitment.
- The department confirmed Molisane's interim appointment from April 2025 on a fixed-term contract, denying the post was created specifically for her and citing operational needs and leadership instability.
- Department spokesperson stated the appointment complied with the Public Service Regulations allowing temporary appointments without advertisement, and ministerial powers under the Public Service Act supported the process.
- Molisane had been interviewed for the permanent director-general role but no outcomes were disclosed; the recruitment process for a permanent head is ongoing.
