Minister of Labour and Employment Thulas Nxesi has admitted he suspended Department of Military Veterans director-general Irene Mpolweni without any report from a Chapter 9 institution or law enforcement implicating her of any wrongdoing.
Nxesi was delegated by Ramaphosa to resolve the impasse between Mpolweni and her employer, the Department of Military Veterans (DMV).
More than a year later, after Nxesi suspended Mpolweni, he has conceded he had nothing concrete that informed his decision to ice Mpolweni.
“It is correct that the president delegated to the minister of employment and labour the responsibility to investigate allegations of misconduct, initiate disciplinary proceedings, and/or suspend the director-general: Military Veterans,” said Nxesi’s spokesperson, Lumko Mtimde.
“Accordingly, the minister initiated an independent investigation in respect of the allegations. The investigation report recommended the initiation of disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the Public Service Act and the relevant disciplinary code. As far as the minister is aware, there was no other report by any Chapter 9 institution or other body that was relied on in this matter.”
But DMV insiders sympathetic to Mpolweni believe Nxesi jumped the gun by suspending her without any prima facie evidence. They argue that the disciplinary process is dragging on forever, saying it is akin to a fishing expedition.
“It is a bogus suspension, which is why, 12 months on, they have nothing on that lady. Minister Nxesi did not have to suspend Mpolweni with no evidence, but it looks like he was forced by other forces, but since they allege criminality, where is the case number?” said our informant.
“What makes matters worse is that the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) refused to sign an SIU (Special Investigating Unit) proclamation on the transgressions they allege Mpolweni committed. He said they must bring evidence, but until today they do not have that evidence.
“This is abuse of power because where does the DG get involved in the procurement issues they have fingered her for?”
However, the SIU denied these claims, saying that it had not submitted any motivation for a proclamation to the president in relation to the allegations about the Department of Military Veterans.
Mpolweni was suspended in March 2023.
According to the latest charge sheet, as amended late last year, Mpolweni faces allegations of gross financial misconduct.
Charge one in the sheet, which we have seen, alleges Mpolweni caused irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
In this regard, the charge sheet continues: Mpolweni, in 2021, initiated and approved a project to purchase 90 rammer walk-behind roller pothole machines totalling R101-million.
Mpolweni’s allies said charge one is factually false because the rammer machine referred to in the charge costs R26 000 on average, and can never amount to R101-million. “Now they are stuck because they cannot produce evidence of this because there was never such. These people are confusing a pothole machine with a rammer.”
Mpolweni is also charged with financial misconduct for allegedly initiating and approving R50-million for the training of military veterans to operate the rammer machines.
Another act of financial misconduct brought against Mpolweni is that she approved the purchase of tablets, R10 000 wireless keyboards, flash discs, earphones, and power banks to the tune of R61-million. Furthermore, she is accused of wasting public money by approving the funding of data packages amounting to R8-million.
The fourth alleged act of financial misconduct is that Mpolweni approved the training of military vets in ICT and computer literacy for the sum of R80-million.
Fifthly, Mpolweni is accused of approving the payment of a R3 500 stipend to 1 900 military veterans for training in the use of tablets.
The sixth charge is that she apparently also set out to blow R21-million over three years, funding 189 Microsoft licences for the DMV through a third party instead of purchasing them directly from the company.
Mpolweni’s seventh act of financial misconduct is allegedly that she signed off on the execution of R14-million to procure the services of 49 contingent workers from the SA Army Reserves to assist the DMV.
DMV refused to comment, saying the ball was in Nxesi’s court, while Mpolweni could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print.
- The story was updated to include a comment from the SIU, which denies submitting any motivation for a proclamation to the president in relation to the allegations about the Department of Military Veterans. Sunday World regrets the error.
