The DA-led Johannesburg metro is pushing for staff members hired by former ANC mayors and their mayoral teams to be fired from the political offices of one of the country’s richest metropolitan municipalities.
On Wednesday, the office of acting Joburg city manager Floyd Brink told council that the conversion of contracts of staff in political offices from fixed-term to permanent contracts was preventing the new administration from employing its own political caucus staff.
Semenya said the conversions, done by the mayoral committee under the leadership of the late Geoff Makhubo in February last year, were not in line with the city’s recruitment policies.
Sunday World has seen the invitation of a meeting, which took place on Thursday to discuss the termination of staff in political offices whose contracts were made permanent.
The termination of their contracts would be effective from March 1, according to the invitation. The staff include directors and deputy directors in the private office of the former mayor Makhubo.
In a report to council, Kedibone Semenya, who is acting executive head of Brink’s office, said the extent of the irregularities in conversions of contracts came to light during the assessment of hand-over reports from the previous administration.
“This (the conversion of contracts) has prejudiced these parties from selecting their preferred staff, which is vital given the expected political confidentiality from caucus support staff.
“It has also prejudiced the new political parties because they are being forced to work with caucus support staff, which was brought by political parties from the previous administration,” she said.
Semenya further said a legal opinion had found that the mayoral committee promoted the interests of employees who are aligned to political offices and did so “through a process with hallmarks of opportunism and underhanded conduct”.
She asked council to authorise Brink to appoint an independent investigator to probe the conversion of staff for possible irregularities and submit a report to the council within 30 days.
Semenya also requested council to authorise Brink to review and re-align the City’s Talent Acquisition Policy Framework and other relevant human resources policies with applicable legal requirements and the framework relating to employment of staff in political offices.
Immediately after ascending to her mayoral office, the DA’s Mpho Phalatse placed a moratorium on the hiring of new staff and extension of employment contracts. This was done after consultations with Brink.
She said at the time that she was doing so to “protect the integrity of the municipality”.
Sunday World reported last month that the DA-led coalition in the City of Johannesburg has wasted little time in dismantling cadre deployment policy that is often associated with inefficiency as party affiliation takes precedence over competence.
In a letter dated 19 January, MMC for corporate governance and shared services Leah Knott said competence would be prioritised when appointments were made in the administration.
Former mayor and ANC caucus leader Mpho Moerane said the coalition running the city is the one guilty of opportunism and vindictiveness.
“They are the ones undermining City processes in order sustain their flimsy, unprincipled coalition by firing young people in order to dish out jobs to their political party members.
The conversion of contracts of junior and non- strategic staff in political staff was done in terms of City approved policies and the staff establishment framework delegations to the executive mayor.”
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